Report Was Edited by Art Kaufman, Senior Director of the World Movement for Democracy, and Produced by the World Movement for Democracy Secretariat Staff

The Seventh Assembly li ma , pe r u o c to b e r 14–17, 2012

Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion Steering Committee Members

Mariclaire Acosta – Mexico Maina Kiai – Kenya Antoine Bernard – France Dismas Kitenge – Dem. Rep. of Congo Igor Blaževic – Czech Republic Radwan Masmoudi – Tunisia Francesca Bomboko – Dem. Rep. of Congo* Reginald Matchaba-Hove – Zimbabwe Ladan Boroumand – Iran Matteo Mecacci – Italy Kim Campbell – Canada (Chair) George Mathew – India* Kavi Chongkittavorn – Thailand Inna Pidluska – Ukraine* Michael Danby – Australia Jacqueline Pitanguy – Brazil* Ron Deibert – Canada Carlos Ponce – Venezuela Melinda Quintos de Jesús – The Philippines* Gina Romero – Colombia Alicja Derkowska – Poland Vladimir Ryzhkov – Russia Han Dongfang – China* Hans Tippenhauer – Haiti Hannah Forster – The Gambia Roel von Meijenfeldt – The Netherlands* David French – United Kingdom Yevgeniy Zhovtis – Kazakhstan Hualing Fu – China *Term expired at the close of the Seventh Assembly Carl Gershman – United States (ex officio) Ana Gomes – Portugal Secretariat: Paul Graham – South Africa National Endowment for Democracy Tanya Hamada – The Philippines Art Kaufman Bambang Harymurti – Indonesia Senior Director Hisham Kassem – Egypt Asma Khader – Jordan

Steering Committee members seen with Secretariat staff at the World Movement’s Seventh Assembly in Lima, Peru, in October 2012.

ISBN - 978-0-9890025-9-2 TableSection of Contents Opener

About the World Movement For Democracy 4

Message from the Steering Committee 5 Welcoming Remarks, Presentations, and Official Opening

Welcoming Remarks Chair, World Movement Steering Committee: The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada 6

Conveners of Host Country CSO Consortium: Glatzer Tuesta Altamirano, Legal Defense Institute (Peru) 7 Luz María Helguero, Civil Association on Transparency (Peru) 8

Presentations 2011 Nobel Laureate, Tawakkol Karman, Women Journalists without Chains (Yemen) 9 Yevgeniy Zhovtis, Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law and member (Kazakhstan), World Movement Steering Committee ...... 11 Glanis Changachirere, Institute for Young Women Development (Zimbabwe) 13

Official Opening of the Assembly The Hon. Rafael Roncagliolo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Peru 14

Democracy Courage Tributes Presentations and John B. Hurford Memorial Dinner 17

Youth Movement Photo Contest Winners 20 Cultural Evening, hosted by the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima and Mayor Susana Villarán de la Puente 21

Democracy Fair 22

Technology Trainings 23

The material in this report was edited by Art Kaufman, Senior Director of the World Movement for Democracy, and produced by the World Movement for Democracy Secretariat staff. Special thanks to Ryota Jonen, Senior Manager; Cecilia Andersen, Project Manager; Dana O’Leary, Project Officer; Christopher Thurau and Ishraga Eltahir, Project Assistants; Karin Cannock, Temporary Event Manager; and Emma Dekker, Local Coordinator.

www.wmd.org 1 Reports

Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Plenary Session Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion 25

Panel Discussion Peru’s Experience in Democracy 26

Workshops Democratic Transitions and the Inclusion of Women: Perspectives from the Middle East/North Africa and Latin America 28 How Does Inclusive Economic Growth Support Democratic Participation? 29 Freedom of Religion and Social Inclusion: Linkages and Strategies 30 Sexual Minority Rights: Confronting Attacks on Freedom of Association, Assembly, and Expression 32 Party Efforts to Develop and Implement Inclusive and Responsive Politics 34 Addressing Political, Social, and Economic Inequality: Workers, Unions, and Support Organizations Joining Together in Advocacy 35 Resolving Tensions between Extractive Industry and Local Communities: How to Build Trust within a Democratic Context? 37 How to Make Public Participation in Democratic Processes Meaningful? 38 Addressing Ethnic Divides: Preventing Conflict through Democratic Inclusion 39

Youth Engagement and Empowerment

Workshops What Can be Done to Empower Youth through Economic Inclusion? 42 World Youth Movement for Democracy (WYMD) 43 How to Channel Negative Expressions of Disaffected Youth into Constructive Activism? ...... 45 Democracy Education: Building a Culture of Tolerance 47

Building Democracy Movements

Workshops Building Democracy Movements: How to Enlist the Broader Public through Education and the Media? 49 Realizing the Vision of the International Women’s Democracy Network (IWDN) 50 How Networks Promote Shared Principles, Best Practices, and Solidarity in Citizen Election Monitoring 52 Building Democracy Movements: Moving from Online to Offline for Effective Activism 55 Preparing Civil Society for the Potential of Breakthrough Elections 57

Defending Civil Society

Plenary SESSION Preventing Backsliding from Democracy: The Role of Civil Society 59

2 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Panel Discussion Defending Civil Society: Addressing Threats to Freedom of Association and Assembly Online 61

WORKSHOPS Defending Civil Society: How to Work in Legally Repressive Environments? 62 Defending Journalists under Attack: What are the Best Strategies? 64 The Defending Civil Society Toolkit—Tips for Engaging in NGO Law Reform 65 Challenges in Democracy Assistance: Confronting the New Authoritarianism 68 Collaborating to Protect Human Rights Defenders: Assessing Current Needs and Strategies 70

Making Democracy Sustainable

Panel Discussions The Changing Role of Civil Society in Transitions to Democracy: The Case of Egypt 72 The Changing Role of Civil Society in Transitions to Democracy: The Case of Burma 74

Workshops From Leading Civil Society to Serving in Government: What are the Challenges and Opportunities? 77 Network of Democracy Research Institutes (NDRI): Enhancing the Policy Impact of Democracy Research 79 Enhancing Government Transparency and Accountability through Technology Platforms 81 Money and Politics: Combatting Electoral Corruption 84 Using Citizen-Led Assessments of Local Democracy to Advance Reforms 85 Civic Education: It’s not Just about Voting 87 Challenges in Established Democracies and How to Address Them 88 Addressing the Corruptive Effects of Transnational Criminal Networks on Democratic Institutions and Civil Society Efforts to Build Democracy ...... 89 Independent Media in New Democracies: The Roles of Conventional and Citizen Journalism 91

Regional Workshops

Building an Asian Regional Network for Democracy and Human Rights 92 Fostering Cross-Border Work: Lessons Learned and Future Possibilities 94 The Soviet Legacy: How should Civil Society Respond to Authoritarianism in Eastern Europe and Eurasia? 95 Strengthening Regional Mechanisms to Build Democracy in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean 97 How can Civil Society provide Effective Input into Transitions to Democracy in the Middle East and North Africa? 99

Participants 101

Press 110

Assembly Support 112

www.wmd.org 3 About the World Movement for Democracy

he World Movement for Democracy is a global net- relations and provides illustrative examples of the work of democrats, including activists, practitio- ways in which those principles are being violated. The Tners, scholars, policy makers, and funders, who World Movement and ICNL also recently released a have come together to cooperate in the promotion of new interactive Toolkit for Civil Society that provides democracy. tips, tools, strategies, and other information for organizations and activists working to reform legal frame- In 1999, we held our first global Assembly in New works in their respective countries. This project led to Delhi, India, and have continued to organize assem- the creation of the Community of Democracies’ Work- blies in different global regions. We also conduct a ing Group on Enabling and Protecting Civil Society variety of projects to defend civil society and facilitate in which the World Movement participates along with networking among participants. ICNL and other civil society organizations, as well as Goals a number of democratic governments. The World Movement aims to: ➤➤ Civic Space Initiative. In 2012, we launched the Civic ➤➤ Strengthen democracy where it is weak Space Initiative in collaboration with ICNL, Article ➤➤ Defend democracy where it is longstanding 19, and CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Partici- ➤➤ Bolster pro-democracy groups in non-democratic pation. The initiative seeks to protect and expand civic countries space by supporting the work of the UN Special Rap- Leadership porteur on Freedom of Association and Assembly, pro- We are led by a distinguished international Steering ducing a series of videos profiling civil society activists Committee chaired by The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, to help educate broader publics about the work of de- former prime minister of Canada. Our day-to-day mocracy and human rights organizations, and other operations are managed by a Secretariat located at activities. the Washington, DC-based National Endowment for Participation Democracy (NED). We welcome all networks, groups, and individuals Projects who share the principles and values in our Founding ➤➤ World Movement Assemblies. Global assemblies of- Statement as participants in the World Movement for fer World Movement participants the opportunity to Democracy. take stock of the accomplishments they have made and Connecting Democracy Activists Worldwide the challenges they confront, and to build networks of ➤➤ Networks. The World Movement web site provides mutual solidarity and support across borders. Global links to various regional and functional networks fo- assemblies also feature the presentation of the World cused on advancing democracy. Movement’s Democracy Courage Tributes, addresses ➤➤ DemocracyNews. As the electronic newsletter of the by leading activists, a Democracy Fair, and Technol- World Movement, DemocracyNews enables partici- ogy Training sessions that focus on the use of new in- pants to share information with their colleagues, an- formation and communication technologies in their nounce events and publications, and request assistance democracy and human rights work. or collaboration in their work. ➤➤ Defending Civil Society. Now in its sixth year, this ➤➤ DemocracyAlerts. The World Movement issues alerts project responds to the recent disturbing trend of concerning participants and other colleagues who are, governments restricting the space in which democ- or may be, facing personal danger due to their work on racy and human rights organizations carry out their behalf of democracy and for whom a vigorous response work. The World Movement, in partnership with the from around the world may be critical. International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), recently published the second edition of the Defend- For further information about ing Civil Society report, which articulates a set of the World Movement and its projects, go to: long-standing principles, rooted in international law, www.wmd.org that ought to inform proper government-civil society www.defendingcivilsociety.org

4 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Message from the Steering Committee

he Seventh Assembly of the World Movement for equality. We are pleased, therefore, that the Assembly Democracy brought together a highly diverse focused on the challenges to achieving full inclu- and growing movement of activists, practi- sion for women, youth, ethnic and religious groups, tioners, scholars, donors and others who are indigenous populations, sexual minorities, and other Tforging the bonds of democratic solidarity around excluded groups in all societies, regardless of ideologi- the world. Since the World Movement’s Inaugural cal, religious, and traditional barriers. The Assembly Assembly in New Delhi, India, in 1999, the number also emphasized youth engagement and empower- of World Movement participants has grown through ment, building democracy movements, defending civil the development of both regional and functional net- society, and making democracy sustainable, all of works, which have strengthened the ties among us. which we believe are highly relevant in the global We were very pleased to hold the Seventh Assembly struggle for democracy. The reports in the following in Peru, which has made significant progress in deep- pages thus reflect the attention to these themes in the ening democracy, but which continues to face signifi- Assembly discussions. cant challenges, as do many new and old democracies We were also very proud to present the World around the world. Meeting in Peru thus afforded an Movement’s Democracy Courage Tributes once again important opportunity for the hundreds of partici- to fellow democrats who have demonstrated outstand- pants attending from more than 100 countries to learn ing courage in pursuit of democracy and human rights. from Peru’s achievements and challenges, and for the The presentations were featured at the Assembly’s Peruvian participants to learn from those attending concluding John B. Hurford Memorial Dinner. from abroad. We were also very pleased to meet in the Finally, we wish to acknowledge the contributions city of Lima, which has implemented its own impor- of the many individuals around the world who work tant initiatives to enhance the quality of democratic tirelessly for the cause of democracy and human life. We are thus very grateful to the Municipality and rights, but who were unable to join us in Lima. They Mayor Susana Villarán de la Puente for all of their should know that they were very much missed and assistance and for graciously hosting a wonderful were in our thoughts, and we hope that the observa- Cultural Evening and Reception for all the Assembly tions, challenges, and recommendations outlined in participants. this Final Report will prove as useful and inspiring Given the robust engagement of Peruvian civil to them as we very much hope it will for all those who society in furthering the development of democracy attended the Seventh Assembly in Lima. in the country, we are very grateful that a number of democracy and human rights organizations helped us Steering Committee prepare for the Assembly by serving as a Host Country World Movement for Democracy CSO Consortium. We especially wish to thank its conveners, David Lovatón of the Legal Defense Institute (IDL) and Gerárdo Távara of the Civil Association on Transparency (Transparencia) for all of their assistance. We also extend our deep gratitude to The Hon. Rafael Roncagliolo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Peru, for officially opening the Assembly, and to those activists who made opening presentations, all of whom helped greatly to set the tone for the discussions that followed. We are pleased to include excerpts from their remarks in this Report. The theme of the Seventh Assembly, “Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion,” provided a framework for many of the discussions that took place. We know that one of the fundamental elements of democracy is the principle of

www.wmd.org 5 Opening Session

ful. We also wish to thank the members of the Host Welcoming Remarks Country CSO Consortium, and especially its conveners, David Lovatón of the Legal Defense Institute The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell (IDL) and Gerardo Tavara of the Civil Association on Member (Canada) and Chair, Transparency (Transparencia), for all of their assis- World Movement Steering Committee tance on the organization of this Seventh Assembly.

