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Chile's
Progress Report as Chair of the Community of Democracies Convening
Group (March 2003-September 2004)
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General
Background
The Community of Democracies (CD)
is an international coalition of nations. Its objective
is to promote democratic principles and consolidate democratic
institutions all over the world. Its most important event
is a biennial meeting of Foreign Ministers, the Ministerial
Conference of the Community of Democracies.
So far,
two Ministerial Conferences have been held: Warsaw (June 2000)
and Seoul (November 2002). Representatives
of over 100 democratic nations attended both meetings. The
next ministerial meeting will be held in Santiago, from May
4-6, 2005.
The CD
has a managing and coordinating board named the Convening
Group (CG) currently composed of 10 countries (Chile, the
Czech Republic, India, Mali, Portugal, Poland, Korea, United
States, Mexico, and South Africa). Its mission is,
among other things, to define the agenda of the Ministerial
Conferences; to decide on the criteria for inviting a participant
to the CD; to adopt initiatives for the promotion and consolidation
of democracy; and to resolve on procedural and administrative
matters. The representative of the organizing country of the
respective Ministerial Conference presides as the chairperson
of the GC.
At the
Ministerial Conferences of the CD, the countries attend upon
invitation, as the concept of Permanent Membership does not
exist. The invitation is extended by the government of the
host country, subject to prior acceptance by the Convening
Group of the CD.
The CG
meets every quarter at the level of ambassadors and/or special
representatives; during Chile's chairmanship (since
March 2003), these meetings have been held alternately in
Santiago and Washington, DC.
The main
activities developed by the Convening Group and by the Community
of Democracies during the last 18 months include:
1.
Meeting of the CD Convening Group (March 31, 2003)
On March 31, 2003, Chile took over the chair of the
Convening Group through its Ambassador Carlos Portales, Director
General of Foreign Policy, in a meeting held at the Chilean
Embassy in Washington, DC. Under Chile's chairmanship of the
CG, the work has focused on the effective implementation of
the "Seoul Plan of Action," adopted during the Second Ministerial
Conference, held in Seoul in November 2002. Special emphasis
has been placed on regional meetings that promote the principles
and purposes of the CD. Focus is also placed on highlighting
the role of civil society organizations in the scope of the
CD.
In the
course of this meeting, it was resolved that the work of the
CG in the 2003-2004 period would be aimed at implementing
the various aspects of the "Seoul Plan of Action." Since its
adoption, the "Seoul Plan of Action" has been implemented
through a number of initiatives of different natures: regional
meetings, activities of civil society organizations, public
diplomacy, and a mission to East Timor, among others. In addition,
the CD has encouraged and supported initiatives from different
sectors like CG's member and non-member countries, international
organizations, NGOs, and others.
2.
Seminar AMERICA-AFRICA "Dialogue on Democracy" (Coral Gables,
Florida, June 5-6, 2003)
The seminar "Dialogue on Democracy" was an initiative
under the mandates of the "Seoul Plan of Action," focusing
particularly in the area of regional cooperation. Governmental
and non-governmental representatives of 14 countries attended
the seminar from American and African regions, as well as delegates
from regional organizations. This seminar made it possible
to gather together representatives from African and American
countries, which represents an important and innovative methodology
of sharing best practices and lessons learned on each continent
in order to cooperate in promoting democracy and countering
threats to democracy.
The main
conclusions of the seminar include: developing more advanced
and coherent strategic actions in promoting democracy and
respect for human rights; employment of both regional incentive
and actions in support of weakened democracies with a view
to creating favorable conditions for democratic development
or reaching political consensus among political groups; encouraging
the adoption of democratic clauses in regional agreements
facilitating further application of preventive or reactive
actions, within the framework of democratic deterioration
in a given country; and supporting regional agencies to publicly
and unequivocally condemning human rights abuses and authoritarian
acts.
3.
Initiative on East Timor
There are efforts underway to follow up on the Seoul
Plan of Action's call on the countries of the Community of
Democracies to share their knowledge and experiences with
emerging democracies, such as East Timor. Such an initiative
resulted in sending, on May 10-14, 2004, a CD mission to East
Timor at the request of its government, in order for democracy
practitioners from various CD countries to share the experiences
of nations that have previously undergone similar transitions
to democracy. It also provided the opportunity for representatives
of other nations to learn from their Timorese colleagues,
particularly about the challenges that may be encountered
in trying to build up democratic institutions from their very
foundations. The CD delegation included an election official,
head of a public defenders office, staff of an Ombudsman for
Human Rights, judge and others, and represented Europe, North
and South America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
It is
worth mentioning that this initiative received the enthusiastic
support of the East Timor authorities, particularly its Minister
of Foreign Affairs, José Ramos-Horta, who in November 2003
sent a letter to Ambassador Carlos Portales to express his
appreciation of the prompt presence of the CD delegation.
Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta also received, on behalf of his
government, the delegations report which summarized their
personal views on the Timorese progress in democratization.
4.
Meeting of the Convening Group (Santiago, June 17, 2003)
The first meeting of the CG held in Chile occurred
on June 17, 2003. In addition to the Group's members, the
meeting was attended by special guest representatives of the
governments of Peru, Romania, and by civil society
organizations.
The meeting
reviewed the activities relating to the implementation of
the "Seoul Plan of Action" and initiatives which, given their
nature or contents, are consistent and/or compatible with
the principles and goals of the CD. The analysis of the regional
meetings included the Seventh Summit of the Rio Group (Cusco,
Peru), the seminar "Dialogue on Democracy" held at Coral Gables,
Florida, between 5 and 6 June 2003, and the 33rd
O.A.S. General Assembly (Santiago, Chile).
Invited
to this meeting were Ms. Victoria Popescu of the Romanian
Foreign Ministry, who spoke on the preparations of the Regional
Bucharest CD Conference; Ambassador Harry Belevan, Pro-Temp
Secretary of the Rio Group; and Ms. Andrea Sanhueza and Mr.
Genaro Arriagada, representatives of the Non-Governmental
Forum of the Conference of the Community of Democracies.
Finally,
the high-level officers and ambassadors of the CG approved
a declaration expressing their concern for the political situation
in Burma and for the unjustified arrest of Ms. Aung San Suu
Kyi, apolitical leader of that nation and Nobel Peace Prize
winner.
5.
Meeting of the CD Convening Group (Washington, September 9,
2003)
This meeting, held in Washington, DC, submitted a report
on the activities developed in the scope of the "Seoul Plan
of Action." The new initiatives included the decision to conduct
a seminar on "Political Parties and Democratic Governance"
in Chile, an initiative to be held on a date to be determined
in conjunction with the Italian Government. The United States,
in turn, reported on the beginning of contacts to carry out
a technical assistance program on institutional matters in
East Timor.
It also
prepared the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Convening
Group, to be held on September 26, during the 58th
session of the United Nations General Assembly.
6.
Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Community of Democracies
Convening Group (New York, September 26, 2003)
On September 26, 2003, the CG's Ministerial Meeting of
the Community of Democracies was held at the United Nations
headquarters. This meeting, chaired by Ms. Maria Soledad Alvear
Valenzuela, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, was attended
by eight Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the U.S., South
Africa, Poland, Portugal, Mali, and Chile on the part
of the Convening Group, and Italy and Peru, as special guests.
Likewise, high-level representatives from the remaining Convening
Countries (the Czech Republic, India, Mexico, and Korea) were
present.
The main
purpose of this meeting was to consider future activities
to be developed by the Convening Group within the United Nations.
The intervention of the various Heads of Delegations pledged
the common undertaking of the Convening Countries to promote
democracy in the world and also reflected the wide range of
approaches that exist within the Group.
At that
meeting, a joint press communiqué was approved which summarizes
the issues under discussion:
- The
Convening Group reaffirmed the commitments undertaken at
the Ministerial Conferences of Warsaw (2000) and Seoul (2002).
- They
ratified the observance of the CD to the purposes and principles
of the United Nations Charter, the Human Rights Universal
Declaration, and the fundamental principles of international
law.
- They
renewed the commitment of the CD to develop and promote
democracy in their respective countries, as well as at regional
and global levels.
- As
resolved in Warsaw, the CD will cooperate with the promotion
of democracy in international and regional organizations,
forming coalitions and special groups to support resolutions
and other international activities oriented to the promotion
of democratic governance.
- They
recognized the mandate of the "Seoul Plan of Action" to
the Convening Group to meet on a regular basis and offer
its support and assistance to all the participant countries.
- The
Convening Group will encourage, in close consultation and
cooperation with the CD participants, the creation of coalitions
and special groups within the United Nations and other multilateral
forums in order to support democracy.
The ministerial
meeting of September 26, 2003, was the first one of its type
to be held within the United Nations General Assembly. With
the extensive participation of Ministers and the presence
of special guests, the Chilean Chair of the Convening Group
encouraged the other participants of the Community of Democracies
to work for the promotion of democratic values and practices.
