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DCP organizes workshop on How to Strengthen the UN Human Rights Council through Cross-Regional Collaboration
On April 9th, the Democracy Coalition Project held a workshop entitled How to Strengthen the UN Human Rights Council through Cross-Regional Collaboration during the Fifth Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Kyiv, Ukraine. The workshop provided human rights defenders working with NGOs from around the world, with the opportunity to learn more about how to engage in their countries’ Universal Periodic Review process at the UN Human Rights Council. Participants also shared ideas for how to strengthen civil society efforts to improve the Human Rights Council. Ted Piccone and Dokhi Fassihian of the Democracy Coalition Project were joined on the panel by Jeremie Smith of the Cairo Institute of Human Rights and Anselmo Lee of the Asian Forum for Human Rights.
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DCP announces release
of the International Advisory Committee's Recommendations
on Invitations to the Community of Democracies at event in
Bamako, Mali
The Democracy Coalition
Project hosted a round table meeting with press and civil
society in Bamako, Mali on March 28 to announce the release
of the International Advisory Committee's Statement and Recommendations
on Government Invitations for the IV Community of Democracies
Ministerial Meeting to be held November 2007 in Bamako. Dr.
Morton H. Halperin, President of the Democracy Coalition Project
and a member of the International Advisory Committee, discussed
the role of the International Advisory Committee as well as
the process used to reach the final recommendations. Also
on hand for the event was Joseph Asunka, Program Officer for
the Center for Democratic Development Ghana and a representative
of the Secretariat to the International Advisory Committee,
who outlined the specific country recommendations of particular
concern for the Convening Group. Ambassador Oumar Daou, Director
of Political Affairs for the Foreign Ministry of Mali, commented
on the significance of the IAC recommendations as well as
the work being completed by the Convening Group of which Mali
is the chair. Prior to the event, Dr. Halperin and Mr. Asunka
presented an overview of the work of the International Advisory
Committee to the Convening Group, the intergovernmental body
charged with issuing invitations to the Bamako Ministerial,
touching in depth upon several country specific recommendations.
While in Bamako, Dr. Halperin also met with Minister of Foreign
Affairs Moctar Ouane to discuss with him the IAC Recommendations.
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DCP speaks on the
UN Human Rights Council at the VI International Human Rights
Colloquium held in Brazil
DCP Senior Policy Associate Dokhi Fassihian
spoke at the VI International Human Rights Colloqiuim held
in Sao Paulo, Brazil from November 11-17, 2006. The annual
gathering hosted by the Brazilian human rights organization
Conectas Direitos Humanos brought together over 60 human rights
defenders, academics, and activists from the Global South.
Ms. Fassihian discussed the UN Human Rights Council's activities
during its first year and priority areas for engagement by
NGOs. She also discussed efforts to build a global human rights
advocacy network focused on the Council's work spearheaded
by DCP, the Open Society Institute, and the International
Service for Human Rights. As a result of this participation,
participants approved a declaration calling on Member States
of the Human Rights Council to establish strong elements of
a Universal Periodic Review, including participation by experts
and NGOs and the continued ability to adopt resolutions addressing
country situations. Advocates from over 35 countries in the
Global South signed the document, which was distributed to
all UN Council Members, observers, and NGOs during the Third
Human Rights Council Session in Geneva.
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DCP holds roundtable
in Brussels on the UN Human Rights Council
On 23rd November, 2006, DCP held a roundtable
in Brussels analyzing and discussing the challenges and priorities
for the new UN Human Rights Council. "The New UN Human
Rights Council: Getting it right and why it matters"
brought together key representatives from the Council of the
European Union, the European Parliament, the Permanent Representations
of Finland, Portugal, and Chile as well as NGOs from the Human
Rights and Democracy Network. The Roundtable was held just
prior to the third session of the Human Rights Council, held
in Geneva on 27 November - 8 December, 2006. The debate was
preceded by introductory remarks from Morton Halperin, DCP
President, and Mr. Michael Matthiessen, Personal Representative
of the Secretary General/High Representative for Human Rights,
Council of the European Union.
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Challenges and priorities facing UN Democracy
Caucus debated at roundtable in New York
About 40 governmental
and non-governmental representatives of the Community of Democracies
debated the workings of the UN Democracy Caucus in a roundtable
luncheon, "The UN Democracy Caucus: Challenges and Priorities,"
September 18, 2006 at the start of the 61st General Assembly
in New York. Participants discussed obstacles facing the Caucus,
divergent views on democracy promotion, and competing priorities
of the grouping of democratic states which have met at the
UN since 2003. Speakers at the event were Cheick Sidi Diarra,
Permanent Representative of Mali to the UN, João Manuel
Guerra Salgueiro, Permanent Representative of Portugal to
the UN, Gabor Brodi, Permanent Representative of Hungary to
the UN, and Matteo Meccaci of the Transnational Radical Party.