The Right and Honorable Kim Campbell served as the 19th and first female Prime Minister of Canada in 1993 and currently chairs the Steering committee of the World Movement for Democracy. Prior to serving as Prime Minister, she was the first woman to hold the Justice and Defense portfolios and the first female Minister of Defense of a NATO country. Ms. Campbell served as Canadian Consul General in Los Angeles (1996-2000). From 2004 to 2006, she was Secretary General and a founding member of the Club of Madrid.

Excerpts: We are more than 400 democracy activists from 100 countries in every region of the world: trade unionists and business leaders; party representatives and human rights defenders; parliamentarians and civic educators. We are all united in the belief that freedom is universal, and that mutual cooperation and solidarity will help us improve the condition of democracy and human rights in our respective countries. We are delighted to be holding this gathering in Peru, a thriving democracy, an oasis of political and economic stability in a troubled region. The theme of this Assembly is “Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion,” one that the host country has been grappling with, and has devoted an entire government ministry to achieve. This theme will be the focus of many of the plenary and workshop sessions that will take place, along with youth engagement and empowerment, building democracy movements, and defending civil society. The latter, under the ongoing project of the World Movement, has put us in the forefront of responding to the global trend of restricting freedom of association and assembly in many countries. . . . We are also pleased to be meeting in the great city of Lima. The Municipality and Mayor Susana Villarán de la Puente have provided important assistance and have extended a warm welcome to all of our participants, for which we are very grate-

6 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Opening Session

part of, the World Movement for Democracy in its efforts to strengthen democracy in the world. We share its principles of freedom of expression, inclusion, equality before the law, the balance of power, and the space for diverse expressions of civil society. In the last few decades, Peru has transitioned through dramatic moments, including the internal armed conflict during which approximately 69,000 people either died or disappeared, according to the Commission of Truth and Reconciliation’s final report. Additionally, the dictatorship of the 90s resulted in unprecedented levels of unyielding corruption and human rights violations for which Alberto Fujimori was tried and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Nevertheless, it was a respectable, transparent trial, which thus provided a lesson to the world that impunity cannot coexist with democracy. Regrettably, both episodes required us to question the effectiveness of weak institutions that, rather than reversing such situations, encouraged their growth and an alarming level of exclusion and discrimination. The democratic transition, which began in 2000, advanced in a significant way, and subsequent democratic governments continued it, although to a lesser degree. Despite these advances, I would like to note some current challenges to democracy that reflect a number of tensions: Glatzer Tuesta Altamirano ➤➤ Impunity for those who violated rights, as op- Legal Defense Institute posed to justice for the victims; Co-Convener of Host Country CSO Consortium ➤➤ Support for economic growth despite resulting for the Assembly social conflicts; ➤➤ Interest in investment with little regard for the Glatzer Tuesta Altamirano is president of the Legal rights of indigenous peoples; Defense Institute (IDL), a Peruvian organization that ➤➤ A compliant media, as opposed to freedom of ex- has been promoting human rights and democracy pression; since 1983. He also hosts the popular radio show, No ➤➤ Reduction of the poverty level, but with less em- Hay Derecho (That Just Isn’t Right), which broadcasts phasis on reducing the level of economic inequality; daily on Radio San Borja. In addition, he is direc- ➤➤ Weak political party institutions, which allow tor of Red Nacional Ideelradio, a national network of for the growth of violent ideologies; more than 170 radio stations that seeks to promote and ➤➤ Narco-trafficking and terrorism unconstrained defend human rights and democracy. A committed by a state that lacks the capacity to characterize peace and human rights activist, Mr. Tuesta is widely the problem effectively; and known for his investigative journalism. ➤➤ Growing citizen insecurity left only to be addressed by punitive demagoguery that does not Excerpts (translated and edited from the Spanish provide solutions. original): The Legal Defense Institute is a civil society organization with nearly 30 years of institutional Given these challenges, this gathering is fundamental activity. Its objective is to defend and spread human for advancing our clearly very urgent work. rights and to affirm and strengthen democracy. For that reason, we identify with, and we are an active

www.wmd.org 7 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Luz María Helguero Civil Association on Transparency (Transparencia) Co-Convener of Host Country CSO Consortium for the Assembly

Luz María Helguero is director general of the Peruvian daily El Tiempo, where she previously worked as edi- tor-in-chief, and is founding director of Gua 3.0, Peru’s first online citizen newspaper. In 2004, she founded the Network of Provincial Journalists, which brings together more than 2,500 journalists to provide training on pressing political and economic issues. Ms. Helguero currently serves as president of the Board of Transparencia, a Peruvian organization that works to enhance citizen participation, provide civic education, promote gender equality, and ensure free and fair elections. She has been a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy, and a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University.

Excerpts (translated and edited from the Spanish original): I have the privilege of seeing in this room participants from all around the world, from India, from Kazakhstan, from Zimbabwe, from Egypt, from the Czech Republic, from Ecuador, from more than 100 countries gathered today in support of an ideal: promoting and strengthening democracy in our coun- of the rural population. In Peru, much of the govern- tries. . . . ment, like civil society, has established a commit- In Peru, during the last few years, our country’s ment to take on the challenges to achieve inclusion in economy has been one of the strongest in Latin democracy. . . . America, showing very important advances in some Transparencia has worked for democracy in Peru social indicators, such as poverty reduction. However, for 18 years. . . . During these years, it has achieved while we feel optimistic due to these results, we also mobilization and capacity training for more than know that there are other statistics that we should 100,000 volunteers throughout the country, above all look at. Despite the economic growth, the inequality young people who decided to engage with democracy. gap persists and social conflicts remain in all the dis- We have also worked hard for the strengthening of a tant rural zones. . . . democratic culture that promotes political participa- In Peru, there are more than 1,700 indigenous com- tion of all citizens. Transparencia has successfully munities, varying in their languages, customs, forms secured spaces for debate about local and regional of government, and worldviews. Citizens like us: problems and how to address them in development equal, but different at the same time. What can our plans. We are also working to improve political rep- democracy now offer these native people? Have we resentation in Congress, to instill trust in democratic been able to include them in the system in a satisfac- institutions among the citizens. We believe that this tory way? helps achieve political inclusion, but the challenge is These realities require us to rethink democracy, enormous. . . . not only in the formal aspect of the political system In Peru, we know that ensuring inclusion is one of nor only with respect to the decisions of the majority. our fundamental tasks. Economic development and Today, our commitment to democracy requires us to the existence of a formal democratic system do not in safeguard the interests and the fundamental rights themselves ensure a healthy democracy, but inclusion of minorities, of women, of native communities, and of all does.

8 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Opening Session

Before ending, I want to share a poem with those ety activists who are committed to human rights and of you who have decided to fight for an ideal in your defending liberties. I am proud that I have remained a countries. The poem is by Marco Maros: part of this, proud that I will remain one of you, fighting for liberties wherever there are violations, bol- This is not your country stering rights wherever there is repression, fighting Because you know its boundaries, corruption when power is misused to acquire public Nor because of the common language, funds, producing democratic transformation, build- Nor because of the names of the dead. ing civil society, and inviting nations to practice good This is your country, governance. . . . Because, if you had to, The theme of our present and future struggle is You would choose it again, “guaranteeing equal citizenship for all mankind.” We To build all of your dreams here. believe that all are equal in dignity, and we think that every human being was born free. We morally commit All who are here share the dream to strengthen to making that a reality across the globe. Moreover, democracy, and we hope to learn from each other our feeling of inadequacy, regardless of what accom- what has been done to make it a reality in our coun- plishments we achieve, must always accompany our tries. . . . work, as long as there is anyone who is oppressed or denied their rights in this small village that, thanks to high speed communication technologies, has made us Presentations one household and one family. . . . This conference comes at a time when the world has Tawakkol Karman witnessed democratic transformation and events of Women Journalists without Chains (Yemen) the utmost importance. One can point to the revolu-

Tawakkol Karman is one of the leading democratic voices of the Arab Spring, and in 2011 became the youngest recipient, the first Arab woman, and the first Yemeni to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2005, she founded the organization Women Journalists without Chains, which began publishing yearly reports on press freedom in Yemen, monitoring human rights abuses, publishing independent news online, and conducting journalism training for women and young people. In 2007, Ms. Karman began organizing regular, peaceful demonstrations against government corruption and abuse. The day after former President Ben Ali fled Tunisia, she posted a message on Facebook and organized a rally of solidarity with the Tunisians. It started small, but it soon became obvious that Yemen was joining the Arab Spring. Since then, Ms. Karman has taken the lead in the pro-democracy Supreme Council for the Youth Revolution, and has been nominated to the National Council for Peaceful Revolution Forces.

Excerpts (translated and edited from the Arabic original): Allow me to express the sincere pleasure I take in participating in this very important meeting of the World Movement for Democracy, of which I am honored to be associated. I am proud that yesterday, today, tomorrow, and always I am among civil soci-

www.wmd.org 9 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

tions of the Arab Spring, which brought down dicta- bility of paying the price for change. I urge the world’s torships, as one of these events. Those revolutions—in democracy movement and the champions of rights which millions of people came out to declare their and freedoms to re-double their efforts in support of yearning for freedom and dignity, and their readi- women and youth in their engagement in all aspects of ness to take part in peaceful protest, despite their economic, social, and political development. . . . sacrifices, for the sake of their people and their entry Allow me to record here my dismay with the major into the ranks of free nations—still remain viable for deficiency that international, regional, and national inspiration elsewhere. civil society organizations exhibited regarding the The creation of favorable environments for deep revolutions of the Arabic Spring, as they witnessed and complete democratic transformation requires a widespread abuses against peaceful protestors, from struggle for freedom of expression, especially in coun- the killing and injuring of tens of thousands to the tries that suffer under authoritarian regimes, which disappearances of tens of thousands more. All of these have yet to be blessed with freedom and democratic were terrible crimes against humanity, committed rights. It is up to the democracy movement, civil soci- against youth seeking to obtain freedom and dignity ety activists, and human rights defenders all around strictly through non-violent struggle and rare, and the world to pressure the governments of these coun- now legendary, courage. In return, the criminals and tries to allow freedom of expression for their citizens. perpetrators of those massacres, the leaders and their Freedom of expression is of the utmost importance in military and security officials, remain far from justice human rights work, and a prerequisite for realizing and far from being tried at the International Criminal democratic change. . . . Court or other international justice bodies. This Democratic transition is founded on knowledge reveals the extent to which local, regional, and inter- . . . and people have no effectiveness unless their national civil society organizations were deficient in knowledge is realized and they are able to share it. carrying out their duties following those massacres. Moreover, one of the most important objectives of the The performance of these organizations was an insuf- global democracy movement is to guarantee transpar- ficient response to the events; they did not go beyond ency and the right to access information and share it statements and reports produced before the outbreak with citizens all over the world. . . . itself of the Arab Spring revolutions. Allow me to stress the importance of non-violent We may excuse and explain this deficiency and protest, the efficacy of its methods, and its power to the failure to keep up with events by saying that the achieve desirable change. The right to protest and to events were unexpected and the rights movements sit-in is of the utmost importance. There is no way were unable to prepare properly. However, the revolu- to create a democratic transformation, founded on a tions of the Arab Spring can be cloned, . . . extended, peaceful approach, without having this right as basic and copied in more than one place and in more than and guaranteed for anyone who desires to express one region, so again, I reiterate that it is up to the their demands non-violently. democracy movements from now on to keep up with Here, too, it will be up to the world’s democracy the revolutions by shedding light on all of the abuses movement, of which you are part and parcel, to pri- committed against the protestors and on the perpetra- oritize the guarantee of the rights to protest peace- tors of the disappearances, and by garnering global fully and to assemble for the world’s citizens, and support for those demanding change. . . . particularly for those in countries with authoritarian, In conclusion, please allow me to express my soli- corrupt, or non-democratic regimes. You must fight darity with the heroic Syrian people and my condem- until these rights are attained. . . . nation of what Bashar Al-Asad’s corrupt regime has Including youth and women in the process of non- committed. Allow me to broadcast my solidarity with violent change is both a means and an end. It is a my brothers and sisters in Bahrain and condemn the means to achieve change, and a noble end for change. killings, suppression, and imprisonment they face. The revolutions of the Arab Spring have proven that Let us all renew our pledge: We defend rights, support the involvement of women and youth are two deter- liberties, fight corruption, build democratic change, mining factors for achieving non-violent change. and work to create free and modern civil societies. Youth and women, considering their marginalization, are the true stakeholders for change in many countries. This burdens them with the primary responsi-

