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Democracy News
Tenth Anniversary of the Inter-American Democratic Charter
September 1, 2011
By: Carlos Aramayo | Printer Friendly
The Inter-American Democratic Charter will be celebrating its tenth anniversary on September 11, 2011. In light of this event the Americas magazine, the official publication of the Organization of American States (OAS) dedicated its August 2011 edition to the Charter. In the issue, one of the Charter’s founders, former United States (US) Secretary of State Colin Powell, describes how the Charter was laid out to “reflect the OAS member counties collective view of how democratic nations should be formed and governed.”
Powell explains how the Charter was unanimously approved by all the OAS Member States on September 11, 2001, just hours after the US suffered terrorist attacks. In a statement on that day, Powell said, “Democracy and economic progress remain the best weapons against poverty and despair. They are also the best weapons against terrorism. We must work constantly to make a better life for our peoples and the Democratic Charter shoes us the way.” The magazine also published an article by Hilary Anderson titled, “The Inter-American Democratic Charter and the Political Citizenship of Women.” The article lauded the Inter-American Commission of Women for launching its First Hemispheric Forum on Women’s Leadership for a Citizens’ Democracy (April 4–6, 2011 in Washington, DC). During the event Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, noted in her keynote address that “. . . women’s leadership is pivotal for progress in the interdependent areas of democracy and development.” According to Anderson, Bissessar contributed to a debate that aims to propose a vision of a citizens’ democracy that prioritizes and promotes the participation, representation, and leadership of women at all levels.
During her speech Bissessar stated, “When we look at democracy in our region, a very distinguishing feature is the Inter-American Democratic Charter. This document represents a laudable achievement.” However, according to Bissessar the final paragraph of the Charter, almost as an after-thought, declares that “States shall promote the full and equal participation of women in the political structures of their countries as a fundamental element in the promotion and exercise of a democratic culture.” In her view the tenth anniversary of the Inter-American Democratic Charter should be seen as an opportunity to build a more participatory and effective democratic governance take into account ten years of achievements, but also of continued obstacles to women’s political citizenship in the region.
In conclusion, Anderson notes that the ongoing hemispheric debate on democracy — its conceptualization and practice — lacks any reflection of the “contributions of the feminist movement or of women’s active participation in the recovery and extension of democracy, in the construction of democratic citizenship, and in the politicization of the private sphere.”
The Inter-American Democratic Charter was adopted by a special session of the General Assembly of the OAS, held in Lima, Peru. It is an Inter-American instrument with the central aim of strengthening and upholding democratic institutions in the nations of the Americas. The Charter, which is binding on all 34 of the currently active OAS Member States, spells out what democracy entails and specifies how it should be defended when it is under threat. The Charter also contains additional provisions dealing with actions to be adopted by member states to promote a culture of democracy within their countries, and it sets a framework for the conduct of the OAS-led' electoral observation missions in the region.
The Americas Magazine – The Inter-American Democratic Charter and the Political Citizenship of Women
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