Democracy News

141 Countries to Convene at Community of Democracies Forum

(Secretary Rice to head U.S. delegation in Santiago, Chile April 28-30)

The next meeting of the Community of Democracies -- a coalition of
democratic countries that work to promote and strengthen democratic
institutions worldwide -- will convene in Santiago, Chile, April 28-30.

124 participating countries and 17 observing countries will attend the
2005 meeting, where delegates will discuss issues such as democratic
governance, building and strengthening civil society, economic development
issues and threats to democracy.

The Community of Democracies is a forum to discuss “the responsibilities
and the opportunities of democratic governance,” said Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice who will head the U.S. delegation to the ministerial
meeting. “In a lot of places where there have been very, very hopeful
developments on the democratic front, in terms of governing, in terms of
institutions, there's still a lot of work to do in turning that democratic
governance into benefit and prosperity for people.”

1n 1999, ten countries -- Chile, Czech Republic, India, Korea, Mali,
Mexico, Poland, Portugal, South Africa and the United States -- initiated
the formation of the Community to affirm their commitment to the
fundamental principles of democracy and the promotion of democracy
worldwide.

This action “marked the first time that countries were gathering not
because of regional, ethnic, or religious similarities, but rather because
of their shared values and respect for basic human rights,” said Under
Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, who headed the
U.S. delegation to the Community of Democracies during the second
ministerial meeting in Seoul, Korea in 2002. “There was a recognition that
democracy is the best tool to bring stability to a country and a region.”

The founding members of the Community of Democracies are referred to as
the Convening Group and are responsible for defining the agendas of
subsequent meetings. In 2000, the first ministerial meeting was held in
Warsaw, Poland, where over 100 participating countries signed the Warsaw
Declaration outlining the shared principles and commitments of the
Community, including the promotion of the rights outlined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.

The Warsaw Declaration stressed the importance of promoting civil
society with free and fair elections, impartial, independent judiciaries,
transparency and accountability in government, and government
accountability to citizens.

At the second meeting in Seoul, South Korea, in November 2002, the group
agreed on a Plan of Action for supporting the principles affirmed in the
Warsaw Declaration. The plan promoted, among other principles, regional
cooperation as a means of protecting and promoting democracy, and the need
to address threats to democracy, including terrorism.

According to Dobriansky, one result of the Seoul meeting was the
realization by the Community that “all countries are not at the same point
in their democratic development, and that, to be a credible forum, the
Community of Democracies needed to reflect this.”

As a result, the Community agreed to include countries that are not
established democracies but are demonstrating progress in
democratization. At the Santiago meeting in 2005, 17 countries, including
Armenia, Iraq and Lebanon, will attend the meeting as observers.

Another result of the Korea meeting was that non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) played a greater role in the discussions. Although
NGOs convened a parallel meeting during both ministerials, during the
Seoul meeting, NGO leaders formally presented their findings and
recommendations to the ministers at the conclusion of the meeting.

In preparation for the Santiago meeting, a group of NGOs created an
Executive Secretariat to further coordinate the increased non-governmental
involvement in the Community and at Community meetings. According to the
Secretariat, the group will “provide governments, international, and
regional organizations, civil society, and the donor community with a
high-level analysis of both democratic deficits and also proposals for how
to address them.”

Preparations for the ministerial have taken place all year and have
included meetings of both governmental and non-governmental participants
to prepare for Santiago. On March 3-4, 80 representatives of NGOs,
political parties, political foundations, think-tanks, universities, and
other institutions from 30 countries and all six regions of the world met
to discuss NGO contributions.

The Community of Democracies has also formed the basis of a “Democracy
Caucus” in the United Nations. The U.S. works closely with the caucus at
meetings such as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR).
At a March 17 meeting of Community members at the UNCHR, Dobriansky
reaffirmed the importance of members’ involvement in promoting human
rights at the UN and elsewhere. “When we look around and ask ourselves
which countries will defend human rights and restore the reputation of
this body, it is only logical that those countries that respect the rights
of their own citizens be at the forefront of this effort,” Dobriansky
said.

At the Santiago meeting, Secretary of State Rice is expected to
highlight U.S. support for other issues of importance to the U.S.
including support for democracy, free trade and sustainable development
throughout the world.