Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Conference of the Community of Democracies represents an important initiative towards providing a further boost to the worldwide process of creating pro-democratic awareness. The large attendance at this event already demonstrates this in impressive manner. The conference in Seoul will help anchor the idea of democracy internationally by means of convincing examples of functioning and prosperous democracies.

However, we cannot close our eyes to the requirements and challenges faced by democracies in today\'s world. I would like to look closely at two aspects in this regard:
Firstly, the protection of human rights as a central element of functioning democracies.
Secondly, the need for democratic institutions and processes to be anchored at local and municipal level.

In the first case, the protection of human rights is a vital prerequisite for the consolidation of democratic institutions. In their turn, vibrant and functioning democratic structures are the best guarantee for protecting human rights and preventing the abuse of state power and infringements of the rights of the individual. Thus the protection of human rights and the strengthening of democratic institutions are two sides of the same coin.

The only guarantee for functioning democratic institutions in any country is the safeguarding of human rights there. The right to general, equal and secret elections is as vital to this as the effective protection of minorities and the guarantee of economic, social and cultural rights. This simple ground rule applies at all times and not just when there is national and regional prosperity and stability.

Human rights are especially at risk in times of crisis and thus in need of protection if one wants to avoid a creeping erosion of credibility and hence the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The events of 11 September therefore present the community of democracies with new challenges. The fight against terrorism unites all democracies. But it also brings home to us a conflict of values. The protection of democracies must not be at the expense of human rights. We must therefore work preventively to remove the roots of terror. The German involvement in the Balkans and in Afghanistan in reconstructing civil society has the aim of establishing democratic structures, ensuring respect for human rights and thus making a contribution to crisis prevention. I would like to appeal to the Second Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies to do everything possible to work for the realization of democracy and human rights worldwide in order to prevent future conflicts and to protect our democracies in the long term.

Allow me now to discuss the second aspect: Democracy is not just based on a democratically elected central government. Rather, democracy begins at local and municipal level. Decisions made at local level have a direct influence on individual citizens. The decentralized and federal structure of democratic institutions in Germany guarantees that every individual can actively engage in the political process at local and municipal and federal level and make a difference in this way. Here, each and every individual can take part in shaping decisions that directly affect him or her. Thus, democratic institutions at local and municipal level do not only contribute to an understanding on the part of the affected people of how democracy works, but also allows them to become involved and hence to strengthen the legitimacy of the institutions of state. Even at the level of the European Union the political structure is as decentralized as possible so that decisions can be made where they affect people directly.

An active and vibrant civil society with a wide variety of non-governmental organizations ensures that people are involved in the political process. This experience is not exclusive to Germany, but can be observed around the world. The involvement of such civil society organizations contributes to strengthening democratic institutions.

Effective participation by people at local and municipal level requires that no group is at a disadvantage in the political process. Minority groups, whether they be national, religious, cultural or linguistic minorities or minorities with divergent political views must not be excluded from this democratic process. Ultimately, it is the wide variety of different views and their integration into the political process which strengthens the democratic structure of a state and sustains it in the long term.

Many people are worried by the increasing complexity of life in modern societies. They fear an increase in outside control of their lives. If we do not take these concerns seriously, we will be in danger of causing divisions in our societies. Against this background it is all the more important to provide these people with the opportunity of helping to shape their immediate circumstances and to take part in the political process. The anchoring of democratic institutions at the grass roots level ensures in the long term that we can act at global level. Sometimes we hear the theory that economic development can only be generated through authoritarian leadership, strict control and decisions from above. That the opposite is true, that economic success and sustainable growth are actually being driven forward by democratic conditions is a fact we can observe here in the country of our hosts, Korea.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your attention.