Sixth Assembly
Jakarta, Indonesia » 2010

Solidarity Across Cultures:
Working Together for Democracy

Objective: 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.

General objectives of the Assembly included:

• providing participants with a forum to exchange practical, hands-on knowledge that they can use in the countries and regions in which they work;
• ensuring 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;
• directing attention to the needs of democrats in transitional and authoritarian countries;
• encouraging other established democracies, both old and new, to support democracy-promotion efforts; and
• exploring ways in which participants can use new information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their work.

Participants: The Sixth Assembly brought together some 550 participants of various backgrounds and professions, including:

• NGO leaders working to strengthen human rights, government accountability, the rule of law, the status of women, and minority inclusion;
• business leaders committed to economic reform and transparent corporate governance;
• political party representatives seeking to make parties effective vehicles for linking citizens with democratic decision makers;
• trade unionists committed to giving workers a democratic voice in the global economy;
• leaders of research institutes and scholars advancing ideas and concrete initiatives for democratic reforms;
• civic educators promoting the values, skills, and knowledge that form the basis for a free and participatory society;
• independent journalists, broadcasters and other communications specialists educating democracy activists on the role of independent media in democratic systems;
• representatives of democracy assistance foundations and government development agencies; and
• knowledgeable individuals who can share practical experiences on how to utilize new information and communication technologies (ICTs) in democracy-promotion work.