The event was organized by the Democracy Coalition Project
and co-sponsored by the Open Society Institute, the Transnational
Radical Party, Freedom House, and the Council for a Community
of Democracies. Jeffrey Laurenti of The Century Foundation
moderated the off the record discussion.
- Flyer
of the event
- Background
note on caucuses and groupings at the UN
For more information,
please contact Dokhi Fassihian at: dfassihian@demcoalition.org
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DCP hosts reception for the candidates of
the Human Rights Council in New York
The Democracy Coalition
Project hosted a reception for candidates of the Human Rights
Council on May 2, 2006, in New York. The reception was also
sponsored by the Open Society Institute, Human Rights Watch,
Amnesty International, the Carter Center, and the Wold Federalist
Movement. Over one hundred people attended the event including
the media, NGO representatives, and over thirty UN Delegations,
who used the opportunity to campaign for the elections. DCP
also helped organize a panel discussion sponsored by the Center
for Justice and International Law, the Centre for Law in International
Development, and the African Democracy Forum, entitled The
First Human Rights Council Elections: Some Perspectives from
the Developing World. Speakers on the panel were Ayesha
Imam, of the Africa Democracy Forum; Viviana Krsticevic, from
the Center for Justice and International Law; Clarence Dias,
from the Centre for Law in International Development; Francis
M. Ssekandi, from Columbia University; Juan E. Mendez, from
the International Center for Transitional Justice; and Nozima
Kamalova, from the Legal Aid Soceity of Uzbekistan. The panelists
provided regional civil society perspectives on the Council
elections.
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DCP sponsors workshop at World Movement for
Democracy Assembly in Istanbul
On April 4th, 2006, the
Democracy Coalition Project, the Transnational Radical Party
and Freedom House sponsored a workshop entitled "Promoting
Human Rights and Democracy: Supporting the Role of the Democracy
Caucus in UN Reform", at the 4th World Movement for Democracy
Assembly. Participants discussed efforts to date to create
a UN Democracy Caucus to serve as a focal point on human rights
and democracy issues within the long-established regional
bloc system at the United Nations. Human rights defenders
from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Western
countries also shared advocacy strategies successfully used
to expose human rights violations and exclude abusive countries
from leadership positions.
For further information on the workshop, click
here
For a summary on the workshop in the WMD bulletin, click
here
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Ted
Piccone, Executive Director of the Democracy Coalition
Project, moderates the Panel with the Chairs of the five
Expert Groups. From left to right: Charles Kupchan (US
Grand Strategy), Robert Hutchings (Confronting Terrorism),
Louise Richardson (Underlying Causes), Suzanne Spaulding
(Homeland Security) and Michael McFaul (Democratization) |
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Experts Offer Next Steps for More Comprehensive
Plan Against Terrorism at Conference Co-Sponsored by DCP
On September 6 and 7, 2005, four years
after 9-11, the Democracy Coalition Project co-sponsored the
Conference America's
Purpose. The event gathered in Washington DC over 700
participants and more than 100 experts to analize from a bipartisan
perspective the next steps the Unites States should undertake
to confront terrorism. The Democracy Coalition Project coordinated
the five expert working groups that examined the underlying
causes of terrorism, the implications of homeland security
on civil freedoms, the confrontation of terrorism overseas,
the relation between democratization and terrorism, and the
implications of terrorism for America's grand strategy. The
experts offered policy recommendations that challenge the
current U.S. approach to terrorism. For a complete Press Release
on the Conference, click
here.
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Democracy Promotion Roundtable Series
The Democracy Coalition Project, The Center
for Institutional Reform and the Informal Sector at the University
of Maryland, and the Open Society Institute, Washington Office
currently sponsor a monthly luncheon series to discuss policy
issues surrounding democracy promotion. The series began in
May of 2001 and some of the discussion topics have included
the relationship between democracy and development, the threats
to democracy from elected leaders, and an assessment of the
Community of Democracies movement. For a complete list of
topics, click
here.
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Participants
in the April 20th roundtable discussion (from left): Alberto
Van Klaveren, Ambassador of Chile to the EU; Bronislaw
Geremek, MEP; David French, Chief Executive, Westminster
Foundation for Democracy; Ted Piccone, Executive Director,
Democracy Coalition Project |
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DCP Brussels Office Hosts Roundtable Discussion
on Community of Democracies and UN Democracy Caucus
On April 20, 2005 the Brussels office
of the Democracy Coalition Project hosted a Roundtable
discussion on how democratic states and civil society
can better work together to strengthen collaboration for democracy
and human rights promotion within the Community of Democracies
(CD) and the United Nations Democracy Caucus (UNDC). The meeting
was held the week before the 3rd Ministerial of the CD to
provide these experts an opportunity to discuss, from a European
perspective, the strategy and the challenges faced by the
CD and the UNDC and what actions could be taken.
To
view a complete list of archived events, click here. |
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