7.
Regional Conference of the Community of Democracies in Bucharest,
Romania (November 14-15, 2003)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the NGO "Partners
Foundation for Local Development" organized the meeting. "Freedom
House" and the Local Government and Public Service Reform
Initiative sponsored the non-government forum.
Mr. Mircea
Geoana, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, inaugurated
the conference. Other honored guests included the representative
of the UNDP in that country, Ms. Sornan Han Jung; the counselor
of the Under Secretary for Global Affairs of the State Department
of the United States, Ms. Nicole Bibbins; the President of
"Partners for Democratic Change," Mr. Raymond Shonholtz; the
"Director of Partners for Local Development," Ms. Ana Vasilache;
and Chile's Ambassador to the European Union, Mr. Alberto
Van Klaveren, who attended on behalf of the Chairman of the
Convening Group, Ambassador Carlos Portales.
The Conference
consisted of two round tables, a parallel non-government forum,
and a closing meeting that integrated both the public sector
and the NGOs. In total, there were approximately 100 people,
almost half of them belonging to the public sector and the
other half to NGOs. The participants represented Albania,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia,
the Czech Republic, Estonia, Macedonia, Georgia, Hungary,
Latvia, Poland, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Romania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Ukraine. Also
present were representatives from the CG of the Community
of Democracies: Chile, Korea, the U.S., India, Mali, Mexico,
and South Africa. In addition, representatives from Italy,
the European Parliament, and several other international organizations
like the UNDP, the Conference for Security and Co-operation
in Europe (CSCE), the European Council, and the Stability
Pact for South Eastern Europe also attended.
In his
opening speech, Minister Geoana stressed that the conference
was in response to an initiative adopted in the framework
of the CD, in compliance with a commitment announced by Romania
in an OAS conference. He indicated that it was an initiative
of great relevance to his country and to the rest of the southeastern
region of Europe, in consideration of the transition process
they were going through after the 1989 revolution.
The first
round table of the intergovernmental segment focused on monitoring
public institutions. Several experts described specific transparence
experiences and monitoring of public service. There was a
consensus among the participants on the need to strengthen
these mechanisms as an indispensable requirement for modern
democracy.
The second
round table focused on the development of regional cooperation
mechanisms for promoting and developing the democratic principles,
values, and institutions in Central and Eastern Europe. In
general, there was a strong consensus on the need to consider
democratic cooperation in countries of Central and Eastern
Europe as a gradual, cumulative process. Further, a large
majority of the participants supported the efforts deployed
at the international level in support of democracy.
The third
round table focused on the role of civil society and gathered
the participation of government and non-governmental representatives.
An analysis was made of the concept of civil society, stressing
that it may only prosper in an environment of political pluralism
and that a strong civil society represented an indispensable
element for the consolidation of democracy. Representatives
from the CSCE and from the European Council highlighted the
importance of non-governmental forums in their respective
organizations, as well as the possibility of establishing
a closer relationship between them and the CD. Several NGOs
spoke about their cooperation experiences with the public
sector and put forward their interest to reinforce these links.
8.
Meeting of the Convening Group (Santiago, January 6, 2004)
The first meeting of the Convening Group of the year
2004 was held in Santiago at the Andrés Bello Diplomatic Academy
and was chaired by the Deputy Under-Secretary for Foreign
Affairs, Ambassador Carlos Portales Cifuentes. The event was
attended by high-level representatives and ambassadors from
all the member countries of the CG: Korea, India, Mali, Mexico,
Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, South Africa, the United
States, and Chile, in addition to a delegation of the United
Nations Development Program (UNDO) and, as a special guest,
the Ambassador of Romania to Santiago. The Under Secretary
for Global Affairs of the U.S. State Department, Ms. Paula
Dobriansky; the Vice Minister for Planning of the Korean Foreign
Ministry, Lee Sun-Jin; the Director of Political Studies and
Planning of Poland, Mr. Piotr Switalski; and diplomats from
Mali and South Africa also took part in the meeting.
The meeting
reviewed the latest events related to the Community of Democracies,
such as the International Conference of the New or Restored
Democracies held in Ulan Bator, Mongolia (September 10-12,
2003); the Ministerial Meeting of the Convening Group Countries,
held in New York (September 26, 2003); and the Regional Conference
of the Community of Democracies, organized by the Romanian
Government in Bucharest (November 14-16, 2003). On the development
of this last-mentioned conference, the Romanian Ambassador
to Chile, Ion Vilcu issued a comprehensive report.
