Welcoming Remarks: The Right Honorable Kim Campbell

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Welcoming Remarks: The Right Honorable Kim Campbell

The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, Member (Canada) and chair, World Movement Steering Committee 

Kim Campbell served as the 19th and first female Prime Minister of Canada in 1993 and currently chairs the Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy. Prior to serving as Prime Minister, she was the first woman to hold the Justice and Defense portfolios and the first female Minister of Defense of a NATO country. Ms. Campbell served as Canadian Consul General in Los Angeles (1996-2000) and taught at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (2001-2004). From 2004-2006, she was Secretary General of the Club of Madrid, an organization of former presidents and prime ministers of which she is a founding member.
 
Excerpts: I want to welcome you here to the Sixth Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy. We are delighted to be here in the capital of one of the world’s newest successful democracies, some 600 strong, from over 110 countries, and representing civil society in all of its rich diversity—from nongovernmental organization representatives to political party leaders, from trade unionists to those working to advance the rights of women, from youth activists to those representing the business community. Our theme is “Solidarity Across Cultures: Working Together for Democracy” because democracy takes many forms but at its core is a set of universal principles that unite people of different religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. . . .
 
We must remember that democracy cannot be achieved overnight, just by getting rid of dictators. The first steps must be followed by daily efforts to build democratic societies and democratic institutions to prevent new dictators from emerging. You are here to share experiences, to learn from one another, and to go back home to continue the difficult work that building democracy demands. Some of you come from established democracies; others from countries such as Indonesia, which have recently made transitions to democracy; others from countries where democracy is at risk; and still others from countries that continue to repress those who call for freedom and basic human rights. . . . And as someone from an established democracy, I can tell you that the struggle is never over, that we must always be vigilant and always work to strengthen the institutions, because no society ever stands still.