Washington -- A meeting of democracy advocates from around the world set for Durban, South Africa, in February 2004 will be an "ideal venue" for practitioners of freedom in Latin America and Africa "to renew and deepen relationships" that were engendered during last June's Dialogue for Democracy conference in Coral Gables, Florida, says State Department Undersecretary for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky.

Dobriansky, a former director of the Washington office of the Council on Foreign Relations, spoke October 7 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on the topic: "The Dialogue on Democracy: Building Bridges Between Latin America and Africa."

Citing the great progress that has been made through the earlier Community of Democracy meetings in Warsaw and Seoul, she anticipated that "by facilitating cross-regional relationships among countries with a commitment to democracy, we will all benefit."

Miguel Diaz, CSIS director of Latin American programs, told the group, "In their pursuit of development and democratic practice, Latin America and Africa share more in common than differences and the U.S. Government – to its credit -- is promoting an inter-continental dialogue to better exploit these coincidences."

He added, "It is a role the United States is uniquely positioned to play, given the strength of its democracy and economic power, and for which it will win much goodwill."

Dobriansky said the World Democracy Movement meeting in Durban would be a good follow-up to a similar gathering of democracy advocates from Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, called the Dialogue on Democracy conference, held last June in Coral Gables, Florida, under the aegis of the State Department.

The Dialogue on Democracy was an outgrowth of the Community of Democracies (CDs) initiative that now encompasses 130 nations committed to "working together to strengthen their own democratic institutions and to help other countries in democratic development," said Dobriansky. The Community of Democracies first met in Warsaw in 2000 and again in Seoul in 2002.

"This is a unique forum," she added, "as participation is not linked to geography, or religious or ethnic ties. It is not predicated on economic or security interests, or opposition to a specific group or issue," she added.

Participants at the Seoul meeting had cited the Organization of American States (OAS) Inter-American Democratic Charter as "an excellent outcome of regional action," and Dobriansky concurred, stating, "It is a seminal document, which is a model for other regions [that are] seeking to strengthen their coordinated efforts and respond to threats to democracy in their neighborhood."

The Dialogue of Democracy roundtable in June in Florida was keyed by Ambassador Terence Todman, who had served as a high-level diplomat in both Latin America and Africa, and keynoted, Dobriansky said, by "two excellent presentations (from) Ambassador Humberto de la Calle, former Colombian vice president and permanent representative to the OAS, followed by Ambassador Said Djinnit, African Union (AU) commissioner for peace, security and political affairs."

"Participants grappled with lessons learned over decades of democracy-building on both continents," Dobriansky said. "There is something very powerful about a Mozambiquan minister, a Ghanaian NGO (non-governmental organization) leader and a Dominican vice president discussing the paths they've taken to bring their countries to their current state."

She added: "The [Florida] dialogue was as frank and cordial as it was hard-hitting and pragmatic." A highlight of the Dialogue on Democracy meeting, Dobriansky said, was a presentation made by Jose Neves, prime minister of Cape Verde, who "laid out what one participant called a 'blueprint for democratic action.' It was basically a how-to guide of the key elements of building and maintaining a democracy."

Calling for freedom of speech, an independent judiciary, and a strong civil society, Neves had said "The greatest challenge" for democracy in Africa "lays in the hands of African elites: the fundamental impetus will certainly be the responsibility of leaders, who, by assuming the values of democracy and ethics in governance, should, in alliances with the more developed world, do everything to serve the cause of human dignity."

As for economic aid, Neves said the time has come for international aid "to be directed to rewarding positive experiences of those committed to good governance, in a framework of freedom and democracy."