10 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Opening Session

Excerpts: . . . I was not able to attend the previous assembly of the World Movement for Democracy because at the time I was imprisoned. I was released in February 2012 after an amnesty was granted. During my time in prison, like other activists before me, I found how important it was to feel the support from my family, friends and the larger human rights community. I am very grateful to the World Movement for Democracy for the expressions of support and the many appeals for my release made to the authorities of Kazakhstan and sent from different parts of the world. . . . I am a human rights defender and my remarks today are about how human rights are at the heart of democratic development. At a conference a few years ago, I said that nowadays human rights and democratic development have three main enemies, namely, oil and gas, geopolitics, and the war on terror. The war on terror in this context includes a wide range of efforts: from rooting out extremism and radical thought to imposing stability that many governments tend to interpret in the way they see fit. The results of the 21st Century’s first decade show that these three enemies of democracy are winning on all counts. Oil and gas clearly have got an upper hand in domestic politics. A majority of countries with oil- and gas-driven economies tend to breed vastly corrupt regimes that use national resources to make the rich richer and to keep the rest under control. Yevgeniy Zhovtis . . .Where the authoritarian state has the benefit of Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human an important geographical location, its government Rights and Rule of Law plays the geopolitical card in any dealings with democratic countries, taking advantage of regional and Yevgeniy Zhovtis is the director of the Kazakhstan global power shifts. International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule Under the pretext of combating terrorism, extrem- of Law, founder and board member of the Central ism, and radicalism, many countries, including those Eurasia Project of the Open Society Institute, par- that never faced any clear threat, have opted to ticipant in the Working Group on Reform of Electoral increase their repression of dissent and curtail civil Legislation in Kazakhstan, and member of the World rights and freedoms. Movement for Democracy Steering Committee. He has I believe that today we are witnessing not just a received several honors for his work in human rights deterioration of the human rights situation, but a over the past decade. In 2009, the Kazakhstani author- widespread crisis of the human rights concept as ities skillfully exploited a tragic car accident in which such. Mr. Zhovtis was involved in order to punish him for Here are my reasons: his human rights work. After a sham investigation and The very concept of human rights is based on recog- trial, Mr. Zhovtis was sentenced to a four-year pris- nizing the supreme value of human rights and human on term from which he was released in 2012– largely dignity. If we put it simply, we can say that human thanks to international pressure – under a presiden- rights are realized in three dimensions. First is legis- tial amnesty. lation (both international and domestic); second are institutions (both international and domestic); and the third lies in practical, everyday life. But a closer

www.wmd.org 11 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

look at each of these dimensions presents a very dis- We need to start looking at the big picture. We turbing picture. need to start by pointing out that many governments Human rights conventions are clearly taking a build their entire legal frameworks, including their back seat to other international treaties. Failure to constitutions, on perverse and distorted concepts. observe human rights commitments is almost a new Legislation of many post-Soviet states is a case in norm that does not entail any legal, political or moral point, as it clearly favors government interests over consequences. Increasing numbers of journalists and citizen rights and freedoms. Essential human rights human rights and opposition activists are killed, principles say that for citizens “everything which is more people are imprisoned on political motives, not forbidden is allowed,” while for the government more newspapers closed, mass meetings dispersed, “everything which is not allowed is forbidden.” But religious communities and dissident individuals pros- authoritarian states manage to turn these principles ecuted. The largest part of the former Soviet Union upside down both in law and in practice. Ordinary has turned into an enclave where basic human rights citizens have to prove that they have rights, while principles are distorted, misinterpreted, or complete- authorities can take any action in violation of citi- ly ignored. The beginning of the 21st Century sees the zens’ rights unless this action is directly prohibited old, mothball-covered arguments being resurrected. by the law. Repressive regimes are once again saying that democ- I do not see any sense in trying to improve legisla- racy and human rights concepts are at odds with the tion that is built on flawed foundations. Either the national and cultural traditions of their people, as government acknowledges that laws are there to if there is any nation that has a natural aversion to protect human rights and initiate legal reform, or truth, freedom and justice. any attempted improvement is simply about building At the same time, international debates on human Potemkin villages and painting the facades of shabby rights almost never go beyond political correctness. buildings. The same is true of the institutions. We can Many countries with authoritarian regimes have no longer pretend that single-party parliaments, or joined international covenants and ratified conven- security forces engaged in total control of citizens, or tions against torture, on refugee rights, on abolition law-enforcement concerned with protecting the rul- of slavery, on rights of the child, and many other ing elite are all just a normal occurrence. . . . treaties. And they choose to disregard the majority I believe that we need to continue resisting and of provisions of these binding documents. Are they trying to prevent authoritarian governments from held accountable by the international community? blurring concepts, eroding ideas and undermining Not in the least! These countries send reports to the principles that humanity has fought so hard to estab- UN Human Rights Council, receive recommendations lish. from the UN committees and rapporteurs, but contin- The essential values of truth, freedom and justice ue disrespecting their obligations nonetheless. They should be promoted, supported, and guaranteed for dismiss any international criticism of their human all of us, independent of our residence, race, gender, rights record as an interference with their sovereign- age, or other factors. ty. It is almost like the international organizations Truth is a fundamental value shared by all of us, and democratic countries are playing a hide-and-seek and is based on our right to receive and disseminate game with the authoritarian states. If you pretend to any information, except for calls to violence and share our vision of human rights, democracy, and the direct insult to morals. This is freedom to speak and rule of law, then we will pretend to not notice your listen, to write and read, and to choose from different disregard for your commitments. . . . views and facts. Truth runs counter to empty rhetoric This problem needs to be addressed! If the interna- mixed with lies. tional human rights treaties are legally binding, coun- Freedom is a fought-for right to be free of oppres- tries should face real legal consequences if they fail to sion and coercion, to be protected from violence and observe them. Either that or we all should just agree abasement of dignity. It means freedom from dicta- that international legal human rights obligations are tors and single-minded doctrines. It is a freedom to simply optional, which will then make it pointless to assemble and take part in public life. It is a freedom have any debate on political or moral human rights not just on paper, but in real life. commitments. . . . Justice is a right to a fair and unbiased trial. It also concerns fair distribution of wealth and equal access

12 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Opening Session

to opportunities. It is the rule of law and the equality of all before the law. These values are well worn, but they can never be worn out. No matter how they are abused, battered, and ignored, millions of people around the world will not stop dreaming of them and reaching out to get them, independent of race, place of birth or historical realities. Democracy is a process, not a final destination. All of the above are building blocks for this process. Sometimes I get the feeling that we just have to start all over. But then I think that it is not about a new start, but about keeping going. We need to keep saying that black is black and white is white, that two plus two equals four, that either you have freedom or you don’t and there is no middle ground. Keep saying this in simple and clear language and base our actions on our deep conviction of what is right. I believe there is no other way to take democracy forward.

Glanis Changachirere Institute for Young Women Development (Zimbabwe)

Glanis Changachirere is the founding director of the Institute for Young Women Development (IYWD), which encourages marginalized young women in farming, mining, and rural communities to participate in Zimbabwean politics. At the same time, IYWD racy signals liberation, freedom, and dignity, most has played an important role in calling for peace- importantly for minorities and the disadvantaged, the ful, democratic elections, and the need to guarantee oppressed, and the unrecognized. It is my pleasure to space for the participation of all Zimbabweans in the share my personal story as a young woman who was political system, including the prevention of gender- born and grew up in the rural communal lands of based violence. Ms. Changachirere has become known Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe. My fam- throughout Zimbabwe for her courageous leadership ily, like other peasant families, relies on farming and in spite of government harassment and a hostile envi- struggled to fund my education. Although they tried ronment in which female political leaders are fre- hard, it was not easy with society dictating that the quently targeted. girl child is not worth investing in. Religion also made the situation worse, as some church doctrines empha- Excerpts: Traditionally, I would have been very sized that the girl child has no right to choose, but afraid and intimidated to be standing before you should only be recognized as a subject of her husband. today, noting well that the vast majority of you are By the time I reached university, my parents had adults and of renowned portfolios, while I am a youth, succumbed to societal demands and realities and I a young woman to be precise. However, because I have was left alone to find myself menial jobs during vaca- come to appreciate what it entails to embrace the tions for my self-sustenance and ultimately to finance very notion of democracy, in its inclusiveness con- my education after the government removed the grant text, I am humbled to be on this stage at the Seventh system to university students in 2006. . . . Assembly representing the younger generation. As I In university, I joined the Students Representative stand here, I will share a testimony that democracy is Council and was the only female member. Due to the not a far-fetched concept that speaks only to the elite high levels of polarization that prevailed in the coun- and the socially privileged; rather, embracing democ- try, and more specifically in Mashonaland Central

www.wmd.org 13 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Province, I saw myself in police incarceration several best practices in fighting for democracy, uplift my times; my charge was “fighting for and representing energies, and inspire me in fighting for a democratic students’ rights.” Even though people close to me Zimbabwe. . . . called me a jailbird, I had a deep conviction that I am the only normal one here and I was fighting for the right cause, the right to education and the rights Official Opening of of girls and young women in a free Zimbabwe. So no arrests, intimidation, or threats of abduction could the Assembly stop me. . . . In 2009, I went back to Mashonaland Central to The Honorable Rafael Roncagliolo start organizing young women under the initiative Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic Institute for Young Women Development, which is the of Peru organization I am representing today. The organization promotes sustainable livelihoods among young women in poor communities and encourages them to send their girl children to school; educates young women about their human rights; encourages young women to be active political actors (this is where things happen); and supports literacy. . . . I have profound gratitude to the World Youth Movement for Democracy, since it has provided me with an opportunity to grow beyond my own vision of fighting for democracy through a gender lens. Their activist seminars, specifically the Cape to Cairo Conference held in South Africa in February 2012, added value to my work, passion, and beliefs. It gave me an opportunity to interact with other young people and seasoned activists from various countries across the globe, and hence broadened my ability to influence even young men. . . . So as we gather here and engage in the discourse of democracy around the globe, let us all remember that we are in a struggle that will not only see us as activists, social workers, and development strategists celebrating realization of our dreams, but that will incredibly and sustainably transform the lives of the usually down trodden, marginalized, and socially vulnerable groups I represent here today, the girl child, the young, and women in general. I will conclude with a quote from the former US Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Charles Ray: “Where you come from matters less than where you are going.” It is the struggle that lies ahead of us The Honorable Rafael Roncagliolo was appointed in in my country of Zimbabwe, in Venezuela, Belarus, 2011 as Peru’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, having Syria, Cuba, Egypt, Tunisia, and other democrati- previously served as a Senior Policy Advisor for the cally challenged countries – that your struggles are Andean Countries. Minister Roncagliolo also worked our struggles, too! in civil society, having served as Secretary General of It is with much hope and appreciation that I am Transparencia, as well as Peru’s Head of Mission to here today among other Zimbabwean participants. International IDEA. This Assembly will provide me with lessons from

