Taking Democracy to a New Scale

Posted by Tomicah Tillemann / October 15, 2012

Tomicah Tillemann serves as the Secretary of State's Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies.

Today, I've come together with more than 500 activists, academics, and policymakers to participate in the World Movement for Democracy's Seventh Assembly in Lima, Peru. The Assembly is a key gathering for civil society leaders from dozens of countries, and participants at the meeting are working to develop new strategies for advancing democracy, dignity, and opportunity worldwide.

This year's Assembly is taking place from October 14 to 17, and it's built around the theme of “Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social and Economic Inclusion.” Peru, like many Latin American countries, has made significant political and economic progress over the last decade. But civil society and government leaders here remain focused on the need to give more people the opportunity to benefit from that development. Right now, former prime ministers, activists, and economists are all working together at the Assembly to find new solutions to this critical challenge. It's an inspiring collision of ideas from African villages, Latin American indigenous communities, countries in transition, and advanced democracies.

The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) used the Assembly to launch its new Free Enterprise and Democracy Network -- a new tool for bringing the private sector and advocates of economic freedom into global discussions about the links between democratic and economic reform. We've been working with CIPE to develop new resources for entepreneurship as part of the LEND Network for Leaders Engaged in New Democracies, and we're excited to see this project get off the ground.

Later this week, I'll travel to San Salvador, El Salvador to meet with government and civil society leaders in preparation for El Salvador's upcoming presidency of the Community of Democracies (CD). I will be joined by Ambassador Maria Leissner, Secretary General of the CD, and leaders from civil society for discussions with El Salvador's Foreign Minister about how to use the Community of Democracies to support transitions to democracy and strengthen civil society around the world.

For more information on Dr. Tomicah Tillemann's travel and the Office of the Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies, please visit state.gov.

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