Dialogue on Democracy

The United States will host leaders from seven African and seven Latin American and Caribbean countries in a “Dialogue on Democracy” to be held June 4-5 in Coral Gables, Florida. Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula J. Dobriansky will serve as U.S. host for the meeting. The Dialogue will extend the work of the Seoul Plan of Action, adopted in Seoul, Korea at the November 2002 Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies. The Community’s strategy includes working directly with emerging democracies, coordinating assistance, and sharing best practices. The Plan of Action specifies cooperation within and between regions as a key to the promotion of democracy worldwide.

The Community of Democracies is a unique forum, launched at a ministerial meeting held in Warsaw in June 2000, bringing together countries from all regions on the basis of their common commitment to build lasting democratic institutions. For the Seoul ministerial in November 2002, 118 countries were invited as participants and 21 countries as observers.

Participants at the Dialogue include governmental and non-governmental representatives from the following countries: Cape Verde, Mali, Botswana, Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, Mozambique, Jamaica, Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. Representatives from the OAS and AU have also been invited. Various U.S. officials, as well as leaders of several American non-governmental organizations, will join to help facilitate the meeting. Distinguished speakers include Francisco Flores, President of El Salvador; Jose Maria Pereira Neves, Prime Minister of Cape Verde; and Luis Solari de la Fuente, Prime Minister of Peru.

The two-day meeting will focus on role of the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the African Union, and the New Partnership for African Development in regional efforts to extend, consolidate, and protect democracy. Participants will discuss how to promote democratic institutions and practices in their regions. They will focus particularly on how regional organizations and coordinated efforts can strengthen democracy, and overcome obstacles and threats to its development. Topics will include good governance, anti-corruption measures, electoral systems and political party development, and programs to bolster civil society and civic education.

Additional information about the Community of Democracies is available at http://www.state.gov/g/drl/c7613.htm.