Warsaw Conference

First Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies

In June 2000, representatives of governments and members of civil society from all regions of the globe gathered in Warsaw, Poland to establish the Community of Democracies, an organization devoted to the consolidation and expansion of democracy around the world. Eight countries convened the first ministerial meeting in Warsaw: Poland, Portugal, the United States, Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Mali and the Republic of Korea. The conference brought together foreign ministers and officials from 106 countries as well as hundreds of democracy advocates and activists.

Participants endorsed the Warsaw Declaration, which affirms each government’s commitment to strengthen and promote democratic values and practices. It spells out a series of core democratic rights, among others the right to free and fair elections, freedom of expression, equal access to education, rule of law and freedom of peaceful assembly. A non-governmental Forum meeting in parallel discussed a range of problems related to strengthening democracy.

I. The Conference

A. Warsaw Declaration

B. Ministerial Conference Towards a Community of Democracies

C. Non-Governmental "World Forum of Democracy" parallel to Ministerial conference

D. Czech President Vaclav Havel's Message to the Warsaw Conference

E. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's Closing Remarks

 

II. Prior to Warsaw

A. Woodrow Wilson Center-CCD Conference, May 2000

(1) Introduction

(2) 2 May, Cooperation Among Democratic Governments to Strengthen Global, Regional, and Specialized International Initiatives and Institutions

(3) 10 May, Responding To Threats To Democracy

B. Building Cooperation Among Democracies (link inactive)

 

III. Moving Beyond Warsaw

A. Senate Hearing on "The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank: Administration Policy and Reform Priorities" 8 May, 2001 by Larry Diamond, Stanford University

B. Towards Global Democracy, The Washington Times, 8 March, 2000

C. Report from the Convening Group of the CD, presented by the Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, Jan Kavan.