14 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Opening Session

Excerpts (translated and edited from the Spanish . . . The complexity of the historical process brings original): Good evening. I am very grateful to welcome me to a second reflection: Democracy is not one- you and to pass along the greetings of the President of dimensional. Within the scope of democracy it is nec- the Republic, Mr. Ollanta Humala Tasso. Many thanks essary to recognize at least three dimensions: origin, to the Steering Committee of the World Movement for operation, and democratic results. Democracy, to the Civil Association on Transparency The first dimension, the democratic origin, refers (Transparencia), and to the Legal Defense Institute to the constitution of the government through free, (IDL) for inviting us to inaugurate this Assembly fair, and clean elections. It can seem paradoxical, but in Lima. The theme under which we congregate is this electoral dimension is a component of democracy “Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and used by aristocratic regimes. Englishman Bernard Economic Inclusion.” It is a very Peruvian theme, Manin explained it in his classic text about the prin- very much ours. Let us remember that President ciples of representative government. Elections are, up Humala has assumed as his principal mandate the to a certain point, a substitute of sorts for the daily promotion of social inclusion for all Peruvians. . . . rotation that was required to select a president in the Allow me to share some personal reflections, not so assemblies of ancient Greece, where the citizens were much in my temporary position of Foreign Minister restricted to small groups of people. This historical of Peru, but rather, and above all, from my strong, fact certainly does not detract at all from the impor- unalterable commitment to the World Movement for tance of having transparent and equal elections, nor Democracy. One reflection is to consider democ- does its character of being an indispensable require- racy as dynamic. More than a force to defend, it is an ment for the validity and legitimacy of democracy ideal to construct: a permanent challenge, an ideal detract from that importance either. Yet it allows us for our commitment. More than a single recipe to to better understand that democracy is not reduced to apply, it is a desideratum that is always approached periodic free and fair elections. creatively. This is demonstrated in this region by the . . . A second dimension of democracy, which com- great democratizing achievements of the Mexican plements its electoral origin, is constitutional per- Revolution of 1910, the Bolivian Revolution of 1952, formance. This implies the validity of the rule of law, and the inclusion of the indigenous in recent years the separation of public powers, respect for minor- in Bolivia. . . . Democracy is dynamic because the ity rights and vulnerable groups, and the defense of rights and obligations of citizens constantly evolve individual liberties from violation by the state. It and reinvent themselves, together with social changes constitutes the contribution of liberalism to democ- that reality imposes. Democracy is dynamic, while racy, which presupposes equality before the law of despotism is static. formal universal citizenship. I want to emphasize the . . . Democracy is, above all, a civilized way to word “formal,” since democracy would not be what resolve controversies that are inevitably produced in it is without paying attention to the third dimension, any collective, even more so when there are inequi- inclusive results. A constitutional democracy can table structures. Democracy is a form of government be considered consolidated when the electoral com- that permits the safeguarding of social cohesion and petence and the respect for the rule of law produces the proscription of fundamentalism. This comes from results by the people and for the people. In effect, to recognizing that differences exist and that negotia- the universal vote, formal equality, and the norms tion is possible. To the extent possible, citizens should and procedures that protect the citizen from possible be willing to accept and meet public commitments. abuses of the state, we should add acceptable levels It is not enough in a democracy to tolerate “the of justice, welfare, and education for all. The founda- other,” as suggested by a centralized perspective tion of democracy is the aspiration of equality for free on individual rights. Belonging to an authentically citizens, even before the fulfillment of elections or the democratic community obliges us to go beyond that: division of powers. It requires that we recognize the equal value of “the In sum, as set out by Anthony Giddens, it is nec- other.” It is from this recognition that it is possible essary to democratize democracy. Stable democra- to have a consensus to sustain inclusive processes of cies are not what they are because of their maturity, development. Inclusion is a condition of democracy. It but rather because of the inclusion they produce. is the democracy that we aspire to. Hence, the importance of the theme under which we congregate: There is no democracy, nor sustainable

www.wmd.org 15 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

development, without inclusion. There is no democracy without an egalitarian path. All this brings me to a third reflection: As stated by Norberto Bobbio, there is democracy when the democratic powers prevail over the real powers, when the public sphere is not absorbed by the particular interests of the powerful. In light of that, the movement for democracy is, in a sense, a movement for the defense of the public sphere, of the role of political parties and of civil society. The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, chair, World Movement Steering Committee, with I have a fourth reflection: Following Giddens, it opening presenters Yevgeniy Zhovtis (Kazakhstan), Nobel Laureate Tawakkol is not enough to have a formal democratic political Karman (Yemen), and Glanis Changachirere (Zimbabwe). system. It is necessary to democratize all the spheres of common life, beginning with a democratic culture In the same sense, I have a last reflection: In the capable of comprehending problems as diverse as global world you cannot restrict democratization to those raised by the rights of women or the rights of the sphere of each isolated country. Phenomena like indigenous peoples, which are two priorities for the transnational organized crime, terrorism, the gover- government of President Humala. nance of global markets, or climate change are global problems. In a global world it is imperative to democratize the agenda and the international system, this last having been fossilized by World War II. It is necessary that our democracies also move towards a world democracy. We need to be conscious of our rights and obligations for the defense of which many citizens depend, more and more, at the international and transnational levels. It should not be comprehended that a world movement for democracy can ignore, for example, the necessity to reform the system of the United Nations. . . . Once more: Bienvenidos. Welcome. Bienvenue. Mar daban. Dobro Pozhalobat. Nimen hao. It is a great honor for me to declare the Lima Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy open. Thank you World Movement participants gathered for the opening session of the World Movement’s Seventh Assembly in Lima, Peru. very much.

16 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Democracy Courage Tributes Presented at the John B. Hurford Memorial Dinner

highlight of each assembly is the presentation, at the John B. Hurford Memorial Dinner, of the A World Movement’s Democracy Courage Tributes, which give special recognition to groups and movements working in particularly difficult circumstances, but outside the spotlight of world attention. At the Seventh Assembly, Tributes were presented to the Human Rights Defenders in Bahrain, the Advocates for the Rights of Sexual Minorities Worldwide, and the Pro-Democracy Movement in Cuba. These selected groups have all shown exceptional courage in their work for freedom and democracy, often strug- gling in isolation and against some of the most difficult challenges to democracy and human rights in the Maryam Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Bahrain Center for Human Rights, providing world today. remarks after receiving the Courage Tribute on behalf of the Human Rights Defenders in Bahrain. “If you want to know the human rights condition of a country, look to see where its human rights defenders are,” said al-Khawaja Human Rights Defenders in Bahrain in her acceptance remarks. In February 2011, Bahrainis joined in mass protests against their country’s monarchic regime, demanding these advocates often face tremendous difficulties in that state authorities respect human rights, institute advancing their work given little global consensus on democratic reform, and recognize the equality of all the issue of sexual equality rights, since many people Bahraini citizens. The protests crossed sectarian lines continue to argue that one’s personal, private sexual and drew thousands into the streets, but were put life should be regulated by the state or a particular down one month later when Bahrain invited armed religious group. Yet advocates for the rights of sexual forces from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries minorities continue to defend the rights of LGBT indi- to assist in quelling the mass uprising. Although the viduals in every country in the world despite serious regime launched a commission of inquiry and prom- personal, professional, and physical risks. Together ised restitution to victims of the violent crackdown, they have worked to form a truly global, transnation- the commission has proved largely ineffective at best al network that transcends borders and traditional and disingenuous at worst. Prominent human rights understandings in order to advance the social inclu- defenders, such as Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Abdul sion of sexual minority populations. Jalil al-Singace, remain in prison, while others, such as Nabil Rajab, Zaynab al-Khawaja, Maryam al- Veronica Ferrari, Homosexual Movement of Lima (Peru), Khawaja, and Muhammad al-Masqati, are subject to accepting the Courage Tribute constant harassment and intimidation. Nevertheless, on behalf of Advocates for Rights of Sexual Minorities these brave individuals remain at the vanguard of Worldwide. In her remarks, Bahrain’s democracy and human rights movement, Ferrari said that the award, “gives us encouragement to calling for peaceful political dialogue, democratic continue our struggle…we are reform, and reconciliation. losing fear, we are coming out of the closet and are taking the reins of our own future.” Advocates for Rights of Sexual Minorities Worldwide In the face of violence, discrimination, and other forms of harassment, advocates for the rights of sexual minorities worldwide have demonstrated courage, creativity, and perseverance in their struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights and equal citizenship. Organizing one of the most important civil rights struggles in the world today,

www.wmd.org 17 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

The Pro-Democracy Movement in Cuba penal code, the state is allowed to imprison individu- Despite aggressive state repression of political dis- als on mere suspicion that they might commit a crime sent and a culture of fear in which ordinary people in the future. In the past year, two great democracy and independent-thinking Cubans are afraid to speak activists, Laura Pollán and Oswaldo Payá, died under up, a wide spectrum of organizations and individuals questionable circumstances. Yet Cuban advocates for located inside Cuba continue to advocate for democ- change continue to take advantage of whatever space racy and human rights. Comprising the pro-democ- is available, however small, using new technologies to racy movement in Cuba, the activists work at great circumvent government censorship and finding inno- personal risk and are routinely imprisoned, detained, vative ways to advocate on issues of concern to ordi- terminated from their jobs, and otherwise harassed. nary citizens. In fact, under a “dangerousness” provision in Cuba’s

From left to right: Steering Committee member Antoine Bernard (France); Veronica Ferrari (Peru), who accepted the Tribute for Advocates of Sexual Minorities Worldwide; Maryam Al-Khawaja (Bahrain), who accepted the Tribute on behalf of Bahraini Human Rights Defenders; Steering Committee member Carlos Ponce (Venezuela); Regis Iglesias (Cuba), who accepted the Tribute on behalf of the Pro-Democracy Movement in Cuba; and National Regis Iglesias Ramirez, Christian Liberation Movement (Cuba), after Endowment for Democracy president Carl Gershman (United States). Messrs. receiving the Courage Tribute on behalf of the Pro-Democracy Movement Bernard, Ponce, and Gershman presented the Tributes to the recipients from in Cuba. Iglesisas called upon the international community to demand an Peru, Cuba, and Bahrain respectively. investigation into the recent death of Oswaldo Payá, and added that “we need all of our Latin brothers and sisters to be on the side of the Cuban people.”

The John B. Hurford Memorial Dinner was sponsored by the Hurford Foundation, whose president, Robert Miller, welcomed all the Assembly participants and recognized their extraordinary efforts. The dinner is named for the late John Boyce Hurford (1938-2000), an internationalist and philanthropist who played an important role in helping to conceptualize and bring into being the World Movement for Democracy.

Robert Miller, president of the Hurford Foundation, providing welcoming remarks at the concluding John B. Hurford Memorial Dinner.

18 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social,Democracy and Economic Courage Inclusion Tributes

Past Recipients of Democracy Courage Tributes

Sixth Assembly (Jakarta, Indonesia, 2010) Third Assembly (Durban, South Africa, 2004) The Movement for Human Rights in Syria The Democracy Movement in Sudan The Student Movement in Venezuela The Democracy Movement in Belarus The Women’s Movement in Iran The Mano River Union Civil Society Movement The Human Rights Defenders in the North Caucases The Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information (Israel)/Panorama Center (Palestine) Fifth Assembly (Kyiv, Ukraine, 2008) The Monks of Burma Second Assembly (São Paulo, Brazil, 2000) The Colombian Democratic Mayors The Legal Community of Pakistan The Civil Society Movement of the Democratic The Independent Journalists of Somalia Republic of Congo

Fourth Assembly (Istanbul, Turkey, 2006) Iran’s Pro-Democracy Student Movement Democracy Activists in Vietnam LAM Civil Society Organization, Chechnya The Human Rights and Democracy Movement in Uzbekistan The Tiananmen Mothers Network, China Civil Society of Nepal The Crimean Tatars and their Mejlis (Parliament)

Youth Movement Photo Contests The World Youth Movement for Democracy’s photo contests provide opportunities for young people to use their cameras to reflect on the state of democracy in their countries. The 2011 and 2012 “Snapshot of Democracy” contests saw the participation of thousands in submitting, selecting, and voting for the most representative photos in each category. The six winners from both contest years were provided full funding to attend the Seventh Assembly in Lima.

Stevie Harison (Indonesia), Majda Lovrenovic (Bosnia- Herzegovina), Aderemi Adegbite (Nigeria), winners of the World Youth Movement for Democracy photo contests pictured with Jane Kurzman and Robert Miller of The Hurford Foundation, which provides generous support for the World Youth Movement for Democracy. Not pictured are contest winners Mehman Huseynov (Azerbaijan), Marcin Gwizdon (Poland), and Ankit Agrawal (India).

www.wmd.org 19 SectionYouth Movement Opener Photo Contest Winners

2012

Winner: Aderemi Adegbite (Nigeria) Category: Emerging Human Rights Defenders

Caption: “When millions of Nigerians came out to condemn the fuel subsidy removal, this young boy was not sleeping at home; he came out with his parents to exercise his civil rights.”