It was
suggested that efforts be made in order to hold a new ministerial
meeting in 2004, taking advantage of the attendance of the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs at the United Nations General
Assembly in New York.
The UNDP
informed the participants of the activities being carried
out to strengthen democracy and of the support given to the
Regional Conference in Mongolia and other initiatives in Africa,
Latin America, and Middle East. Likewise, the chair of the
Convening Countries suggested the possibility that the UNDP
contributes its experience and networking to the preparation
of the Third Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies
to be held in Santiago in May 2005.
9.
First Coordination Meeting of the Non-Governmental Process
of the Community of Democracies (Lisbon, Portugal, January
19-21, 2004)
The first coordination meeting of the Non-Governmental
Process of the Community of Democracies was organized by the
Executive Secretariat, in preparation for the Third Ministerial
Conference of the Community of Democracies to be held in Santiago,
May 4-6, 2005.
The event
took place at the campus of the Institute for Political Studies
of the Portugal Catholic University in Lisbon, and gathered
37 people, including representatives of civil society organizations
from different regions of the world. Ambassador José Manuel
Matta attended on behalf of the Chilean Government.
The general
objectives of the meeting were: to discuss the non-governmental
strategy towards the Ministerial Meeting of the Community
of Democracies of Santiago 2005 with a group of social actors
and politicians from different regions of the world and to
promote the creation of counterparts for the development of
regional activities in support of working out proposals and
recommendations for the governments that will participate
in Santiago 2005.
In order
to attain this objective, the Executive Secretariat put forward
specific objectives: (i) to introduce the process of the Community
of Democracies both at the governmental and non-governmental
level; (ii) to apprehend the objectives, approaches of action,
and activities of the participating institutions; (iii) to
submit the non-governmental strategy towards the Ministerial
Conference in Santiago, May 2005, including implementation,
opportunities, and difficulties; (iv) to discuss and decide
on the regional activities to be conducted during 2004; and
(v) to establish the next steps to be taken on the basis of
the outcome of the discussion.
10.
Meeting of the Convening Group (Geneva, February 19, 2004)
A meeting of the Permanent Representatives of the
Community of Democracies Convening Group was held at the Chilean
Mission in Geneva on February 19, 2004. Ambassadors of the
Convening Group and, as special guests, the Ambassadors of
Italy, Peru, and Romania attended the meeting.
The purpose
of the meeting was to discuss specific CD initiatives to be
implemented in the scope of the 60th session of
the Commission on Human Rights, in compliance with the mandate
of the Ministerial Meeting of September 26, 2003. This
was taking into account the necessity of promoting the principles
of the Community of Democracies, to enhance its public presence
and put forward initiatives of common interest.
The proceedings
and resolutions thereat included:
- Drafting
a joint press communiqué, to be issued in consultation with
the Convening Group's members and special guests. As a general
rule, it was agreed to be a brief, concise paper that gathers
central elements of the ministerial press communiqué of
the Ministerial Meeting of September 26 and summarizes the
activities undertaken by the Convening Group during the
60th session of the Commission on Human Rights.
- Supporting
previous resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights whose
contents are consistent with the CD objectives. At the meeting,
copies of three CHR resolutions were circulated among participants,
in connection with the objectives of the Community of Democracies.
These resolutions are: (i) Interdependence between democracy
and human rights; (ii) Incompatibility between democracy
and racism; and (iii) The role of Good Governance in the
promotion of human rights. There was support to the contents
of these three resolutions.
- Convening
a seminar. The group was informed that Paragraph 16 of Resolution
2003/36 "Interdependence between democracy and human rights"
refers to the need for the High Commissioner on Human Rights
to convene a second seminar of experts during 2004, in order
to examine the interdependence between democracy and human
rights, under the name of Democracy and the Rule of Law.
This seminar will take place in Seoul, September 16-18,
2004.
Representatives
also agreed to keep a permanent contact through their officers
in charge of the issue, in order to consult, discuss,
and bring together their points of view on the agreed decisions.
At the same time, it was agreed to hold meetings with a given
frequency (every 2 months) in order to discuss and coordinate
stances, where appropriate.
11.
