Community of Democracies Joint Press Release by the Convening Group
For Immediate Release: May 29, 2002
Contact: Robert R. LaGamma, 202.789.9771

WASHINGTON -- A SOM - Ambassadors Meeting of the Community of Democracies was held at the Embassy of the Republic of  Korea in Washington, DC on May 29, 2002. Representatives from Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Korea, Mali, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, South Africa and the United States attended the meeting. The participants of the meeting, after reviewing the progress in organizational matters for the preparation of the Seoul Ministerial Conference, agreed to issue the following joint press release:

1. The Second Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies will be held in Seoul on 10-12 November, 2002. The Governments of Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Korea, Mali, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, South Africa and the United States have been working together as a Convening Group for the preparation of the conference.

2. The Community of Democracies, an international coalition of the democratic countries in the world to foster cooperation for the protection and consolidation of democracy, was launched with the inaugural ministerial gathering in Warsaw in 25-27 June 2000. The Warsaw Conference proved to be a successful venture, bringing democracies worldwide together for the first time in history to focus on the issue of promoting democracy. At the Warsaw Conference, Seoul was agreed upon as the venue for the Second Conference.

3. Foreign Ministers from democratic nations across the world will be invited to attend the Seoul Conference, which will be held under the overall theme of "Democracy: Investing for Peace and Prosperity." Foreign Ministers participating in the Conference will exchange views on the issue of cooperation for the promotion of democracy in four Ministerial Roundtables, with a view to further promoting socio-economic development by alleviating poverty and to strengthening global peace. The Ministerial Roundtables will cover the following themes:

• Consolidating Democratic Institutions

• Regional Cooperation to Promote Democracy

• Media and Democracy

• Coordinating Democracy Assistance

4. The members of the Convening Group have been working closely together in preparation for the Seoul Conference, mainly through several SOM - Ambassadors meeting in Washington, DC. The list of democratic nations to be invited to the Seoul Conference will be drafted by the Convening Group on the basis of consensus. The government of the Republic of Korea, as host country, will send out official invitations on behalf of the Convening Group.

5. In addition, a Non-Governmental Forum of the Community of Democracies will be held in parallel with the Ministerial Conference. NGOs of the Convening Group member countries have been cooperating closely in preparation for the Forum. Through interaction with the Ministerial level, the Forum is expected to produce synergic effect for the Conference of the Community of Democracies. Experts from various members of civil society, including civic organizations / NGOs, academia, and the business sector will participate in the non-governmental forum.

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