Winner: Mehman Huseynov (Azerbaijan) Category: Challenges to Democracy Caption: “I live in Azerbaijan where I have never seen democracy. The fundamental freedoms of democracy are freedom of expression, freedom of media, freedom of assembly, property rights, etc. These freedoms and rights are restricted in Azerbaijan. Sometimes, you see people’s rights violated, but you cannot speak or write about it. In this photo, the police have covered the mouth and the eyes of the man so that he can neither see reality, nor speak about it. This is how democracy exists in Azerbaijan.”

Winner: Marcin Gwizdon (Poland) Category: Democracy in My Life Caption: “Students’ performance on the streets of Córdoba, Argentina. The photograph was taken during the Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice (Spanish: Día de la Memoria por la Verdad y la Justicia) commemorating the victims of Argentina’s Dirty War. The photos above the students depict “desaparecidos” (the disappeared) and the line on the wall (taken from the Argentine National Anthem) reads: “Hear, mortals, the sacred cry” (Spanish: “¡Oíd, mortales!, el grito sagrado”).”

2011

Winner: Stevie Harison (Indonesia) Category: Building a Movement Caption: “Democracy is not only related to social and political issues, but also sports and healthy lifestyles. All youth communities are free to choose their preferences of outdoor activities to both create their own healthy lifestyles and develop their physical capabilities. In this picture, we see that to achieve those two purposes, the youngsters have to use some cooperation and collaboration with each other, although every member has a different skill level. In my conclusion, they are learning democracy subconsciously, by engaging in the sports they prefer.”

Winner: Ankit Agrawal (India) Category: Democracy in Action Caption: “This is an image from ‘People’s March to Parliament,’ a protest attended by thousands of communist party members and the general public in Delhi. They were protesting against massive corruption in the UPA Government, backbreaking price rises, anti-poor and anti-farmer policies, rampant unemployment, and assaults on the people’s movements.”

Winner: Majda Lovrenovic (Bosnia-Herzegovina) Category: Youth Igniting Change Caption: “It is well known that one of the major goals of contemporary society is building democracy. The question at this point is: Who is going to build this democracy? The answer: democracy can be built only by young people who are well educated and who can distinguish between political indoctrination and political education. So, the key difference between these two phenomena is the element of intellectual ability. According to one Chinese proverb, ‘If you are planning a year ahead, plant corn. If you are planning ten years ahead, plant trees. If you are planning for life, teach and educate people.’”

20 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Cultural Evening

The Metropolitan Municipality of Lima and Mayor Susana Villarán de la Puente hosted a cultural evening and reception for assembly participants.

Mayor Susana Villarán addresses World Movement participants and welcomes them to the city of Lima.

A highlight of the evening was the Presentation of the Medal of Lima by Mayor Susana Villarán to the Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, Chair of the World Movement Steering Committee.

www.wmd.org 21 SectionDemocracy Opener Fair

he Democracy Fair provided participants with created where participants portrayed their visions space to display their publications, demon- of democracy artistically. To facilitate networking, Tstrate their web sites, and screen educational all of the Assembly lunches were held adjacent to and documentary videos. In addition, a mural was the Democracy Fair.

22 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Technology Trainings

echnology Trainings focused on the use of new technologies in the work of democracy activists. TLed by World Movement participants, the trainings included:

How to Make Internet Radio an Effective Communication Tool?

Trainers:

Ahmed Samih – Horytna Radio Egypt (Egypt) Christina Karchevskaya – European Radio for Belarus (Belarus)

How to Design an Effective Web Site

Trainers:

Matias Federico Bianchi – Asuntos del Sur (Argentina)

Eduardo Vergara – Asuntos del Sur (Chile)

Effective Video Sharing for Activists

Trainer:

Premesh Chandran – Malaysiakini (Malaysia)

How to Protect Your Information Online

TrainerS:

Shahin Abbasov – Council of Europe (Azerbaijan)

Vyacheslav Mamedov – Civil Democratic Union of Turkmenistan (Turkmenistan)

www.wmd.org 23 24 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Section ReportsOpener

Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion Plenary Session

Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Organizer: Presenters: Boris Begovic – Center for Liberal World Movement Secretariat Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Democratic Studies (Serbia) Gascon – Office of Political Affairs, Moderator: Government of The Philippines Ayo Obe – Ogunsola Shonibare Law Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell – Firm and former chair, World Movement Chair, World Movement Steering Beatriz Merino – Center for Social Steering Committee (Nigeria) Committee (Canada) Responsibility, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability of the Business Rapporteur: Center at the Catholic University, Michael Allen – and former prime minister and Democracy Digest (UK) national ombudsperson (Peru)

aving a broader, more encompassing definition izen and stakeholder, not as a mere voter, Mr. Gascon of citizenship to ensure that democratic insti- continued. Democracy must be more substantive than H tutions are both sustainable and inclusive was procedural, and the individual citizen should be con- one of the principal points made at this plenary ses- sidered as a “co-party” to a social contract called de- sion on the general theme of the Assembly. The ben- mocracy. efits of an inclusive approach to politics were on vivid Democracy should be given cultural expression and display with the peace accord reached between the provide opportunities for participation across the po- government of The Philippines and the Muslim reb- litical, economic, social, and cultural spheres of life, els from Mindanao the very week the Assembly took said former Peruvian prime minister Beatriz Merino. In place. a region with relatively weak democratic institutions, Muslim Filipinos have been consistently excluded where strong executive prerogative is rarely challenged and marginalized by the country’s ruling elites, said by weak legislatures and politicized judiciaries, it is Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon of the government’s imperative that citizens obtain the knowledge needed Office of Political Affairs, who was involved in the ne- to articulate grievances and to lobby state institutions. gotiations that produced the new framework agree- Ombudsmen have been particularly successful in this ment. The accord is not a final peace pact, he stressed, part of the world, she said. For citizens who don’t un- but it does provide a roadmap for peace that promises derstand how to access government, a third party or to put an end to the four decades-old conflict afflicting intermediary institution between citizens and the state a region of over five million people. The revival of the can give voice to their needs and interests, said Merino, democratic process was a critical factor in securing the a former national ombudsperson. Up to a million Peru- accord, Mr. Gascon said, because it provided the trans- vians lack an identity card, the most rudimentary sign parency needed for the government to demonstrate of citizenship. When so many citizens don’t even feel a trust, goodwill, and mutual respect. part of the system, there is already a threat to democ- A more encompassing definition of democracy would racy. address the concerns and needs of the individual as cit- According to Boris Begovic, head of Serbia’s Center

www.wmd.org 25 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

for Liberal Democratic Studies, economic exclusion The challenges of inclusion are especially acute in is simply another phrase for the poverty that afflicts post-colonial societies like those of sub-Saharan Af- what Oxford University economist Paul Collier calls rica, said Ayo Obe, a former chair of the World Move- the world’s “bottom billion.” Democracy is good, but ment Steering Committee. Inheriting artificially or good for what? Begovic asked. Democratic imperatives arbitrarily drawn borders that often fail to reflect the often lead to calls for redistribution of wealth, but ex- boundaries and allegiances of ethnic communities, de- perience demonstrates that poverty can only be cured mocracy can pose not just problems, but real dangers, through sustained economic growth, by making the pie unless institutions find ways to accommodate ethnic bigger rather than handing out more, but thinner, slices. pluralism. In Nigeria’s Plateau State, for instance, in- Market-driven economic growth is itself a democratic digenous inhabitants still resent the “settlers” who have process because it relies on the decisions of millions of been there since 1804. Accordingly, in response to eth- individuals about where and how they invest their cap- nic, religious, and other inter-communal tensions and ital and labor, he said. As the prominent Peruvian econ- rivalries, Nigeria’s political institutions strive to take omist Hernando de Soto noted, the protection of private decisions, including the allocation of resources, which property rights is probably the single most important reflect the nation’s federal character. economic institution for promoting and sustaining de- On a concluding note, as someone who went directly mocracy. Whereas autocracies are only accountable to from childhood to middle age, Ms. Obe joked, she may ruling elites, democracies are required to deliver pub- lack the insight to address the concerns of youth, but lic goods to the majority, Begovic continued. One of the she added that it is vital that youth are engaged in the reasons democracies tend to be better economic per- political process if they are to cultivate a sense of own- formers is precisely due to this imperative to produce ership of such critical issues as police reform. public goods, such as the rule of law, which benefit and act as incentives for the majority of citizens. Panel Discussion

Peru’s Experience in Democracy

OrganizerS: ModeratorS: Presenters: Legal Defense Institute—IDL (Peru) David Lovaton – IDL (Peru) Salomón Lerner – Professor of Philosophy and Dean Emeritus, Civil Association on Transparency— Gerardo Tavara – Pontifical Catholic University of Peru Transparencia (Peru) Transparencia (Peru) Cecilia Blondet – Proetica (Peru) Rapporteur: Annie Theriault – H.E. Harold Forsyth – Ambassador CUSO International (Canada) of Peru to the United States

Ernesto de la Jara – IDL (Peru)

Observations Reconciliation Commission (TRC), were established Democracy depends not only on elections, but also on to investigate the systemic human rights violations efficient and accountable institutions, inclusion, trans- committed by all parties, as well as the political con- parency, equality, and the respect for human rights. text that contributed to the unprecedented violence. Peru’s most recent transition to democracy occurred in 2000, after a decade of increasingly authoritarian rule Presentations and two decades of internal armed conflict. Significant The TRC determined that there was a significant re- transitional justice mechanisms, such as the Truth and lationship between poverty and social exclusion, on

26 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Democracy for All

the one hand, and the probability of becoming a victim of violence—either at the hands of the Maoist “Shin- ing Path” terrorist group or the state—on the other, and that the conflict revealed deep divides and entrenched racism in society. However, according to the first workshop presenter, Dr. Salomón Lerner, the lead commissioner of the TRC, the main reasons for the conflict can be found “in the deficient, precarious, and superficial concepts of democracy” that prevailed at the time. The Peruvian state and military, for example, under the “wrong and terrible assumption that terror should be combated with terror,” engaged in widespread human rights abuses and breached the constitutional order and rule of law. The TRC, inspired by national experiences in post-apartheid South Africa, as well as in Chile and Argentina, recommended symbolic as well as According to H.E. Harold Forsyth, Ambassador of monetary reparations and called for the reconstruction Peru to the United States, political party weakness of a democratic, pluralistic society and the eradica- and a generalized discrediting of parties made former tion of the culture of impunity. According to Dr. Lerner, President Alberto Fujimori’s election possible in 1990. “although democracy requires that power should shift Later, this same weakness, as well as the alienation of through free elections . . . only when all Peruvians are political parties from civil society, resulted in the op- considered equal, deserving of dignity, and can partici- position’s apathetic reaction to President Fujimori’s pate both as actors and beneficiaries will democracy military-backed “self-coup” in 1992. Ambassador For- become sustainable and significant.” Little has changed syth argued that the state’s total control and power had since the TRC turned in its final report in August 2003. catastrophic consequences for democracy. State institutions remain inefficient and unresponsive, In his presentation, Ernesto de la Jara, outlined the and although Peru has experienced an impressive de- continuing challenges to democracy in Peru—inherited cade of sustained economic growth, which Dr. Lerner from a past marked by military dictatorships and cau- insisted differs from economic development, poverty dillos—that include the possible political resurgence and inequality are still widespread. In addition, very of the “Shining Path” movement, the multiplication of few people have been convicted of human rights viola- increasingly violent social-environmental conflicts as- tions or have benefitted from Peru’s National Repara- sociated with extractive industries, a sweeping lack of tions Plan. trust in democracy, and, among others, the lack of “a The next presenter, Ms. Cecilia Blondet, agreed that more independent press.” governance and corruption issues continue to plague Despite the slow pace of Peru’s maturing democracy, Peru’s institutions. “Despite sustained economic all of the presenters agreed that the TRC’s work was in growth,” she argued, “Peru continues to face high lev- no way futile. While other similar commissions failed, els of inequality and poverty, and struggles with a lack were censored, or were quickly forgotten, Peruvians of internal controls and transparency, especially in the still discuss the TRC some 10 years after its final re- extractives sector.” Although the Andean country’s eco- port was published. The truth, as Dr. Lerner insisted, nomic sector has undergone reform and modernization, has a strong, lasting, and transformational power, and the health, justice, and education sectors continue to no democracy can be built upon lies, silence, or indif- be highly “politicized” and register high levels of cor- ference. According to Mr. de la Jara, no imperfection of ruption. In addition, the political party system remains democracy could ever justify returning to the authori- weak, unrepresentative, and fractured. tarianism that beleaguered Peru in the 1990s. On the contrary, he said, “our mission is to find new, innovative, and creative ways to strengthen democracy.”

