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DEMOCRACY COURAGE TRIBUTES

The Mano River Union Civil Society Movement (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea) Uniting more than 40 groups from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, members of the Mano River Union Civil Society Movement have demonstrated extraordinary courage in mobilizing for peace and democracy.

Ayo Obe presents the Democracy Courage Tribute to the Mano River Union Civil Society Movement.

Despite harassment and torture, they have continued to appeal for peace negotiations among the governments and combatants in the region, and have organized demonstrations and meetings calling for greater respect for democracy and human rights. Among the organizations leading the Movement are the Association of Liberian Professional Organizations, the Press Union of Liberia, the Campaign for Good Governance of Sierra Leone, and the Organisation Guineene des Droits de l'Homme.

The Democracy Movement in Belarus The Democracy Movement in Belarus continues to be heavily repressed for opposing the Lukashenko regime. In a difficult climate in which elections are rigged, politicians are "disappeared," human rights violated, and independent organizations shut down, the movement is struggling to promote a return to democracy and economic reform in Belarus.	Irena Lasota presents the Courage Tribute to the Democracy Movement in Belarus.
In the past year, more than a dozen NGOs and independent newspapers have been forcibly closed. The tribute was accepted by members of the Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs and the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the two leading organizations that support and defend Belarus' civil society and media sectors.

The Democracy Movement in Sudan Scores of nongovernmental organizations, including women's, student, human rights, peace, academic, business, professional, cultural, and religious groups, as well as the independent press and trade unions, have re-emerged in both northern and southern Sudan in the past few years.

Ayesha Imam presents the Courage Tribute to the Democracy Movement in Sudan.

Largely unrecognized and often at great personal risk, this democratic movement is exerting increasing pressure on all sides of Sudan's 20-year civil war to end the fighting, and is building the foundations for sustainable peace, democracy, and human rights in the country. Among the groups leading this movement are the Babiker Badri Scientific Association for Women Studies, the Kwoto Cultural Center, the Khartoum Monitor, the Sudan Human Rights Organization, and the New Sudan Council of Churches.

The Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information (Israel) /Panorama (Palestine) Working under the most difficult circumstances in Palestine and Israel, two groups, Panorama and the Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI), continue their long-standing, solid commitment to democracy and peace.

The Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information /Panorama.

Panorama's innovative approaches to civic education and youth outreach throughout Palestine have helped to sustain optimism about the prospects for Palestinian democracy and continue to provide a critical moderating influence. IPCRI's unique and ongoing contribution to governance and peace issues affecting Israelis and Palestinians, through research, training and the outline of policy prescriptions for peace, has given it credibility and relevance and has put the organization at the forefront of those working for both peace and democracy.

In his opening remarks, World Movement Steering Committee member Genaro Arriagada (Chile) noted, "through your activities and commitment, you are teaching us that democracy is something very special that we have to respect in every country in the world." The Democracy Courage Tributes dinner is named for John Boyce Hurford (1938-2000), an internationalist and philanthropist who played an important role in helping to conceptualize and bring into being the World Movement for Democracy.

Genaro Arriagada presents opening remarks at Presentation of Democracy Courage Tributes.

The event was sponsored by the Hurford Foundation, whose President, Robert Miller, offered his appreciation to all of the Movement's participants "for your extraordinary efforts on behalf of the people of the world." He added: "Our Foundation is committed to continuing its support of your efforts." Previous Tribute recipients were Colombia's Democratic Mayors, the Civil Society Movement of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran's Pro-Democracy Student Movement, the Chechen NGO LAM, and the Tiananmen Mothers Network in China.

Robert Miller, Hurford Foundation, presents Opening Remarks at Democracy Courage Tributes Dinner