World Movement for Democracy

World Movement Brochure (pdf)
Founding Statement
Statement on "Current Challenges to Democracy"
Steering Committee
Secretariat
Anna Pkhrikian Memorial Internship

About the World Movement for Democracy

The World Movement for Democracy is a global network of democrats, including activists, practitioners, academics, policy makers, and funders, who have come together to cooperate in the promotion of democracy.

The Washington, DC-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) initiated this nongovernmental effort with a global Assembly in New Delhi, India, in February 1999 to strengthen democracy where it is weak, to reform and invigorate democracy even where it is longstanding, and to bolster pro-democracy groups in countries that have not yet entered into a process of democratic transition.

The participants in the New Delhi Assembly adopted a Founding Statement to guide the development of the World Movement, which held its Second Assembly in São Paulo, Brazil, in November 2000, its Third Assembly in Durban, South Africa, in February 2004, and its Fourth Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey, in April 2006. The Fifth Assembly took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, in April 2008. The World Movement is led by a distinguished international Steering Committee and NED currently serves as its Secretariat.

Only those networks, groups, or individuals sharing the principles and values contained in the Founding Statement may be associated with the World Movement for Democracy. Political positions adopted by such networks, groups, or individuals will not bind the World Movement as a whole, which, as a matter of policy, does not advocate positions on particular political issues.

How We Help to Promote Democracy

The World Movement offers new ways to give practical help to democrats who are struggling to open closed societies, challenge dictatorships, democratize semi-authoritarian systems, consolidate emerging democracies, and strengthen established democracies. The World Movement has the potential to do so in several ways:

as an ally of democrats in dangerous situations who need political solidarity and moral support;

as a lobby for the cause of democracy in international bodies and in countries where democracy is under siege;

as a facilitator that can help link democrats from different countries and regions to exchange information more efficiently, work together, and help one another;

as an innovator that can encourage the development of new ideas and effective approaches for overcoming obstacles to democracy;

as a big tent that can provide a meeting place for democrats who are active in different professional areas, such as human rights, law, political party development, workers' rights, economic reform, research, and education;

as a resource center that can make basic materials on democracy available to groups around the world;

as a monitor that can convey the views of democratic activists on the efficacy of different forms of democracy support; and

as a catalyst to stimulate new initiatives and help shape the priorities of the broader community of institutions concerned with the promotion of democracy.

These are some of the ways those associated with the World Movement have defined its potential and the needs that it must try to address. They constitute an ambitious agenda that reflects the promise of the World Movement and the difficult challenges that lie ahead.

All those who are engaged in the advancement of democracy worldwide are welcome to participate in the World Movement for Democracy. If you are interested, please send an e-mail message to the or write to the address at the end of this page.

Background

The Inaugural Assembly of the World Movement-New Delhi, India
In February 1999, the Washington, D.C.-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED), in cooperation with two Indian partner organizations (the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Centre for Policy Research, both based in New Delhi), brought together leading democratic 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 government officials specially engaged in the advancement of democracy.

At the conclusion of the Assembly, participants adopted, by consensus, a Founding Statement creating the World Movement for Democracy as a "pro-active network of democrats." Emphasizing that the World Movement is not a new centralized organization, the statement declares that the resulting network "will meet periodically (not less than once every two years) to exchange ideas and experiences and to foster collaboration among democratic forces around the world." The World Movement would also make use of different levels of technology to ensure the continuation of the networking begun in New Delhi.

The Inaugural Assembly highlighted the potential for utilizing new information technologies, especially the Internet, to break information monopolies imposed by authoritarian regimes, to share ideas and experiences across countries and regions, to increase and strengthen grassroots democratic support networks, and to build solidarity with those who are most marginalized by the denial of freedom and self-determination (as well as access to information). At the same time, given the limitations on technology in many developing countries and the repression imposed by many dictatorial governments, alternatives to "new technology" must be employed as well. Chief among these is the periodic gathering of democrats in a common place, and in an atmosphere that encourages free expression, dialogue, and collaboration. However much technology may foster and empower collaboration across great distances, there is no substitute for the face-to-face human interaction that cements bonds of trust, reciprocity, and cooperation in a great common enterprise. The World Movement is thus sustained through two general means: global and regional communications and exchange among those engaged in democracy promotion, and biennial global assemblies at which World Movement participants can take stock of the accomplishments they have achieved and the challenges they confront, thereby building networks of mutual solidarity and support.