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Workshops

Democratic Transitions and the Inclusion of Women: Perspectives from the Middle East/North Africa and Latin America

Organizer: Rapporteur: Asma Khader – Sisterhood is Global Women’s Learning Partnership— Marion Marquardt – Institute (Jordan) WLP (U.S.) WLP (France) Jacqueline Pitanguy – Cidadania Moderator: Presenters: Estudo Pesquisa Informacao Acao— Yakin Erturk – WLP (Turkey) Lina Abou Habib – Collective CEPIA (Brazil) for Research and Training on Development Action—CRTDA Gloria Cano – Asociación Pro Derechos (Lebanon) Humanos—APRODEH (Peru)

uring this workshop, the opening speakers activism during very trying periods of oppression. shared their insights, experiences, and analyses Another challenge concerns the current political real- D regarding democratic transitions and the inclu- ity in the Arab Spring countries, which is nothing short sion of women in the Arab World and Latin America. of a war on women. There are many tangible examples, They asked what the “gendered” outcomes of demo- not least of which is the mention in the new Constitu- cratic transitions might be, and how women can weigh tion of Tunisia (still in development at the time of the in with significant bargaining power in those transi- workshop) of “complementary” gender roles and the tions. introduction of female genital mutilation. In addition, Although transitory processes may differ from one diversity and the rights of various minorities are under context to the other, compelling similarities can also threat, whether religious, sexual, or ethnic, as well as be drawn. For instance, the cooptation of transitions the freedom of belief or non-belief, which should be in- by conservative, anti-women religious groups appears cluded as a structural, rather than a secondary, element to be a worldwide phenomenon; the “big brothers” of of democracy. the world are ready to compromise on women’s rights At the same time, the workshop discussion produced for the sake of security. We have learned that in many aspects of success and hopefulness: cases democracies do not adopt gender equality agen- ➤➤ Women have made irreversible gains in women’s das on their own. This is further exacerbated by an in- agency, and that “sending them back to the kitch- ternational arena that now demonstrates an increasing en” is no longer an option. Women are more educat- level of conservatism and an explicit view of women ed and more aware of their rights than in the past. as both subordinate and entrenched in traditional car- ➤➤ The resilience of women in popular movements is ing and home-based roles. This is an added challenge, a positive indicator for the future. since during the previous wave of transitions in the late ➤➤ Despite different contexts and different prac- 1980s the international arena was more open to ideas tices, there exists a universal belief in inclusion, and practices of human rights, equality, and the realiza- justice, and the international covenants and decla- tion of the rights of women. rations on rights. We can safely fight and strategize together using the basic democratic and human Challenges rights agreements. One of the challenges noted by the presenters is the invisibility of women’s struggles in the shaping of new The workshop participants made a practical request societies, and the current tendency to allocate past to the World Movement for Democracy to include achievements of the women’s movement as imposed women’s perspectives in all discussions, no matter the by a former dictator or first lady, thereby dismiss- topic. Strategies should not be formed just by men and ing those gains for the future. This was the case, for without the inclusion of 50 percent of the population. instance, in Tunisia, even though past gains of the women’s movement were the direct result of feminist

28 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Democracy for All

Strategies ➤➤ Peace and economic justice are essential. Indeed, The workshop discussion resulted in a number of pro- an egalitarian economic distribution of wealth and posed strategies: an inclusive economy are cornerstones of inclusive ➤➤ Women should clearly demand a secular state, and participatory democracies. thus ensuring recognition of the human being uni- ➤➤ Women should be involved in the shaping of pro- versally, rather than this or that particular group. gressive legal frameworks, notably constitutions “Religious politics” should be recognized as such: that often take decades to modify. it is essential to go beyond the “exceptionalism” of ➤➤ Women need to reactivate the international sys- any religion, particularly in the case of so-called tem of solidarity and turn to organized politics “Islamic feminism.” Islamic “exceptionalism” and broad international coalitions of like-minded treats all Muslim communities as homogeneous; in movements for effective action and to ensure that a addition, it classifies Muslim communities as differ- women’s rights perspective is present at the heart of ent from others and as communities to which inter- political movements for change. national frameworks cannot apply. In reality, any ideology that places identity above the universality The workshop participants concluded that democ- of the rights of human beings is a contradiction in racy is a process and a work in progress where recogni- terms and is not helpful in creating a culture of de- tion of inclusiveness, participation, diversity, equality, mocracy and equality. and the enjoyment of full rights among both women ➤➤ Women should insist on their status as women and men are key elements. and oppose references to a sexless, classless, and colorless concept of “people.” In making women visible, feminist activists ensure that women’s positions and concerns are at the forefront of reforms.

How Does Inclusive Economic Growth Support Democratic Participation?

Organizer: Rapporteur: Daniel Cordova – Invertir (Peru) Center for International Private Kim Bettcher – CIPE (U.S.) Enterprise—CIPE (U.S.) Osama Mourad – Arab Finance Presenters: Brokerage Co. (Egypt) Moderator: Selima Ahmad – Bangladesh Jean Rogers – CIPE (U.S.) Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Bangladesh)

n her opening presentation, Selima Ahmad of age about democratic and market concepts. The pro- remarked that in Bangladesh entrepreneurship gram thus engages youth by addressing their personal I has given women an important voice. Women and professional interests. The success of the program entrepreneurs have gained the ability to make deci- is mainly tied to giving youth a concrete, entrepreneur- sions within the family, and men are joining their ial activity, such as starting a business or a nongovern- wives’ businesses. The Bangladesh Women Chamber mental organization. of Commerce and Industry advocated successfully for The Arab people recently protested for the sake of women entrepreneurs to receive loans without collat- their freedom and dignity, Osama Mourad pointed out, eral. Successful members of the Chamber now create and an economically empowered citizen is a citizen who jobs and help other micro entrepreneurs. cares about the future of his country. The revolution in According to Daniel Cordova, entrepreneurship pro- Egypt made people feel empowered both to determine vides the only route for moving up in life for many of their own futures and to start their own businesses. The those who lack formal education. In Peru, the Empren- key issues that need to be addressed are access to capi- deAhora program educates Peruvians under 25 years tal, which can be provided effectively through coopera-

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Recommendations ➤➤ Providing access—to markets, finance, and information—is a common priority. ➤➤ There is a need to address individuals’ short-term interests (for example, by providing microfinance or career opportunities), as well as the institutional framework, including property rights, bankruptcy laws, economic informality, and the rule of law. ➤➤ Policies to support the poor and those to advance economic growth should work together, not in opposition. tive associations; reform of bankruptcy laws; and the ➤➤ Advocacy is important, which means listening, provision of non-financial services. working with others, and speaking from the heart; Following these opening presentations, workshop it should aim for systemic successes, not just indi- participants focused in their discussion on the most vidual successes. vulnerable segments of a population; finding synergies ➤➤ Programs for realizing economic inclusion should between cultural and institutional change; investing in be driven by demand in order to be sustainable; in high-quality education; the potential and limitations particular, they should be linked to markets and not of microfinance; and equality of opportunity for indig- be dependent on government or donor services. enous and minority groups.

Freedom of Religion and Social Inclusion—Linkages and Strategies

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: Aware Girls (Pakistan) Asma Ismail Ahmed – Penelope Faulkner – Que Me: Action Institute for the Development of for Democracy in Vietnam U.S. Commission on International Civil Society (Sudan) Religious Freedom—USCIRF (U.S.) Jafar Alshayeb – Adala Center for Human Rights (Saudi Arabia) Rapporteur: Lindsay Lloyd – George W. Bush Institute (U.S.)

sma Ismail began the workshop by noting that that freedom of religion is a basic human rights issue, this topic is often overlooked in discussions yet it is far less studied around the world than other A about democracy. The objective of the work- basic rights. He also noted that Saudi Arabia restricts shop was to develop practical strategies for integrat- religious freedom and that the state endorses a specific ing religious issues and faith-based organizations understanding and sect of Islam. Other sects have lim- into the broader discussion of democracy and human ited rights and the state’s views are promoted through rights. She emphasized that faith-based and religious the law, the media, and the educational system. Non- groups are important social structures and ought to be Muslim faiths face even more significant discrimination included in that broader conversation. and are generally prohibited from exercising their be- Misbah Shahzad, a co-organizer of the workshop, liefs in public. He noted the significant religious diver- briefly discussed the work of her organization in Paki- sity in Saudi Arabia, which, he said, is rarely recognized stan, called Aware Girls, which has been working on outside the country. The government views itself as the women’s rights and empowerment since 2002. She also guardian of Islam and there is no tolerance in the law noted the issues of religious extremism and violence for other faiths or views. plaguing her country. In her presentation, Penelope Faulkner discussed the In his presentation, Jafar Alshayeb spoke about the state of religious freedom in Vietnam. She described the state of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia. He explained difficulties faced by religious groups in a communist

30 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Democracy for All state. For years, the government attempted to eliminate Recommendations religion, but changed its policy to controlling religion. ➤➤ Participants agreed that the issue of religious There is a divide, she said, between the state-controlled freedom should be better integrated into the broad- religious organizations and independent religious er conversation about democracy and human rights. groups. Vietnam nominally protects religious freedom They encouraged the World Movement for Democ- in its Constitution, but many believers face discrimina- racy to give the issue broader visibility at its next tion and prosecution if the state views them as chal- assembly by highlighting it in a plenary session or lenging its authority. With little independent civil so- establishing a working group or other mechanism ciety, religious groups are among the only actors not to focus on the issue. under complete control. Monitoring by international ➤➤ Participants praised the role of some govern- NGOs and other governments has brought some addi- ments in spotlighting religious freedom issues, and tional space for religious freedom. they noted that more organizations and govern- During the discussion, participants touched on a ments are monitoring and speaking out; however, wide variety of issues, including the rights of sexu- they also urged greater coordination among them. al minorities, the rights of minority religions to have ➤➤ Emerging democracies and regional groups their voices heard in governance and decision mak- should be encouraged to speak out on these issues ing, efforts to achieve reconciliation between religious as well. Participants noted that some governments groups, the problems of religious freedom in democra- will often respond better to criticism from neigh- tizing societies, efforts to combat radicalism and ex- boring or similar countries than from developed tremism, and creating greater tolerance for religious nations. diversity. One participant noted how decentralization, ➤➤ Governments should recognize religious diver- normally a laudable goal, led to increased religious dis- sity and plan social inclusion strategies. crimination in Indonesia. Another noted that religion is ➤➤ NGOs can help instill respect for other faiths and sometimes used as a marker to divide social groups for promote tolerance. political gain. ➤➤ Promoting tolerance in schools should be a priority.

