History

The Inaugural Assembly of the World Movement, 1999
New Delhi, India

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in Washington, DC, in cooperation with the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Centre for Policy Research of New Delhi, brought together leading democracy activists, practitioners and thinkers from every region of the world to explore the possibilities of networking with each other across borders, cultures and professional backgrounds. The 400 participants from more than 80 countries who gathered in New Delhi represented nongovernmental organizations, civic education groups, business associations, anti-corruption institutes, trade unions, political parties, democracy think tanks, and democracy-support foundations, as well as parliamentarians and governmental officials engaged in the advancement of democracy.

By consensus, assembly participants approved a Founding Statement, creating the World Movement for Democracy as “proactive network of democrats” that would meet not less than once every two years “to exchange ideas and experiences and to foster collaboration among democratic forces around the world.”

Participants in the inaugural assembly recognized the potential of emerging technologies – especially the Internet – to break information monopolies imposed by authoritarian regimes and connect democrats with one another. At the same time, they also recognized technology’s limitations for many in the developing world and the power of face-to-face interaction for people united in a common cause. These observations guide the World Movement’s work today: promote online communication community among its participants while sponsoring biannual, global assemblies to bring people together in a physical place.

To govern the World Movement, inaugural assembly participants created a steering committee made up of highly respected individuals from a wide range of countries and backgrounds. The committee then designated the National Endowment for Democracy as the network’s secretariat to serve the World Movement’s mission, including the promotion of online networking and the sponsorship of biannual assemblies.

The Second Assembly, 2000
Sao Paulo, Brazil

Sao Paulo, Brazil, was chosen as the host city of the second assembly in part because Brazil is the largest democracy in Latin American, and in part because the region as a whole demonstrates both the potential of democratic reforms and the dangers such reforms face from poverty, corruption and weak governance. S o m e 400 participants from more than 80 countries attended, including parliamentarians from transitional countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Mozambique and Uganda.

A wide variety of nongovernmental groups from around the world organized nearly 40 workshops, all with simultaneous interpretation in multiple languages to ensure maximum inclusiveness. The sessions mostly focused on what could be achieved in the next two years, and encouraged cross-fertilization of best practices across regions and professions.

The Third Assembly, 2004
Durban, South Africa

The World Movement’s third assembly in Durban, South Africa, attracted the largest number of attendees to date: nearly 600 activists, scholars and practitioners from more than 100 countries. Under the theme, “Building Democracy for Peace, Development and Human Rights,” attendees hears keynote remarks from World Movement leaders Zainab Bangura from Sierra Leone, Lodi Gyari from Tibet and Ivan Krastev from Bulgaria, and participated in more than 60 workshops. Three South African nongovernmental organizations — African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) and Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) – served as local partner hosts.

The Fourth Assembly, 2006
Instanbul, Turkey

The World Movement’s fourth assembly in Istanbul, Turkey, drew 600 participants from 120 countries – the most geographically diverse gathering yet. Under the theme, “Advancing Democracy: Justice, Pluralism and Participation,” attendees heard such distinguished speakers as the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell and former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. World Movement Democracy Courage Tributes, a special recognition of activists working under particularly difficult conditions, were made to representatives of the Crimean Tatars and their Mejlis (Parliament), the civil society of Nepal, the human rights and democracy movement in Uzbekistan, and democracy activists in Vietnam.

The Fifth Assembly, 2008
Kyiv, Ukraine

The fifth assembly in Kyiv, Ukraine, focused squarely on the practical steps necessary to achieve the World Movement’s vision. Under the theme, “Making Democracy Work: From Principles to Performance,” more than 500 attendees gathered in plenaries and workshops to grapple with building functioning democratic institutions, such as independent judiciaries, effective political parties and legislatures and free channels of information and media. They also enjoyed the assembly’s first Democracy Fair, featuring a technology-training center, video screening room and new opportunities to network with colleagues.

The assembly also advanced the World Movement’s Defending Civil Society project, launched the previous year to counter new restrictions faced by civil society organizations in many countries. Assembly participants discussed in workshops and plenary the project’s new report, coauthored by the World Movement Secretariat and the International Center for Not-for-profit Law (ICNL), that examined accepted principles violated today by a growing numbers of regimes, such as the rights to associate, advocate, and receive cross-border assistance.

10th Anniversary Celebration, 2009
New Delhi, India

Former Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral welcomed democrats gathered from around the world to celebrate the World Movement’s 10th anniversary, returning to the city of its founding assembly for a special conference on the prospects of advancing democracy. Hosted by the Institute of Social Sciences (ISS), the conference offered a series of presentations that included a special focus on democracy at work in South Asia.

The Sixth Assembly, 2010
Jakarta, Indonesia

The Sixth Assembly brought together a richly diverse group of participants representing every region of the world in the spirit of shared democratic values. They taught and learned from each other, built collaborative relationships, and thereby strengthened the World Movement as a network committed to mutual support, exchange, and cooperation.

The agenda focused on ways to expand democracy movements within all cultures, as well as on ways to develop mutually supporting cross-cultural relationships to advance democracy in all global regions; continue the discussion on “Making Democracy Work” begun at the Fifth Assembly in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2008; advance the World Movement’s ongoing Defending Civil Society and Assessing Democracy Assistance projects; and address the challenges to democracy work in such areas as anti-corruption, free expression, youth engagement, independent media, human rights, local governance, elections, political party development, women’s political participation, and ethnic and religious inclusion, among others.