Second Meeting of the Convening Group in Geneva (March 9,
2004)
The second meeting of Permanent Representatives of
the Convening Group of the Community of Democracies (CD) was
held in Geneva on March 9, 2004. Present thereat were representatives
from most of the Missions of the Convening Group. Representatives
from Romania, Italy and Peru also took part as special guests.
The meeting
discussed a draft Joint Press Communiqué of the CG, to be
issued on the occasion of the 60th meeting of the
Commission on Human Rights, the text of which is as follows:
1. Meeting
on the occasion of the 60th Commission on Human
Rights in Geneva, the Convening Group of the Community of
Democracies deemed appropriate to emphasize the observance
to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, and the fundamental principles
of international law.
2. Since
the adoption of the Warsaw Declaration of June 2000, the
Community of Democracies have been seeking to strengthen
institutions and processes of democracy by--among others--encouraging
discussions and creating forums on subjects relevant to
democratic governance and the promotion and respect of human
rights.
3. The
Convening Group reaffirms the essential elements of representative
democracy as stated in the Plan of Action adopted at the
Ministerial Meeting of Seoul of November 2002: respect for
human rights; freedom of the press and freedom of religion
and conscience; access to and free exercise of power in
accordance with the rule of law; holding of periodic free
and fair elections based on secret balloting and universal
suffrage monitored by independent election authorities;
freedom of association, including the right to form independent
political parties; separation of powers, especially an independent
judiciary; and constitutional subordination of all state
institutions, including the military, to the legally constituted
civilian authority.
4. The
Convening Group stresses the idea of promoting the values
of tolerance, compromise and respect for pluralism that
bolster democratic systems. Therefore, it encourages other
participants of the Community of Democracies to work in
favor of that goal at the 60th session of the
Commission on Human Rights and invites all countries to
work more closely to jointly support initiatives and to
strengthen the Commission on Human Rights' work to promote
the ideals of the UN's founding Charter.
The representatives
from Romania and Poland made a brief summary of the resolutions
to be submitted by their respective delegations at the Commission
on Human Rights, which deal with issues relating to the CD
objectives. As for Romania, and along the lines of the resolution
"Interdependence between democracy and human rights" (CHR
Res. 2003/36), this country will put forward this year the
draft resolution "Highlighting the role of the regional, subregional
and other organizations and steps towards promotion and consolidation
of democracy."
Poland
coordinated an updated version of the resolution "The role
of good governance in the promotion of human rights" (CHR
Res. 2003/65).
Several
ambassadors stated the necessity of working out, during the
60th Commission on Human Rights, a number of formulas
providing for a degree of coordination among the missions
to preparing common views and positions.
In other
matters, the U.S. Ambassador announced that his Mission was
organizing a breakfast on March 17, 2004, in honor of Poland,
Korea and Chile, in their capacities as hosting countries
of the Ministerial Conferences of the Community of Democracies,
held in Warsaw (2000), Seoul (2002), and the one to be held
in Santiago in May 2005.
12.
Meeting of the Chairman of the Convening Group with UNDP representatives
and CG's Ambassadors in New York (March 11, 2004)
The Chairman of the Convening Group held working
meetings regarding the Community of Democracies with representatives
of the UNDP and Ambassadors of Convening Group in New York
and special guests.
The meeting
with Ms. Gita Honwana Welch, Main Counselor and Leader of
the Institutional Development Group of the United Nations
Development Program, and Mr. Magdy Martínez-Solimán, Director
of the UNDP Institutional Development Group, was basically
intended to discuss the support the UNDP could provide in
relation to Ministerial Conference, as well as on the report
the UNDP is preparing on these activities.
She also
said that according to a recommendation from the recent meeting
in Mongolia of the group "New and Restored Democracies," the
Secretary General had resolved to appoint Mr. Danilo Turk,
as Political Counselor in charge of this issue. Mr. Turk has
expressed his interest in playing a role in the CD activities,
prior to the Ministerial Conference of the CD to be held in
Chile next year, through seminars or other activities.
Then,
a meeting was held at the headquarters of the Chilean Mission
in New York, with Permanent Representatives of the Group of
CD Convening Group (the Czech Republic, India, Mali, Mexico,
Poland, Portugal, Korea, the United States, and South Africa)
and special guests (Italy, Peru, and Romania). At this meeting,
Ambassador Carlos Portales described the various steps that
have been taken in the implementation of the "Seoul Plan of
Action," mentioning the Washington, DC meeting scheduled for
the next day, as well as the activities developed in New York
and Geneva, the preparations for the Santiago Conference,
and the interaction and collaboration that is taking place
with the UNDP.
