UN Democracy Fund Director Roland Rich Addresses Conference Participants, Ambassadors and other distinguished guests in Pretoria, South Africa
|
Pretoria Civil Society Roundtable on the State of Democracy in Africa
Under a grant from the United Nations Democracy Fund, and in partnership with the African Democracy Forum and the Institute for Democracy in Africa (IDASA), CCD held its first of five regional roundtables on democracy from February 22-24 in Pretoria, South Africa. More than 40 participants from 15 countries gathered to discuss the issues facing democracy in Africa, with the goal of developing recommendations on democracy promotion to the Community of Democracies and democratic governments from around the world while further discussing civil society efforts to support the ratification of the African Union Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. On February 23, a gala dinner was held, emceed by CCD President Robert LaGamma with the keynote address given by South African Deputy Minister Sue van der Merwe
To read more about this conference, click here. |
Krakow Opera House, venue for the High Level Democracy Conference
|
10th Anniversary of the Community of Democracies in Krakow, July 2-4
High level government representatives, prominent democracy and human rights activists, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and others from around the globe will gather in Krakow, Poland from July 2-4, 2010 to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Community of Democracies and strengthen their commitments to democratic development. Discussions will center on formulating strategies to overcome barriers faced by civil society in promoting and strengthening global democracy, the role of women in democracies, current threats to democracy and how to utilize social media to spread democratic values and promote freedom of expression around the globe.
Read More about the 10th Anniversary Conference
of the
Community of Democracies
|
| |
| |
Participants of the Lisbon Ministerial in July 2009, including CCD President Robert LaGamma and several ISC Members
|
CCD Accomplishments in 2009 and Looking Ahead to 2010
2009 was a pivotal year in the development and mission of the Council for a Community of Democracies, in which it successfully organized civil society participation in the Lisbon Ministerial, organized its first regional training workshop on the Diplomat's Handbook and began to forge an effective relationship with the Lithuanian Chair of the CD by participating in Convening Group meetings and assisting in the reformulation of old and new CD Working Groups. 2010 further promises to be a groundbreaking year thanks in large part to a UN Democracy Fund grant in which we are organizing 5 regional roundtables of civil society in addition to planning regional training workshops on the Diplomat's Handbook. Members of the ISC will further be involved in the Working Groups; and the CD’s 10th Anniversary meeting in Krakow will be an opportunity for the organization to relaunch itself to provide more effective support for democracy.
Read CCD's 2009 Year in Review
|
| |
| |
|
Thanks to the government of Spain, the Diplomat's Handbook for Democracy Development Support may now be found in Spanish. This marks an important development for the handbook as CCD begins to plan for diplomats' training workshops in Latin America while increasing the accessibility of this important work to the region and other Spanish speakers.
Read the Handbook in Spanish here. |
| |
| |
Sweden's Democracy Ambassador, Maria Leissner Participates in the CD Roundtable in Brussels
|
On November 16, Lithuania’s government convened a roundtable in Brussels entitled “New Partnerships in Democracy Building: the European Union and the Community of Democracies.” Concurrent to this meeting, the Council of the European Union agreed to a set of conclusions, entitled, “Council Conclusions on Democracy Support in the EU’s External Relations.” In it, they adopted conclusions acknowledging the importance of democracy support, and the need to improve existing policy to promote greater cohesion, effectiveness and visibility in regards to its democracy support agenda. Finally, the Council for a Community of Democracies convened a workshop in Warsaw regarding the Diplomat’s Handbook on November 20-21 at the Natolin Campus of the College of Europe.
Read More about These Meetings and EU Conclusions |
| |
|
|
|
|
Since 2005, CCD has served as Secretariat for the International Steering Committee of the Nongovernmental Process of the Community of Democracies (ISC/CD). The ISC/CD is the recognized representative of civil society within the framework of the Community of Democracies. Members include representatives from all five regions of the world - Africa (sub-Saharan), the Americas, Asia, Europe (including Russia and NIS), and the Middle East/North Africa. |
The Diplomat's Handbook for Democracy Development Support is a project of the Community of Democracies, managed by CCD. Diplomats have often played vital roles supporting democratic transitions in their countries of assignment, but until now, no comprehensive training has existed to teach diplomats of the tools they have available. The Handbook contains resources and case studies documenting how diplomats can effectively assist civil society activists trying to promote democratic change in their countries. |
The concept of "education for democracy" is one of the core principles of the Community of Democracies. CCD has held three meetings on this theme, bringing together representatives of ministries of education, experts in education policy and reform, and civil society leaders to develop strategies for strengthening democracy education around the world. The Global Strategic Plan for Democracy Education, developed at a 2003 meeting, presents practical recommendations for improving approaches to teaching about democracy. |
|
