Building the World Movement for Democracy

Report Home World Movement for Democracy Founding Statement Democracy as a Universal Value - Keynote Address by Amartya Sen Plenary 1: Democracy & Development Plenary 2: Democracy & Diversity Plenary 3: Challenges of Democratic Governance Greetings Workshops: New Communications Technologies Democracy & NGOs Political Parties & Democracy Policy Research Institutes & Democracy Trade Unions & Democracy in a Changing Global Economy Civic Education & Democracy Democracy Assistance Foundations Democracy & Market Institutions Transparency & Accountability Informal Workshop Reports Conference Views Participants Media Agenda Biographies

Democracy as a Universal Value
Nobel laureate, Amartya Sen (Economics, 1998) delivered the conference keynote address, "Democracy as a Universal Value." Currently the Master of Trinity College at Cambridge in the United Kingdom, Sen is a former Lamont University Professor of Harvard University. He has received numerous awards including the Indira Gandhi Gold Medal Award of the Asiatic Society in 1994 and the Mahalanobis Prize in 1976.

The time between lunch and dinner on both full days of the conference (Monday and Tuesday, February 15 and 16) was reserved for workshops. In addition to the functional workshops described below, the second time slot on each day (from 5:00-7:00 p.m.) was used for regional workshops, other meetings, or the continuation of the functional workshops. The anti-corruption workshop was scheduled for the second time slot on Tuesday to enable some participants to attend a third functional workshop.

While the workshops followed different formats, they all shared a twofold purpose: To develop strategies for strengthening and broadening existing networks; and to consider how these networks can relate to each other and the new world alliance. How the alliance will be able to assist the work of all participants, and the kinds of initiatives that will flow from the assembly, was determined by these discussions. The concluding morning (Wednesday, February 17) was devoted to workshop reports and a discussion of the shape and future of the alliance.

Democracy and NGOs: Advocacy and Coalition Building
Civil-society NGOs discussed how they can more effectively achieve their purposes through better advocacy techniques and alliance building. The workshop was managed by the NED.

Political Parties and Democracy: Reform and Renewal
Party representatives considered how to expand the network of existing or emerging party leaders committed to political party reform and renewal, and how to strengthen international party cooperation based on support for democrats in specific transition opportunities. The workshop was managed jointly by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and the International Republican Institute.

Policy Research Institutes and Democracy
Leaders of democracy think tanks considered ways to strengthen collaboration among such research centers and how they can become more effective instruments of policy reform, intellectual exchange, and democratic consolidation. The workshop was managed jointly by NED's International Forum for Democratic Studies and the Delhi-based Center for the Study of Developing Societies.

Trade Unions and Democracy in a Changing Global Economy
The workshop considered how unions can build their capacity to give workers a stronger voice in a rapidly changing global economy, and how they can benefit from closer links to other democratic elements around the world. The workshop was managed by the American Center for International Labor Solidarity.

Civic Education for Democracy
The workshop addressed how NGOs can promote democratic civic education both within the formal system of schooling and as the result of the learning that occurs when citizens act to solve the problems of society. The workshop was managed by CIVITAS, the International Civic Education Organization based in Strasbourg, France.

New Communications Technologies as Tools for Democracy Building
The workshop addressed how the Internet and other revolutionary new means of communication can be more effectively used both to strengthen democratic groups (especially in environments of conflict and repression) and to link them to each other and to the emerging international movement for democracy. The workshop was be managed by the NED's program staff and the Democracy Resource Center.

Democracy Assistance Foundations: Expanding the Network
Workshop participants considered how to broaden the network of democracy support foundations in the world's established and emerging democracies. In addition to hearing from existing foundations, the workshop focused on current efforts or prospects to create new institutions to foster democracy internationally. The workshop was jointly managed by the NED and the Taiwan-based Institute for National Policy Research.

Democracy and Market Institutions
The workshop focused on the role that corporate governance plays in developing a global democratic movement: specifically on the need to establish standards of financial accountability and transparency within firms; the passage of laws and regulations guaranteeing shareholder rights; and the commitment to honest and fair dealing with all elements of the community (employees, suppliers, customers, and neighbors). The workshop was managed jointly by the Center for International Private Enterprise and the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Transparency and Accountability: Fighting Corruption
Workshop participants considered strategies for fighting corruption and for strengthening the network of organizations around the world committed to fostering transparency and greater accountability by governments, financial institutions, and companies. The workshop was managed by the Berlin-based Transparency International.