13.
Meeting of the Convening Group in Washington (March 12, 2004)
The meeting was held in Washington on March 12, 2004,
and was chaired by Chile's Director General of Foreign Policy,
Ambassador Carlos Portales. It was attended by representatives
from all members of the Convening Group, as well as by the
Ambassador of Lithuania to the United States, who participated
as an observer. In addition, Mr. David W. Yang, representative
of the UNDP, and Mr. Genaro Arriagada, Chairman of the Non-Governmental
Forum of the CD, participated as special guests.
The issues
discussed during the meeting include the following decisions
and commitments:
- Regarding
the Ministerial Meeting to be held in New York next September:
the chair must prepare a final proposal for consideration
at the forthcoming meeting of the GC in Santiago next June.
This meeting to be open to all participating countries at
the Seoul Conference of the Community of Democracies, and
the subject matter should be of general nature on the CD
activities and the situation of democracy in the world.
In addition, it will be a proper occasion for reporting
on the preparations of the Third Conference.
- Regarding
the preparation of the Third Ministerial Conference, Santiago
2005: the Chair must prepare a paper on the four working
areas (participants, format, relations with the civil society,
and documentation), to be circulated as documentation for
the next CG's meeting.
- Regarding
the delegation of the CD to East Timor: the Chair should
send a new letter to Minister Ramos Horta confirming the
visit by a CD delegation next May 10-14, 2004, whose members
and work areas will be defined as soon as possible by the
GC coordinators for East Timor: the United States, Portugal,
and the UNDP.
14.
Breakfast Meeting of the Convening Group of the CD in Geneva,
in the scope of the CHR (March 17, 2004)
The United States Mission in Geneva organized the
breakfast in honor of the hosting countries of the previous
Ministerial Conferences of the Community of Democracies (Poland
and South Korea) and Chile, as the next organizer of such
Conference. The breakfast was attended by all the permanent
representatives of the member countries of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights, who are in turn participants at
the Community of Democracies. Approximately 100 people were
present.
The guests
were welcomed by Ambassador Richard Williamson, head of the
United States delegation to the Commission on Human Rights;
then, the Under Secretary for Global Affairs of the State
Department, Ms. Paula Dobriansky said that the Community of
Democracies is grounded on common interests and values and
that on the basis of those shared interests, an important
work has been developed that seeks to incorporate more participants
to the common job of promoting democracy and its institutions.
Regarding
the 60th session of the Commission on Human Rights,
Ms. Dobriansky spoke about the fate of millions of human beings
who have lived their whole lives in countries without democracy.
She referred to the case of those people who, coming from
non-democratic countries, have had the chance to get to know
democracy and its institutions, and how that experience made
a great difference and caused a change in their lives. Those
same people, when returned to their own countries can and
do make a great contribution to the expansion of democratic
values in the world.
Ms. Dobriansky
said that the idea of the CD is not to take the place of or
compete with other types of groups. In her view, the CD at
multilateral forums like the Commission on Human Rights, can
operate in different ways, such as by supporting the resolutions
regarding democratic values; by supporting countries in the
composition of the Commission itself; and by writing declarations
as a group, that reflect their shared values and interests.
Another
aspect of the work of the Community of Democracies is the
assistance to countries with democratic handicaps. From the
operative point of view, this implies, for example, organizing
multinational teams with experts from democratic countries
to visit countries without a previous experience in representative
democracy and provide them with support regarding technical
expertise or cooperation in areas like construction of democratic
institutions.
Ambassador
Juan Martabit, Chile's permanent representative in Geneva,
summarized the main elements of the "Seoul Plan of Action"
and stated that Chile, as Chair of the Convening Group, has
primarily worked in the implementation of the "Seoul Plan
of Action," which has implied a number of initiatives and
activities of different nature: regional meetings, seminars,
initiatives in support of civil society as well as public
diplomacy. He also referred to the meeting of foreign ministers
of the Convening Group held last September and to the agreement
in terms that the members of the Convening Group will consult
and coordinate their actions, among other instances, with
the Commission on Human Rights.
At the
breakfast meeting, the Joint Press Communiqué was made known
and circulated to the other Missions of participating countries
of the Community of Democracies present in Geneva, as well
as to the press. Mention was also made of the draft resolutions
that the Convening Group will be supporting as a group, as
well as the seminars and other initiatives to be developed
in this framework.
15.