Formation of the Steering Committee and the World Movement Secretariat
Following the Inaugural Assembly in New Delhi, a Steering Committee for the World Movement was created to include a number of highly respected individuals from a wide range of countries and distinguished democratic backgrounds. At its first meeting in October 1999, the Steering Committee designated the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) as the Secretariat in large part because its Democracy Resource Center, part of NED's International Forum for Democratic Studies, could serve the World Movement's crucial networking needs. Facilitating the various networks of communication and exchange and organizing the biennial assemblies, the two mutually reinforcing facets of the World Movement, are now the primary responsibilities of the Secretariat.

The Second Assembly-São Paulo, Brazil
On November 12-15, 2000, the World Movement for Democracy held its Second Assembly in São Paulo, Brazil. Brazil was chosen because it is the largest democracy in Latin America and because the region as a whole demonstrates both the great potential for achieving democratic reforms and the dangers such reforms can face in light of entrenched poverty, economic and social inequality, corruption, and weak structures of democratic governance. Some 400 participants from over 80 countries attended the São Paulo Assembly. Once again, most were grassroots activists from NGOs, political parties, labor unions, independent media, and research institutes, but others were policy makers, including parliamentarians from a host of transitional countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Mozambique, and Uganda. Others attended from well-established democracies in every region.

A wide variety of nongovernmental groups from around the world organized nearly 40 topical, regional, and functional workshops at the Assembly, all of which were held with simultaneous interpretation in several languages to ensure as much inclusiveness as possible. The workshops were designed to facilitate more in-depth thinking about the major challenges to democracy, and the discussions were very vibrant, focusing for the most part on democracy work that can be accomplished in the two years or so until the next Assembly. All of the workshops encouraged cross-fertilization among the diverse geographic and professional backgrounds of participants, particularly the sharing of "best practices" and strategies; introduced innovative approaches used by a variety of organizations; and fostered the development of practical agendas for cooperation, exchange, and mutual support within networks of like-minded participants.

Visit the Second Assembly web site to view reports presented in plenary sessions at the Assembly that reflect the many ideas and recommendations of participants for collaboration, networking, new initiatives, and other activities on a country, regional, and even global basis.

The Third Assembly- Durban, South Africa
The World Movement's Third Assembly, in Durban, South Africa, on February 1-4, 2004, brought together nearly 600 democracy activists, scholars, and practitioners from more than 100 countries around the world. The theme of the Assembly was "Building Democracy for Peace, Development, and Human Rights." Three nongovernmental organizations-the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), and the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA)-served as local partner organizations. This time the Assembly featured nearly 60 workshops, all of which resulted in short lists of recommended actions, best practices, new initiatives, and strategic plans to initiate or further develop World Movement networks. Three participants in the World Movement-Zainab Bangura (Sierra Leone), Lodi Gyari (Tibet), and Ivan Krastev (Bulgaria)-presented the keynote addresses.

Visit the Third Assembly web site to view reports that include recommendations and proposed initiatives resulting from nearly 60 workshops; video clips and full text from the keynote addresses delivered by Zainab Bangura (Sierra Leone), Lodi Gyari (Tibet), and Ivan Krastev (Bulgaria); summaries of the Democracy Courage Tributes presented at the John B. Hurford Memorial Dinner; a list of the nearly 600 participants who attended; and other material.

The Fourth Assembly – Istanbul, Turkey
The World Movement held its Fourth Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 2 to 5, 2006. The Assembly brought together nearly 600 democracy activists, practitioners, and scholars from close to 120 countries. The plenary sessions, panel discussions, and some 50 topical, regional, and functional workshops resulted in practical recommendations and initiatives on a broad range of issues and challenges. The Assembly also helped participants to develop solidarity and mutual support across borders.

Under the theme, “Advancing Democracy: Justice, Pluralism, and Participation,” the Assembly addressed some of the leading challenges to promoting democracy in diverse societies. The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) and the Helsinki Citizens Assembly, Turkey served as local partners organizations. The Assembly opened with welcoming remarks from the Prime Minister of Turkey, the Honorable Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Honorable Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada and at the time the Secretary-General of the Club of Madrid, and the Honorable Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, also made presentations. A highlight of each Assembly is the presentation of the World Movement’s Democracy Courage Tributes, which give special recognition to groups of activists working in particularly difficult circumstances, but outside the spotlight of world attention. At the Fourth Assembly, Tributes were presented 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.

Visit the Fourth Assembly web site to view reports that include recommendations and proposed initiatives resulting from all the workshops at the Assembly. The Assembly report is also available in Arabic.

Fifth Assembly - Kyiv, Ukraine, April 6-9, 2008
The Fifth Assembly took place on April 6-9, 2008, in Kyiv, Ukraine, under the theme, “Making Democracy Work: From Principles to Performance.” Like previous assemblies, this gathering brought together some 500 democracy activists, practitioners, scholars, donors, and others engaged in democracy promotion from more than 100 countries. Under the general theme of “making democracy work,” participants addressed the need to build well-functioning democratic institutions, such as independent judiciaries, effective political parties and legislatures, local government structures, and channels for the free flow of information, as well as the need to implement policies to address the social agenda, including securing labor rights and alleviating poverty and economic inequality through democratic economic reforms.

