Assemblies

To connect the world’s advocates for democracy, the World Movement for Democracy organizes biennial global assemblies, gathering hundreds of activists, practitioners, scholars, donors, and others engaged in democracy promotion from more than 100 countries.

Assemblies feature a wide variety of workshops and panel discussions that address significant challenges to democracy, and serve as a rare face-to-face opportunity to network and learn from peers. The assemblies also offer an opportunity to pay public tribute to democracy advocates who have risked everything to champion democracy and freedom.

To date, assemblies have been held in: Jakarta, Indonesia; Kyiv, Ukraine; Istanbul, Turkey; Durban, South Africa; São Paulo, Brazil; and New Delhi, India.

Sixth Assembly 2010

Under the theme, “Solidarity Across Cultures: Working Together for Democracy,” some 550 World Movement participants gathered in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the sixth global assembly, April 10-14, 2010. Their shared objectives:

• Provide a forum to exchange practical, hands-on knowledge that they can use in the countries and regions in which they work;
• Ensure that the extent of repression exercised by regimes in closed societies will not pass unnoticed in the international community, and to devise new ways to enhance assistance to those inside those countries;
• Direct attention to the needs of democrats in transitional and authoritarian countries;
• Encourage other established democracies, both old and new, to support democracy-promotion efforts; and
• Explore ways in which participants can use new information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their work.

The agenda featured plenary sessions and workshops, tributes to courageous democracy activists, a Democracy Fair and numerous informal opportunities to network among peers. 

Participation in Assemblies is by invitation only. Inquiries may be made by writing: world@ned.org.