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A
FIVE YEAR PROGRAM FOR CCD
The following
represent our main goals and fields of activity for the years
2005 through 2009.
- Provide
the Community of Democracies with a Permanent “Secretariat”,
which will provide a continuing operating capability which
it currently lacks and is unlikely to establish soon. At
present, the Host Government to the next biennial conference
of the Community of Democracies undertakes this function,
but this is an inadequate arrangement. Working with other
key NGOs from CD countries, CCD believes it can change this.
We have already begun, but it should take several years.
- Energize
and Make Permanent the UN Democracy Caucus. A start
was made last September when CD initiated a caucus at the
UN General Assembly which began its work this past May in
Geneva. A great deal of contact work with the UN and with
CD governments, plus public education, is still needed to
make sure that the Caucus realizes its potential. The Caucus
was CCD’s idea in the first place; progress has been
made; Kofi Annan welcomed the idea…but much more work
is necessary for the Caucus to become a full and effective
body.
- Revitalizing
the Europe-US-Canada Relations in the Effort to Promote
Democracy Globally. This is essential if the CD
and it’s biennial conferences are to be successful.
In the early days of CD development, cooperation among the
NGOs best poised – in Canada, the US, and Europe –
to make the CD “zing” was inadequately energized.
With substantially more funds, and using its already extensive
contacts abroad, CCD is in a position to develop this network
in the near future, and thereby also, if indirectly, help
to energize governments in this region. CCD has interested
German and Hungarian governments in co-sponsoring a CD “strategy
conference” which needs CCD encouragement and participation
to come to fruition. CCD has funding for a fall 2004 European-American
Conference on Democracy Education in the Middle East and
Africa. These are examples of what CCD is already doing…and
of areas where we can do much more with adequate funding
and staffing.
- Parliamentarians’
Regional and Global Participation. If CD remains
only a body composed of governments, with sometime support
from NGOs, it will not fulfill its functions. There is already
a European Parliament, a Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly, and a North Atlantic Assembly. Similar bodies
are needed in other regions (one such group convened tentatively
in Taiwan last year; CCD and a Canadian NGO planned, but
were unable to bring off, a similar Asia-Pacific MPs meeting);
and – at least eventually – a global Parliamentary
Assembly is needed for CD. CCD can do the necessary spadework;
more funds and staff could bring success.
- Remaking
Higher Education on Democracy. CCD has already
begun cooperation with the Bennington College project, and
supports a similar effort at the University of Washington.
We believe that Princeton University could be persuaded
to revise its curriculum on democracy; our Board member
G. John Ikenberry has recently joined the faculty there;
others at Princeton are interested. We aim to broaden these
efforts in other parts of the world, with more resources.
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