Seminar on Political Parties and Democratic Governance (Santiago
de Chile, March 19, 2004)
The seminar "Political Parties and Democratic Governance"
was organized by the governments of Chile and Italy, along
with the Italian-Latin-American Institute. The purpose of
this event was to promote democratic values and the strengthening
of institutions, as well as the role of political parties
in democratic governance.
The event
was carried out at the Sheraton Hotel in Santiago, on March
19, 2004, and counted on the outstanding participation of
academics, politicians, congressmen, and Latin-American and
European authorities. The First Vice-Chairman of the Chilean
House of Representatives, Mr. Antonio Leal, inaugurated the
event. For its part, the Minister of the Interior, Mr. José
Miguel Insulza, closed the seminar.
The seminar
was developed in three panels:
Panel
I: Contribution of political parties to democratic governance.
Institutional dimension.
Panel
II: The relation between political parties and civil society.
Mechanisms for an effective interaction.
Panel
III: Role of political parties in the elaboration, design
and evaluation of public policies.
At the
end of the event, the conclusions of the Seminar were drawn
up into a Declaration:
In the
course of the intense and deep debates developed on this day,
the following preliminary conclusions have been drawn up:
It was
recognized, by unanimous decision, that strengthening the
political parties as mediators of the claims of citizens in
a representative democracy is essential for the operation
of the democratic political system, a fundamental principle
of the Santiago "Declaration on Democracy and Citizen's Confidence"
and coherent with the spirit of the Plan of Action adopted
in Seoul, in the scope of the Community of Democracies.
In this
regard, emphasis was placed on the fact that democracy is
born and developed with political parties. Today, political
parties are not an ideologically rigid formulae, but they
adapt to the new realities. They are not an end but an instrument,
a link between the people and its institutions. If they do
not work, there is crisis. That is where their constitutional
importance stems from.
Stress
was placed on the changes that have to be made by political
parties when facing new realities in society. Among these,
the following were pointed out: the strengthening of internal
democracy; the establishment of financial transparence; correspondence
between public ethics and political ethics; the reconsideration
of the role of the mass media; and the creation of fora that
promote a correlation between political parties and the civil
society.
The comparison
between the European and the Latin-American experiences turned
out to be very useful, particularly in relation to the distinct
role of political parties in the institutional mechanisms,
and the relations of the political parties with the new actors
of civil society.
Reference
was made to the political parties' crisis and the risk that
it generates for the functionality of democracy. The above
has translated into radical changes in their structure, in
the reformulation of their tasks, in the necessity of their
internal renewal as a consequence of the intrusion of social
actors as channels of citizen's expression.
There
was recognition of new international collaboration instruments,
like the EU/Chile Association Agreement, which appear to be
functional to the social-economic development of countries
of the region and in support to their respective democratic
good governance. Inter-parliamentary Cooperation may, in turn,
give continuity to this process.
The result
of these agreements may undoubtedly be useful in deepening
the matters which appear to be interlinked, social cohesion
and fight against poverty, which are necessary to increase
citizen's confidence and credibility on democratic, representative
institutions. The target of that process may be the next Summit
of Heads of State of the EU - LAC in Guadalajara.
16.
Breakfast Meeting of the CD Convening Group at the United
States Mission to the UN in Geneva, in the scope of the CHR
(March 24, 2004)
Upon an invitation of the United States Ambassador
to the UN, Sichan Siv, on March 24, 2004, an informal working
meeting was held with the attendance of members of the Convening
Group, plus some other CD members that are part of the ECOSOC.
Ambassador
Siv underlined the fact that CD countries constitute an ample
majority in the UN, and in the international community at
large, and that this same majority exists in relevant bodies
such the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, where 33 CD
participants were counted. Other participants at the meeting
expressed similar ideas.
Special
mention was also made of how to deal with a possible coordination
with the group of "New and Renewed Democracies." In this respect,
Chile stated that, as the Chair, it is concerned with finding
mechanisms that make it possible to serve the needs of coordinating
therewith, stating also that the UNDP and the UN Secretariat
are also interested in cooperating with such goal.
17.
Approval of three Resolutions at the 60th Session
of the Commission on Human
Rights, relating to objectives of the Community of
Democracies (Geneva, April 21, 2004)
The Missions of the Convening Group supported, at
the 60th Session of the Commission on Human Rights,
three draft resolutions which identify themselves with the
principles and values promoted by the CD. Such draft Resolutions
were:
- "Strengthening
the role of the organizations and regional, sub-regional,
and other arrangements in the promotion and consolidation
of democracy" (Item 11, Political and Civil Rights, L.42).