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Sexual Minority Rights: Confronting Attacks on Freedom of Association, Assembly, and Expression

Organizer: Rapporteur: Andres Rivera – Organización de Sexual Minorities Uganda— Art Kaufman – World Transexuales por la Dignidad de la SMUG (Uganda) Movement for Democracy Diversidad (Chile) Secretariat (U.S.) Moderator: Gloria Careaga-Perez – International Hassan Shire – East and Horn of Presenters: Lesbian and Gay Association—ILGA Africa Human Rights Defenders Network Dennis Wamala – (Mexico) (Somalia) Icebreakers Uganda

Giovanny Romero – Movimiento Homosexual de Lima—MHOL (Peru)

he moderator began the workshop by stressing passage of this proposed legislation. that the freedoms of association, assembly, and Giovanny Romero of Peru, who represents the old- T expression are fundamental for addressing the est continually operating LGBT rights organization rights of sexual minorities, as they are for advancing in South America (30 years), reported in his opening all other human rights issues. They are necessary for presentation that there is no law in the country recog- any effort to change people’s minds about how they nizing equal rights for LGBT people. Every week on view sexual minority rights, especially where tradi- average, one person dies as a result of a hate crime, tion, culture, and religion undergird homophobia. and in many cases, these crimes go unpunished. The Regarding sexual minority rights themselves, it is country presents itself as modern and democratic de- important to recognize that in many societies there spite the situation of sexual minority populations who are legal mechanisms that mandate discrimination. are not included. Institutions, such as the church and In his opening presentation, Dennis Wamala of the armed forces, rarely give LGBT people equal rec- Uganda remarked that his country is very conserva- ognition. There are cases of the national police beating tive because of religion and culture, and according to gay couples and recent “kiss-in” protests in the central the Ugandan Constitution, marriage must be between square of Lima were attacked by the police due to re- a man and a woman. Aside from the issue of marriage, ligious pressure. however, Mr. Wamala pointed out that engaging in ho- In his opening presentation, Andres Rivera of Chile mosexuality can draw a sentence of life imprisonment; outlined the very difficult situation facing transgen- talking positively about homosexuality can get some- der and trans-sexual (“trans”) people. Many people one seven years; two people of the same sex holding in these groups are regularly murdered at an aver- hands is considered “gross indecency” and can war- age age of 20-49 years and most are women. They are rant three years. In 2009, an anti-homosexuality bill consistently characterized as medically and mentally was presented that would mandate life in prison for a diseased, but there are no criteria for determining first offense of engaging in homosexual relations and a this. Argentina presents a somewhat more positive ex- death sentence for more than once. Parents would have ample; the view there is that since there is no need to to report their children for engaging in homosexual- tell trans people what they are, they can change their ity or face three years. The same happens to doctors names, identification, etc. without opposition. In many regarding their patients and landlords who rent space places in the world, limits are imposed on trans people to lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) orga- regarding their rights, such as their right to vote, and nizations. The proposed bill is still before Parliament they are often stigmatized as sinners (e.g., called pros- and only international pressure is holding it back. titutes or alcoholics, etc.) with no basis whatsoever. Amendments are being considered to improve chances Gloria Careaga-Perez of the International Lesbian for passage, but the bill would remain draconian. In and Gay Association (ILGA) said in her presentation the meantime, many LGBT people live in fear of just that it is very important to have this discussion within being seen associating with each other even without the context of the World Movement for Democracy.

32 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Democracy for All

The ILGA has issued a recent report showing that in sion and hatred. Many withdraw just to survive and the global situation, eight countries provide for the must be educated on issues of mere survival. If not, death penalty for homosexuality and 13 provide up to their chances of living a good life are very small, in 20-30 years in prison. Governments often use sexual some cases leading to their engagement in sex trades, minority issues to achieve agreements with each other and even then, those demanding their services remain on other issues, which is a big challenge to further- un-stigmatized while those providing the services are ing anti-discrimination work. We also should recog- characterized as the sinners and suffer accordingly. nize that funding is being invested to find a so-called The point was also made that sports is one of the most “cure” for homosexuality, but the contrived therapies publically followed news subjects and in that context have devastating consequences for the well being of highly negative LGBT language is often used with im- LGBT persons. Religious teachings often put anti-ho- punity, making it that much more difficult to educate mosexuality at their core, and it is thus important that the public and especially young people about the need the view of sexuality as purely for human reproduction to give respect and dignity to LGBT people. be balanced by the view that sexuality is also for hu- There is also a host of health related issues that are man pleasure. of specific concern to trans people; for example, just During the workshop discussion, the question was visiting a dentist often requires an HIV test for no raised as to whether more should be done through good reason. public education to increase understanding of the im- A number of practical approaches were described in portance of sexual minority rights before taking the the discussion for addressing the challenges to sexual case to governments, since governments often respond minority rights: to the prevailing views of their societies. One work- ➤➤ Personal contact with judges can have an impact shop participant responded that both must be pursued on the legal situation; at the same time and in equal measure. A participant ➤➤ One project was described in which doctors are from China described the importance of scientific re- given CDs with links to accurate and positive in- search, indicating that the public, and even govern- formation regarding the conditions of trans people; ments, will often accept the results of research more ➤➤ Forming coalitions to lobby inter-governmental readily than arguments made in protest about the im- organizations, such as the Organization of Ameri- portance of equality. When psychological associations can States (OAS), can have a positive impact; declare that homosexual or trans people are normal ➤➤ Finding ways to force the issues in the courts can human beings as a result of careful research, it can bring some progress; have a very important impact. People often accept sci- ➤➤ Pushing countries to provide LGBT-, and es- entific definitions fundamental to human nature, so pecially trans-based, victims of persecution with research demonstrating the uniformity of human na- asylum can both provide some relief and send im- ture is important to counter homo- and trans-phobia. portant messages to other countries; and The point was also made that groups like Parents and ➤➤ Finding ways to stop or prevent bullying in the Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) or gay-straight very homes of LGBT persons, a phenomenon that alliances in high schools (as in many places in the U.S.) does not ordinarily apply with respect to racial or are highly effective in changing public views because ethnic minorities, should be a priority. they make so clear that any person may one day find that their own child or friend is gay. Finally, the workshop participants agreed that it is Transgender and trans-sexual participants made a very important to speak to the public in terms they can number of specific points, among them that they are understand, such as simply proclaiming an equal hu- often denied rights to motherhood and fatherhood as man freedom to love. a result of their being transgender or trans-sexual; they have suffered forced sterilization and lobotomies in the past and for 100 years in some places have been prevented from even engaging in public protests. One important issue is that they are often left out of movements for sexual minority rights that focus most often on rights for gays and lesbians, and yet transgender and trans-sexual people often face far greater exclu-

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Party Efforts to Develop and Implement Inclusive and Responsive Politics

Organizer: Moderator: Presenters: National Democratic Institute—NDI Sef Ashiagbor – NDI (U.S.) Bjarte Tørå – Oslo Center (Norway) (U.S.) Jasenko Selimović – Social Rapporteur: Democratic Party of Bosnia and Dustin Palmer – NDI (U.S.) Herzegovina—SDP (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Luis Ernesto Olave – Movimiento MIRA (Colombia)

articipants in this workshop discussed the chal- Challenges lenges and opportunities confronting political In the ensuing discussion participants identified chal- P parties, as well as the best practices for develop- lenges that parties face in developing and implementing and implementing inclusive policies. The opening ing inclusive policies: presenters made several important points: ➤➤ One common theme that emerged from the dis- Bjarte Tørå described political party policy develop- cussion concerns the harsh realities parties face ment as a continuous process or cycle with four main once they are elected and charged with governing. phases: policy drafting, adoption, implementation, and For instance, parties may find themselves in coali- reporting/evaluation. Each of these phases presents tions and are thus obliged to compromise on some of different opportunities for political, social, and eco- the policies on which they campaigned. Consumed nomic inclusion that can take place in different arenas with the responsibilities of government, elected or spaces. representatives often find it difficult to remain en- Jasenko Selimović shared his party’s experiences in gaged with the public. In many cases, it is difficult developing inclusive policies in a society with signifi- to manage citizens’ expectations, and tensions may cant ethnic and other divisions. To be responsive and arise between political parties, on the one hand, receptive to citizens’ concerns, the Social Democratic and civil society and the media, on the other. For Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SDP) held over 70 example, the 24-hour media cycle can distort reali- public policy consultations in 30 municipalities. The ty, exaggerating weaknesses in political parties and SDP then designed a policy platform focusing on the democratic processes more generally. five areas of concern commonly voiced by the 10,000 ➤➤ Parties also face the challenge of having to adapt attendees of these sessions. to changing social environments; in many coun- Finally, Luis Ernesto Olave discussed the Mov- tries, for instance, including in established democ- imiento MIRA’s experiences in which it attempted to racies, party membership and youth participation is introduce anti-discrimination legislation in Colombia. on the decline as individuals prefer the flexibility of The Movimiento MIRA engaged in awareness-raising working with different groups on specific issues of to highlight discrimination against Afro-Colombians interest rather than commit to one political party. as a pressing national problem by using petitions and having the academic community gather evidence. In Recommendations addition, it engaged civil society, academics, and oth- Participants identified several ways to address these ers to improve the draft legislation to secure its adop- concerns: tion in parliament. ➤➤ Some countries have a longer history or culture of coalitions, which can make it easier for politicians to work with others and to explain their compromises to voters. In Norway, for example, coalition partners compromise on issues of national importance (like the management of oil proceeds) and questions that demand predictable long-term

34 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Democracy for All

responses (like issues regarding pensions). In addi- on a continuous basis. The social media revolution tion, coalition partners bring clear policy priorities has also created greater opportunities for parties to to the negotiating table, respect one another’s policy maintain communication with citizens. The SDP in priorities, and share the limelight to ensure that all Bosnia-Herzegovina was able to increase support members in the coalition benefit from good public- and credibility after a number of successive elec- ity. toral defeats by engaging the public in policy de- ➤➤ In many cases, politicians create problems for velopment, focusing on issues of concern to youth themselves by making unrealistic promises. The (e.g., education policy), and including young people first step in managing expectations is to keep in party leadership positions. promises simple and realistic. In the United King- ➤➤ Political parties all over the world face new chal- dom, for example, the Labour Party successfully lenges as citizens demand greater participation and distributed short pledge cards that outlined five transparency. This requires that parties find new simple policy commitments. Later on, they were ways of engaging citizens by making available to able to demonstrate clearly to the public that they the broader public those processes traditionally re- had kept their promises. One way in which political served for members of the parties. While building parties can remain engaged with citizens is to cre- an inclusive policy development process is difficult ate opportunities for ongoing communication. For in the face of changing realities, parties must con- instance, the Movimiento Mira keeps its branch of- tinue to adapt and innovate in a responsive way to fices open year–round to solicit feedback and input deliver on the promise of democracy.

Addressing Political, Social and Economic Inequality: Workers, Unions, and Support Organizations Joining Together in Advocacy

Organizer: Presenters: Artur Henrique Silva Santos – Solidarity Center (U.S.) Jannifer Spiff Ijeoma Central Unica do Trabalhadores—CUT – Women Initiative for (Brazil) Moderator: Transparency and Social Justice Molly McCoy – Solidarity Center (U.S.) (Nigeria) Juan Jose Gorritti – Confederación General de Trabajadores del Perú—CGTP RapporteurS: Roni Febrianto Brotoatmodjo (Perú) Kate Conradt – – Indonesian Metalworkers Irakli Petriashvili – Georgia Trade Solidarity Center (U.S.) Trade Union Federation—FSPMI (Indonesia) Union Confederation—GTUC (Georgia) Mark Hankin – Solidarity Center (U.S.)

wenty-three participants from approximately 10 negative effects on the health of individuals in the sur- different countries gathered to exchange experi- rounding communities. T ences and identify best practices based on case These are huge challenges, and civil society should studies presented by speakers from Brazil, Georgia, respond to them. Popular movements are often dis- Nigeria, Peru and Indonesia. The discussion took into organized and unfocused in their demands, and thus account a global economic and rights context in which diminish the power of the message and the messenger. popular movements among and within countries are Nongovernmental participants from several countries demanding an end to rising income inequality and mentioned during the discussion that trade unions are calling for jobs with decent pay and basic benefits, often the most representative and respected nongov- such as health insurance and retirement security. The ernmental organizations (NGOs) in civil society and case studies presented revealed that the wealth gen- should play a role in leading civil society coalitions erated by a country’s natural resources is not being at the local, regional, and national levels. At the local broadly shared, leads to corruption, and routinely level in Nigeria, for example, unions have supported involves destruction of the natural environment and NGO efforts to promote women’s health and greater

www.wmd.org 35 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Challenges Participants noted many challenges to building coalitions of unions and civil society. In some countries, such as Georgia, the concept of active citizenship should be learned, given the legacy of Soviet authoritarianism; unions and NGOs working together can help reform the country’s educational system, and unions can serve as models by showcasing democratic participation within their own structures. In Peru, unions are divided among themselves and are often at odds with communities where natural resources are mined; while workers have an interest in maintaining jobs in the extractive sector, they also care about the environment. National union federations recognize that they have a special obligation to promote fact- finding and build coalitions with local communities to demand “clean” resource exploitation so that com- governmental transparency in the Niger Delta. At the munities can benefit and the government and multina- national level, Nigerian unions led the struggle to roll tional companies are held accountable. back punitive oil price increases that occurred without On the other hand, NGO collaboration offers many civil society input and that squeezed the vulnerable benefits to unions. NGOs specializing in legal issues and working poor. can help draft legislation, for instance, as was the case Union representatives in the workshop noted that in Indonesia. In Georgia, NGOs helped serve as gov- trade unions should see their role more broadly than ernment watchdogs and provided independent verifi- simply representing their members’ interests in the cation of union claims of labor rights abuses. In Nige- workplace. In Brazil for example, labor leaders have ria, NGOs helped unions gain access to underserved developed the concept of “citizen unions” in which communities and built relations of trust with women’s unions focus some of their attention on motivating groups. their members to be engaged actively in social justice movements and on issues that affect indigenous Recommendations communities. In Indonesia, unions have joined with ➤➤ Given the growing challenge posed by increased student groups and NGOs to push for retirement and inequality and precarious work, unions and NGOs health care benefits for all the country’s citizens, not should form coalitions on the local, national, and just for union members; to do so, the unions have taken international levels. the lead in creating thoughtful strategies that promote ➤➤ Because of their size and representative nature, public education and outreach activities to govern- unions should take the lead in forming coalitions ment, the media, and a variety of civic organizations and must expand their role beyond simple work- that share their interests. place representation. ➤➤ A special focus of union-NGO coalitions should be on institutionalizing policy approaches in law. ➤➤ Unions and NGOs should create an environment of respect, taking into account that they will not always agree on issues while greater cooperation remains essential to addressing the common challenges they face. ➤➤ Given that every country environment is different, there is no one roadmap for union-NGO collaboration, but there is almost always a need to keep such collaboration high on their respective agendas.

