| The Democracy Coalition
Project is a nongovernmental organization that conducts research
and advocacy relating to democracy promotion policies at the
national, regional and global levels. Begun in June 2001 as
an initiative of the Open Society Institute, the Democracy
Coalition Project relies on an international network of civil
society organizations, scholars, foreign policy experts and
politicians committed to democracy promotion as an essential
element of international peace and human development.
The Project’s policy
agenda covers such areas as:
• Improving
international responses to democratic crises
• Encouraging
the donor community to support emerging democracies
• Promoting
reform of the UN through greater collaboration among
democratic governments
The Democracy Coalition Project also plays a
leadership role in encouraging a more transparent and active
Community of Democracies, a coalition of democratic states
established in 2000 to promote and protect democracy. Its
flagship publication, Defending
Democracy: A Global Survey of Foreign Policy Trends 1992-2002,
which Foreign Policy magazine called one of "the most
comprehensive research and evaluation tools available"
on democracy, examines the democracy promotion records of
forty governments.
The project was inspired by a landmark international
political event in Warsaw, Poland in June 2000, in which over
100 governments participated. In an effort to further consolidate
their dedication to democratic principles, they agreed to
endorse the Warsaw Declaration,
which commits them to build a Community
of Democracies as an association of democratic states
dedicated to strengthening democratic values and institutions
at home and abroad. For more information about the Warsaw
Declaration, click here.
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Leaders from
Around the World Issue Call for Democracy Movement
Leading figures from civil society, business,
politics and academia from every continent issued a joint
statement May 7, 2002 calling on citizens to urge governments
to deepen democracy at the national and international levels.
The statement, in referring to the events of September 11
and its aftermath, makes an appeal for “building open
societies that practice tolerance, respect for human rights,
the rule of law and governmental accountability and transparency
[as] essential to any effective strategy to address the root
causes of extremism.”
Among the leading figures endorsing the joint
statement are Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos Horta,
Kuwaiti women's rights champion Samira Omar, philanthropist
George Soros, Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir,
South African Speaker of Parliament Frene Ginwala, former
Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, and former President
of Peru Valentin Paniagua. Issued simultaneously in five languages,
the statement underscores the multi-cultural nature of the
global democracy movement: “Representing countries of
every region and many different historical experiences and
levels of development, we affirm the universality of democracy’s
purpose, principles and promise, while recognizing a diversity
of democratic forms and processes.”
The statement bases its campaign for greater
activism on a new alliance among democratic governments called
the “Community of Democracies,” which met for
the first time in June 2000 in Warsaw, Poland. At that meeting,
recently released opposition figure Aung San Suu Kyi made
an impassioned appeal, via video smuggled out of the country,
for international help in restoring democracy in Burma. Over
100 governments have endorsed the Warsaw Declaration committing
them to respect a core set of democratic norms and practices
and to develop a common agenda to protect and strengthen democracy
in countries that have chosen that path. “The [Warsaw]
Declaration creates a unique opportunity,” the signers
declare. “But the task requires mobilizing democracy
supporters to bring pressure to bear on governments and international
organizations, including international financial institutions,
to make them more accountable.” Foreign ministers will
meet again this November 10–12 in Seoul, Korea to review
progress and devise a plan of action. A non-governmental forum
will take place at the same time and will issue recommendations
to the ministers on such issues as responses to coups; governance
criteria for loans, trade preferences and debt relief; and
regional strategies to support the development of democracy.
The document expresses concern about the “fragile”
state of democracies in the world, many “suffer[ing]
from weak institutions and extreme poverty.” The signers
also noted that “all democratic countries, whether mature
or nascent, are imperfect, continually evolving as they grapple
with numerous challenges in building free and prosperous societies.
They have much to learn from one another.”
The joint statement urges greater solidarity
among like-minded democratic activists and calls on governments
to condemn efforts to interfere with their work. “A
vibrant civil society is a central pillar of a dynamic and
durable democracy and is the key to realizing the potential
of the Community of Democracies. This is especially true at
a time when terrorist attacks and responses to them are destabilizing
democratic institutions and curtailing citizens’ rights.”
The ‘Call to Action’ and ‘Warsaw
Declaration’ are available in five languages. To read
them in their entirety, please choose one of the links below.
For more information, please contact us at: Tel. 1.202.721.5630
or info@demcoalition.org
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