Approved by 45 votes for, zero against and 8 abstentions.
- "Incompatibility
between democracy and racism" (Item 11, L.57). Approved
without a poll.
- "The
Role of good governance in the promotion of human rights"
(Item 17, L.85). It was approved without a vote, but the
incorporation of a paragraph on the Community of Democracies
had previously been put to vote, as requested by one country.
This paragraph was approved by 41 votes for, one against
and 11 abstentions.
18.
Luncheon-meeting of Convening Group and special guests of
the CD (Geneva, April 26, 2004)
The Ambassador of Chile, Juan Martabit, hosted a
luncheon meeting to evaluate the results of the 60th
Session of the Commission on Human Rights and to receive suggestions
on activities to be carried out during the next session of
the Commission.
Likewise,
it was agreed to create a group of experts of the CG's Missions
in Geneva, to analyze potential proposals of future activities,
coordinate positions and establish certain criteria of action
both at the Conferences and in the tasks of the sub-commissions
in Geneva.
19.
CG's activities in United Nations - New York
In New York, the Mission of Chile has developed several
efforts, in coordination with the other countries of the CG,
in order to identify different action for the CD, such as:
sponsorship and support resolution projects linked with the
CD's goals and joint statements with regard to the promotion
of democratic values and respect for human rights.
The idea
of those activities is to do a concerted action, according
to the agreements of the Seoul Action Plan, and the Ministerial
Declaration of the CG (September 26, 2003) on the occasion
of the 58th session of the UN General Assembly.
On November
17, 2003, the Permanent Representative of Chile, Ambassador
Heraldo Muñoz, in the name of the CG, made a statement supporting
the Resolution Project on New and Restored Democracies, on
the occasion of the 58th session of the UN General
Assembly of the United Nations.
In the
same way, on December 10, 2003, the Permanent Representative
of Chile, in the name of the CG, made a statement on the occasion
of the 55th anniversary of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, the 10th anniversary of the Vienna
Declaration and the Action Program on Human Rights, in the
frame of the 58th UN General Assembly.
20.
Visit to East Timor by a delegation of the CD Representatives
A delegation of representatives of the Convening Group (Chile,
Korea, Portugal, and the United States), in addition to Australia,
Cape Verde, Italy, New Zealand, and Israel, visited East Timor
from May 10-14, 2004, and interviewed with the top-level political,
judicial, parliamentary, and civil society authorities in
the country. They also visited different cities with a view
to evaluating the most urgent needs of that country regarding
the institutional reconstruction; the condition of the judicial,
electoral, and social systems; and identify areas in which
the CD might provide cooperation and support. Furthermore,
the delegates delivered to the Timorese authorities a document
with suggestions about the highest priority issued identified
during the visit. The United States and Portugal will conduct
a follow up process on the visit.
21.
Meeting of Convening Group (Santiago, July 22, 2004)
The Director General of Foreign Policy and Chairman of Convening
Group of the Community of Democracies, Ambassador Carlos Portales,
headed the third meeting of this year on Thursday, July 22,
2004. The main purpose of which was to go forward in the preparations
towards the next Ministerial Conference, to be held in Santiago,
Chile, in May 2005.
During
the meeting, held at the Diplomatic Academy, the progress
achieved was also analyzed on the cooperation that is taking
place in the world, as well as inside the United Nations,
on governance and democracy.
At the
meeting, the Non-Governmental Forum of the Ministerial Conference
of the Community of Democracies, headed by Mr. Genaro Arriagada,
supplied information on the preparation of the civil society
process.
Representatives
and Ambassadors from all member countries of the Convening
Group, as well as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Global
Affairs, Ms. Paula Dobriansky, attended the meeting.
22.
Meeting of the Convening Group (Washington, DC, September
10, 2004)
Representatives of the Group's members and special
guests representing Hungary, Italy, Romania, the UNDP, and
the NGO Secretariat attended this meeting, which was held
in Washington, DC, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Carlos
Portales. The focus of the meeting was the preparation of
the ministerial meeting of the CD, to be held in New York,
on September 22, 2004, and the preparations for the Third
Ministerial Conference, to be held in Santiago, May 4-6, 2005.
A special item on the agenda was the consideration of proposals
and initiatives from members of the CG and other participants
of the CD. There was a presentation by representatives from
the NGO's Executive Secretariat of the Community of Democracies
and a presentation by the UNDP.
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