The nongovernmental International Steering Committee of the Community of Democracies (ISC/CD) is an active, independent component of the Community of Democracies that makes the CD unique among international organizations. Civil society, through the ISC/CD, plays a key role in the function of the CD, consulting with the CD Chair, the Convening Group, and the Permanent Secretariat to propose initiatives, identify threats to democracy, and develop strategies for promoting democracy more effectively. Successive chairs of the CD have identified partnership with civil society as a central goal and essential resource for the CD as a whole, and the ISC/CD has established itself as a faithful voice in the CD framework for the concerns of democracy activists all over the world.

The ISC/CD is currently comprised of 25 members from all regions of the world. Paul Graham, Executive Director of IDASA, serves as Chair of the ISC/CD, and the Council for a Community of Democracies serves as Secretariat. The ISC/CD places an emphasis on including activists from established democracies as well as countries facing challenges to their democratic institutions and those suffering under authoritarian systems, ensuring that the wide array of civil society needs is considered. Members of the ISC/CD often manage their own regional networks -- leaders of the African Democracy Forum, the World Forum for Democratization in Asia, the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy, and the Arab Democracy Foundation sit on the ISC/CD -- giving the ISC/CD insight into the challenges facing democracy in all corners of the globe.

Several ongoing initiatives supported by the ISC/CD demonstrate the capacity of civil society to influence the democracy promotion policies of the CD member governments. A Diplomat's Handbook for Democracy Development Support, an effort to encourage diplomat academies from democratic countries to develop strategies for training diplomats to support democracy in their assigned countries, is a project proposed by civil society that has gained the financial backing of several CD governments and the logistical support of the CD Permanent Secretariat. A series of workshops on education for democracy developed The Global Strategic Plan for Democracy Education, engaging education experts and representatives of ministries of education to improve the methods and standards for teaching students about democratic institutions and creating "cultures of democracy" around the world. The ISC/CD has also proposed a Global Exchange Strategy for Democracy, calling on foreign ministries to identify opportunities for educational and professional exchanges that highlight democratic principles and institutions, expanding the understanding of the essential components of democratic governance as well as how these principles can be adapted to the local contexts of countries and communities.

To improve its ability to represent the views of civil society within the CD, the ISC/CD regularly seeks opportunities to involve a wider group of nongovernmental leaders in its meetings and activities. In preparation for the Bamako Ministerial of the CD in 2007, the ISC/CD held a series of regional roundtables in 2006-2007 in New Delhi, Taipei, Santiago, Brussels, Washington, and Bamako with civil society leaders from each region to discuss and identify priorities for democracy promotion. These roundtables contributed to the development of a Civil Society Democracy Agenda for 2007-2009, which was presented to the governments of the CD in Bamako. The ISC/CD also coordinates the invitation of nongovernmental leaders to the Ministerial meetings of the CD, including nearly 80 activists to the Lisbon Ministerial in July 2009 and over 100 activists to the Vilnius Ministerial in 2011.

Please click here for more details on the activities and members of the International Steering Committee