The Assembly also advanced the World Movement’s Defending Civil Society project, launched in early 2007 to help build a global response to recent efforts by various governments to restrict the space in which civil society organizations carry out their democracy and human rights work. The project, which has enlisted the support of an international Eminent Persons Group, has resulted in the publication of a report that will be presented in plenary session at the Assembly. Co-authored by the World Movement Secretariat and the International Center for Non-for-profit Law (ICNL), the report explores in depth the widely accepted norms and principles that are being violated by various regimes around the world—such as the rights to association, advocacy, and assembly, and to receive cross-border assistance. The report was thus the subject of multiple Assembly workshops in addition to the plenary session.

In addition, regional workshops allowed participants to focus on challenges particular to their regions, and functional workshops were designed to strengthen networking in various areas of democracy work, such as youth, women, media, research, and local governance.

The Assembly also featured a Democracy Fair to provide additional opportunities for networking and advancing collaborative activities. The Democracy Fair will include an Exhibition Area for participants, a Video Screening Room, and a Technology Training Center. The final night of the Assembly was devoted to the presentation of the World Movement’s Democracy Courage Tributes to groups and movements that have exhibited extraordinary courage in their work but that do not ordinarily receive international attention.

Visit the Fifth Assembly web site for more information.

10th Anniversary Celebration – New Delhi, India, February 27, 2009
On February 27, 2009, the Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) marked the 10th anniversary of the World Movement for Democracy with a conference on the prospects for advancing democracy. The conference was inaugurated by former Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral. The program included a symposium on expanding democracy, prospects and challenges, and special lectures on democracy at work in South Asian nations.
The ISS is headed by George Mathew, who currently serves on the World Movement Steering Committee. The ISS also serves as the Secretariat of the World Movement’s Global Network on Local Governance (GNLG).

To read David Lowe’s address at the 10th Anniversary Celebration, go to: www.wmd.org/documents/10thAnniversary.pdf

Establishing the Networks of the World Movement for Democracy
As a result of the assemblies of the World Movement and the creation of the Steering Committee and Secretariat, significant efforts are now underway to establish both regional and functional networks for democracy promotion. In consultation with the democracy activists, practitioners, and academics who led the various workshops at the assemblies, the Secretariat is currently working on establishing Web sites for many of these new networks. A number of regional networks and topical networks have already been formed. Links to these new Web sites will continue to be featured on the main World Movement Web site.

Regional Meetings
For a variety of reasons, only a limited number of the thousands of activists, practitioners, and others engaged in democracy-promotion work around the world can participate in each of the biennial assemblies of the World Movement. In addition, many of those who are able to attend often have to travel great distances to do so depending on the location of the assembly. For these reasons, but mainly because more frequent opportunities to build relationships and exchange ideas for future activities contributes significantly to furthering the goals of the World Movement, the Secretariat hopes to facilitate regional meetings each year (for instance, in Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, the Americas, Middle East & North Africa, and the New Independent States). Such regional meetings would make involvement in the World Movement possible even when participation in the assemblies is not, and would strengthen the regional World Movement networks now in development.

Participation

The World Movement provides several ways in which individuals, groups, and networks can participate.

Networking. The World Movement Web site (www.wmd.org) provides links to, or contact information for, various regional and functional networks focused on advancing democracy. If you are interested in working on a particular network, or wish to begin a new network in an area of democracy work, send an e-mail message to the .
Participants Database. The Participants Database is an online searchable database of World Movement participating organizations. It includes participating organizations' contact information, mission statements, topical foci, types of activities, publications, and names of individuals who have taken part in World Movement assemblies. If you wish to include your organization's information, submit the information by using a Fax Form.
DemocracyNews. As the electronic newsletter of the World Movement, DemocracyNews enables participants to share information with their colleagues, announce events and publications, and request assistance or collaboration in their work. It also serves to alert readers to critical situations confronting World Movement participants and other democracy activists. To subscribe to DemocracyNews, fill out the following:

Name:

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World Movement Assemblies. Participation in World Movement assemblies is by invitation only. The Fifth Assembly is scheduled to take place on April 6-9, 2008, in Kyiv, Ukraine. We welcome inquiries concerning participation.

Suggestions of new World Movement initiatives and activities, and offers of financial support, are welcome at any time. Please send an e-mail message to the or write to:

World Movement for Democracy