Taipei Roundtable on Democracy in Asia

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Introduction and Participants

The first Asia Roundtable was held in Taipei and was attended by thirty-five civil society activists, academics, journalists and political party representatives from twenty-five countries including the Philipplines, Pakistan, Mongolia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan and China. Members of the International Steering Committee (nongovernmental) of the Community of Democracies met one day prior to the Roundtable and also included civil society representatives from outside Asia - Mali, South Africa, Chile, Egypt, Tunisia and the United States. Both this first Roundtable, which took place January 23-24, 2007 at the Foreign Service Institute in Taipei, Taiwan, and the second meeting at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi were held under the auspices of the Nongovernmental International Steering Committee (ISC). The goal of the Taipei meeting was to provide concrete recommendations to the Community of Democracies Ministerial to be held November 14-17, 2007 in Bamako, Mali on how to strengthen democracy in the Asian region.

Participants

Hon. Henedina R. Abad, Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats Women's Caucus; International Network of Liberal Women (Philippines)

Gulmina Bilal, Individualland (Pakistan)

Amina Bouayach, Moroccan Organization for Human Rights (Morocco)

Hoda Chalak, Organization for Civil Acts (OPAC) (Lebanon)

Chee Siok Chin, Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia (Singapore)

Amb. Jargalsaikan Enkhsaikhan, Blue Banner (Mongolia)

Penelope Faulkner, Forum Asia Democracy (UK)

Paul Graham, Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA); Chair, Nongovernmental International Steering Committee

Russel Hsiao, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (Taiwan)

Momoyo Ise, Assistance to Democracy for Peacebuilding Committee (Japan)

Ryota Jonen, World Movement for Democracy (Japan)

Mamadou Fadiala Keita, National Association of Jurists (Mali)

Robert R. LaGamma, Council for a Community of Democracies (United States)

Anselmo Lee, FORUM-ASIA (Korea)

Dr. Lee Jung Ok, Korea House for International Solidarity; Professor of Sociology, Catholic University of Daegu (Korea)

Raj Liberhan, India Habitat Centre (India)

Estanislau Salsinha Martins, Peace and Democracy Foundation (Timor-Leste)

Dr. George Mathew, Institute of Social Sciences (India)

Dr. Oumar Makalou, Center of Study and Research for Democracy; Chairman, Executive Secretariat of the Nongovernmental Process

Mohsen Marzouk, Al-Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center (Tunisia)

Matteo Mecacci, Transnational Radical Party (Italy)

Augusto N. Miclat, Initiatives for International Dialogue (Philippines)

Ilona Mihaies, Euro-regional Center for Democracy (Romania)

Yousry Moustafa, Arab Human Rights Fund (Egypt)

Khin Ohmar, Asia-Pacific Peoples Partnership on Burma (Burma)

Theodore J. Piccone, Democracy Coalition Project (United States)

Melinda Quintos de Jesus, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (Philippines)

Benjamin Reilly, Center for Democratic Institutions (Australia)

Richard C. Rowson, Council for a Community of Democracies (United States)

Andrea Sanhueza, Corporation PARTICIPA (Chile)

Dr. Soh Changrok, Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights; Professor of International Relations, Korea University (Korea)

Abdi Suryaningati, YAPPIKA (Indonesia)

Bo Tedards, World Forum for Democratization (Taiwan)

Dr. Vo Van Ai, Forum Asia Democracy (Vietnam)

Xiao Qiang, China Internet Project, The Graduate School of Journalism, University at California at Berkeley (China)

Maysing Yang, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (Taiwan)

Grace Zou Haixia, Federation for a Democratic China (China)

Dieudonne Zognong, Humanus International (Cameroon)