Executive Secretariat Transfers to Mali; International Steering Committee Meets in Bamako
March 27, 2006

In preparation for the IV Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies, to be held in Mali in 2007, the Non-Governmental Process (NGP) held two important meetings in Bamako, during the first week of March. The first meeting marked the transfer of the Executive Secretariat of the NGP from Chile to partners in Mali. The second meeting was the first meeting of the International Steering Committee of the NGP, a group created to coordinate the implementation of the non-governmental strategy to prepare for the Ministerial Conference.

During the first meeting, which was held in March 6th and March 7th, the Executive Secretariat staff from Chile met with the members of the new Executive Secretariat in Mali in order to present the work that was done for the Non-Governmental Process in preparation for the III Ministerial Conference in Santiago, to discuss some of the lessons that were learned along the way, and to formulate a work plan for the new ES in preparation for the IV Ministerial Conference in Bamako.

This meeting was attended by 14 people from 10 organizations from Mali, as well as by Ambassador Abdoulaye Diop and the First Counselor of the Embassy of Mali at the US, Mr. Mamounou Toure, in representation of the government of Mali. More information about the workshop and about the Executive Secretariat work plan that emerged out of the meeting will be available in the report of the workshop, which will be on www.santiago2005.org, later next week.

The second meeting, on March 9th and March 10th, was attended by 11 of the 20 organizations that are members of the newly created International Steering Committee, a policy-making body made up of about 20 representatives from five regions: the Americas, Asia, Europe and Russia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the members of the ISC, such as Yuri Dzibladze, Chee Soon Juan, and Michael Kau were prevented from attending the meeting by political complications relating to their work promoting democracy.

The meeting was inaugurated by Ambassador Abdoulaye Diop, the US Ambassador in Mali, Mr. Terence P. McCulley, the President of the new Executive Secretariat Mr.Oumar Makalou, and Mr. Genaro Arriagada and Ms. Andrea Sanhueza from the Executive Secretariat in Chile.

During the first day of the workshop, Ambassador Diop spoke with ISC members about the governmental process, including the most recent meeting of the Convening Group in Bamako. Ms. Djingarey Maiga and Mr. Oumar Makalou from the new Executive Secretariat in Mali were invited to participate in that meeting and were able to stay throughout the discussion. On the governmental agenda was the creation of thematic working groups: Democratic Governance and Civil Society; Poverty, Development and Democratic Governance; Regional and Interregional Cooperation; and Responding to National and Transnational Threats to Democracy. Ambassador Diop explained that there would be space for five non-governmental participants to work in each of these working groups and that decisions about which governments would take the lead of each working group would probably be decided at the next Convening Group meeting in Washington.

When asked about the date of the IV Ministerial Conference, Ambassador Diop indicated that the government of Mali was considering holding the conference in the fourth quarter of 2007, after the presidential elections in Mali. The participants in the meeting expressed their support for this idea and suggested that the conference takes place in November 2007. Ambassador Diop also mentioned the fact that governments have begun to consider the creation of a permanent Secretariat for the governmental process of the Community of Democracies. Participants also voiced their support for this idea, citing it as one of the proposals in the publication of non-governmental proposals “Voices from the Regions”.

Over the course of the two days, the International Steering Committee discused a draft of the strategy for the Non-Governmental Process in preparation for the IV Ministerial Conference. They agreed on the major objectives, roles and responsibilities of the ISC and the ES, and major activities. ISC members broke into five working groups on specific issues (Poverty, Development, and Democratic Governance; Democratic Transitions; Involving Political Parties; the process of UN Reform; and the relationship with the CD governments) to agree on what the objectives, activities, and timeline of the NGP should be with regards to each issue. Also over the course of the meeting, participants met informally in regional working groups to agree on a regional working plan and contact person.

Members of the ISC also drafted a letter to the Convening Group and a public statement of support for Chee Soon Juan, who faced trial on March 16th.

These two meetings will result in a more specific non-governmental strategy and a concrete work plan with roles and responsibilities for ES and ISC members to take in preparation for the IV Ministerial Conference. More detailed information about the workplans established during the meeting will be available later this week in the meeting report prepared by PARTICIPA.