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Message from the Steering CommitteeThe Third Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy, “Building Democracy for Peace, Development, and Human Rights,” brought together nearly 600 democracy activists, practitioners, and scholars from nearly 120 countries around the world on February 1–4, 2004, in Durban, South Africa. These participants brought with them their great dedication and commitment to the principles of freedom, self-government, and the rule of law, demonstrated each day by the work they carry out to build the institutions of democracy.The Steering Committee is delighted that the World Movement for Democracy was able to convene in South Africa, a country that in this same year commemorated the Ten-Year Anniversary of embarking on its remarkably successful transition to democracy. It is with great appreciation that we note the contributions of the many South African participants who shared their experiences in the struggle against apartheid—and for democracy—as well as their insights into both the achievements gained and the challenges their country still confronts. We wish to express our gratitude to our three South African partner 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), as well as to those institutions that provided support, especially eThekweni Municipality (City of Durban) and the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, for all their assistance and participation. Special words of thanks are due to our South African colleague on the Steering Committee, Dr. Christopher Landsberg, who gave so much of his time and wisdom to help make the Assembly a great success, and to the Assembly’s three keynote speakers, Zainab Bangura (Sierra Leone), Lodi Gyari (Tibet), and Ivan Krastev (Bulgaria). The participants in the World Movement’s Inaugural Assembly in New Delhi, India, in February 1999 knew that they were bringing something unique into existence—not a new organization as such, but a pro-active global network of democrats who would come together periodically to exchange ideas and experiences and develop relationships of solidarity and mutual support across countries and regions. As a result, in November 2000, democrats who are engaged in distinct, but highly complementary, areas of democracy work gathered in São Paulo, Brazil, for the Second Assembly to continue building the World Movement for Democracy. The theme of that Assembly, “Confronting the Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century,” embodied their commitment to further democratic progress around the world. The Second Assembly was the first to feature multiple workshops focused on practical strategies, tactics, and “best practices” of benefit to all who participated. The main work of the Third Assembly took place once again in a wide array of topical, functional, and regional workshops, the reports from which appear in the following pages. Our message would thus be incomplete without acknowledging the contributions of all the workshop organizers, moderators, rapporteurs, and presenters without which the accomplishments of the Third Assembly would have been impossible. Finally, we wish to highlight the critical work conducted by the thousands of democracy activists around the world, only a small fraction of whom can join in the biennial assemblies of the World Movement. The World Movement’s Democracy Courage Tributes—presented at this Assembly to the Democracy Movement in Sudan, the Manor River Union Civil Society Movement (Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea), the Democracy Movement in Belarus, and the Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI) and Panorama: The Palestinian Center for the Dissemination of Democracy and Community Development—seek to recognize that critical, and often under-recognized, work. Since its Inaugural Assembly, the World Movement has emerged as a significant initiative that strengthens democratic interaction by fostering new linkages, support networks, and voluntary collaboration among like-minded democrats, while emphasizing concrete actions. We are confident that, like its predecessors in New Delhi and São Paulo, the Third Assembly in Durban has served to carry the World Movement forward once again. Steering Committee World Movement for Democracy |