36 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Democracy for All

Resolving Tensions between Extractive Industry and Local Communities: How to Build Trust within a Democratic Context?

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: Mining Advocacy Network— Siti Maimunah – Jatam Rafendi Djamin – Human Rights Jatam (Indonesia) (Indonesia) Working Group—HRWG (Indonesia)

Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Hugo Che Piu – DAR (Peru) Rapporteur: Naturales—DAR (Peru) Hugo Che Piu – DAR (Peru) Manfredo Marroquin – Accion Ciudadana (Guatemala)

Siti Maimunah – Jatam (Indonesia)

he worldwide expansion of extractive industries It is difficult to identify “good practices” in the ex- (mining, oil, gas, timber, etc.) increases tensions tractive sector, since even those companies that have T with local populations, but democracy can help incorporated innovations to avoid or reduce impacts prevent and resolve such tensions, in part through on human rights are not so laudable. There are, how- transparent cost-benefit analyses of the impact of ever, some potentially positive opportunities: extractive activity, including the impacts on the Indigenous peoples should be allowed to exercise environment and labor rights. Globally, an impor- fully their right to information and prior consultation tant starting point is the UN Guiding Principles on before authorities grant rights to extractive compa- Business and Human Rights, which aim to protect and nies. Extractive activity should not begin without the respect human rights and remedy any negative impact full and effective participation and consent of local of extractive industry work. While not legally bind- people which, in some cases, may amount to a veto. ing, the guiding principles provide a set of standards The workshop participants also addressed the ques- that citizens can demand governments incorporate tion of what should be expected of civil society with as national standards for citizen and human rights. respect to tensions between extractive industries and Improved transparency and access to information can local populations. It was noted that citizen action is also enhance the defense of the rights of local commu- essential, but NGOs should not be restricted to nega- nities, since it is necessary to overcome prevalent cor- tive or critical roles; they should also be prepared and ruption in many countries. Before, it is important that enabled to offer proposed solutions. In all cases, civil decisions are taken not only within government (at the society can provide the necessary transparency and federal, sub-national, or local levels), but should also monitoring. Proper communication of the impacts of include input from local populations. States should extractive industries is necessary because companies not be afraid to open a discussion if they have clear proclaim their “good” intentions even while having a development goals for a region or province. negative impact. One of the main causes of tensions in this area is the asymmetry or imbalance between stakeholders, not only between extractive companies and local communities, but also between those communities and the state. However, within the context of free trade agreements, both local communities and governments may lack power.

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How to Make Public Participation in Democratic Processes Meaningful?

Organizer: Moderator: Presenters: International Republican Institute— Ben Suffian – Merdeka Center Kate Chachava – New Generation New IRI (U.S.) for Opinion Research (Malaysia) Initiative (Georgia)

Perry Aritua – Women’s Democracy Rapporteur: Network (Uganda) Laura London – IRI (U.S.) Ou Virak – Cambodian Center for Human Rights—CCHR (Cambodia)

Observations gerness of Georgia’s civil society to participate in the Participation is a key component of functioning election process demonstrated a remarkable growth in democracies everywhere. However, the ways in which the country’s democratic practices, and the accultura- citizens and civil society are engaged in and contrib- tion of Georgian society to its still fresh democratic sys- ute to a democratic governance structure are directly tem. related to that democracy’s success. This workshop Focusing in her presentation on participation in dem- examined different models of meaningful participa- ocratic processes from the perspective of women, Perry tion in the democratic process and how participation Aritua reminded the participants that for participation is understood, challenged, and promoted within coun- to be meaningful all interest groups must have the abil- try-specific and regional contexts. ity simply to participate in the first place. In Uganda, In her opening presentation, Kate Chachava spoke a legislative framework provides for affirmative action about civil society’s role in electoral processes, describ- in elected positions and leadership roles and allows ing the achievements of Georgian civil society in the women to contest positions outside of those designat- country’s October 2012 elections, which brought about ed seats. Uganda has also implemented budgeting and the first democratic transition based on elections in the planning processes that mandate participation by local country’s history. Specifically, she said, Georgian NGOs communities, further ensuring participation by a vari- carried out a massive “It Affects You” campaign to dis- ety of interest groups. However, meaningful participa- seminate information to the electorate, while civil soci- tion is often reduced by a lack of understanding of the ety mobilized more than 70,000 domestic election ob- best means for disseminating information. Within this servers to ensure election transparency and compliance context, civil society can foster meaningful participa- with international election standards. Ms. Chachava tion by performing research and skills-based trainings stressed the importance of training observers in proper to promote a knowledgeable and skilled citizenry that conduct, concrete rules, and strict methodology, a role can contribute to the discussions in a more substantive that her organization assumed in the elections. The ea- manner. Civil society in Cambodia is still largely characterized by the degree of work conducted by international and national-level NGOs that has yet to penetrate the grassroots level, according to Ou Virak. The donor NGO mentality, he said, has not adapted to reflect an increasingly capable Cambodian civil society; local activists are ready to carry out functions of democratic accountability traditionally implemented by large NGOs whose work should shift to focusing on enhancing grassroots capacity. By occupying the limited political space available, bureaucratic NGOs are preventing meaningful participation of civil society at the local level, and in this way are becoming part of the problem rather than the solution.

38 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Democracy for All

Challenges Recommendations ➤➤ It is difficult for civil society groups to remain ➤➤ International and national NGOs should engage impartial, particularly when attacked by media in capacity-building activities at the community or political parties. Uniting civil society around a and local levels. This would allow grassroots activ- common agenda is crucial to resisting these attacks. ists and villages to gain experience engaging with ➤➤ Information regarding relevant political deci- local governments and open paths to wider and sions is often not properly disseminated to those more meaningful citizen dialogue. who would like to voice their opinions. Information ➤➤ NGOs should be cognizant of the capabilities of should be relayed in languages that are understood the civil societies with which they work and, if nec- by the population via modes of communication that essary, refashion their tactics to reflect these capa- are accessible to all. bilities; empowering civil society is the goal. ➤➤ Poverty allows for widespread vote-buying and ➤➤ CSOs and NGOs must mobilize local and inter- voter allegiance that is not based on proper policy national observers and bodies to monitor elections or platform scrutiny. and verify results to assure people of the credibility ➤➤ Elected leaders often hold themselves account- of elections. able to their party rather than to the citizens who ➤➤ Contributing actors should perform research to elected them. understand the best methods of disseminating in- ➤➤ NGOs fill an important niche in enhancing po- formation to citizens. litical participation, but they cannot represent the ➤➤ Civil society must know its facts. When you en- entirety of civil society. The donor/sub-grantee sys- gage with facts, you have a greater ability to hold tem in Cambodia has allowed mainstream groups your government accountable. to flourish from a wealth of funding, while local civil society organizations and minority activists have been ignored.

Addressing Ethnic Divides: Preventing Conflict through Democratic Inclusion

Organizer: Rapporteur: Moses John – Organization for Asociación Negra de Defensa Juan Alvarado – Afro-Cuban Nonviolence and Development (South y Promoción de los Derechos Alliance (Cuba) Sudan) Humanos—ASONEDH (Peru) Presenters: Luz Maria Carmona – ISA Bolivia Moderator: Peter Aling’o – Institute for (Bolivia) Jorge Ramírez Reyna – ASONEDH Education in Democracy (Kenya) Juan Alvarado – Afro-Cuban Alliance (Peru) (Cuba)

he moderator began this workshop with an intro- ocratic inclusiveness because Afro-descendants are duction, noting some of the problems of exclusion still excluded. T and discrimination that confront Afro-Peruvians, who constitute eight percent of the population of the Opening Presentations country. In Peru, he said, there are non-democratic In his opening presentation, Peter Aling’o analyzed ways that cause us to suffer racism, and the signs of ways to address situations that generate exclusion. racism can be subtle: for example, the clothes of one of Society, he pointed out, is divided in a natural man- the black employees working at the main door of the ner, but social divisions can be encouraged by other Assembly hotel, who is always dressed for work in the diverse mechanisms that end up alienating different old style of the caleceros (slaves who drove the cars of groups in these societies from each other. These eth- their masters or manned the entrance doors of their nic group identities, with their negative implications, houses). The moderator pointed out that if we speak are used by certain elements to impose particular about democracy, it is necessary to speak of true dem- interests in order to achieve certain objectives and

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to maintain power when the people are divided, and he emphasized the need to pay attention to education and the economic empowerment of people belonging to minorities to help them be politically and economically active. Luz Maria Carmona pointed out in her presentation that deepening the study of a diversity of experiences permits better understanding of the problems that are raised in the workshop. She considered it important to go more in depth into the concept of ethnicity as an element that leads to the division between groups that is maintained, generation after generation, as an internal mechanism of division. She focused in particular on Andean ethnic groups and stated that ethnic diversity is intimately related to geographic diversity. She referred to the problem of the electoral vote and its absence in Bolivia among the rural populations until 1950. Something extremely important is the establishment of the “pluri-national” state in Bolivia that not thus generate profound divisions in the society. A key only recognized rights, such as the possession of land, factor is that such division derives from divisive poli- but also political rights. That has provoked changes tics in the country in question. Politics and law can in the judicial, political, and cultural order. However, entrench divisions, which further contributes to the many of the indigenous rights previously achieved are problems for minorities. disappearing. In the present, at the base of many con- Under certain conditions, divisions strengthen flicts are the differences that remain among the diverse over time while the perspectives and objectives of the groups. It is necessary that practices reflect democratic groups in power continue to dominate politics. Today, values and that there is participation by all in political we can observe political and electoral systems that not life and decision making. only make divisions more profound, but also generate Juan Alvarado offered a general presentation of the new ones. We therefore talk about democratic inclu- problems affecting Cuban Afro-descendants for whom sion because it is necessary to have a system that pro- securing human rights has been notoriously complex motes equality and a sense of belonging, and one in in recent history. This group is not a minority in the which ethnic diversity is appreciated and valued. country; despite the fact that the official census indi- To arrive at democratic inclusion, we should try to cates that they make up only 35 percent of the popu- create environments that permit all ethnic groups to lation, distinguished specialists believe they actually take part and participate in all spheres of life in a exceed 50 percent. country. Mr. Aling’o highlighted three essential rec- To better understand the problem of racism and dis- ommendations: crimination in Cuba today, Mr. Alvarado continued, it ➤➤ Focus on the process of democratization; is necessary to begin with basics: The general back- ➤➤ Respect diversity; and ward movement of civil rights since 1959 principally ➤➤ Consolidate social justice. affected the Cuban Afro-descendant community. The victory of the Revolution destroyed the foundation and A successful process of inclusion helps ensure true mechanisms for civil rights that blacks struggled to democracy and a constitution that respects civil and achieve before 1959. The current situation has taken minority rights. on hints of scandal, above all because Cuban Afro- Moses John asked various questions as a basis for his descendants have a double challenge: to organize and presentation: Why are there ethnic divisions? Why are fight against discriminatory practices while at the people divided? In what way do we perceive each oth- same time to confront a climate of intolerance and vio- er, taking into account our differences? Why do eth- lence imposed by the government. On the one hand, the nic divisions continue to be a challenge? In discussing government decreed, by fiat, that racial discrimination these questions, he pointed out that it is much easier is a thing of the past, but, on the other hand, it opposes

40 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Democracy for All all efforts by civil society to address the problem inde- Discussion pendently. To demand legitimate rights is considered The workshop participants analyzed the need to counterrevolutionary with all the political and social search for inclusive democratic systems, beginning consequences that entails. with the best democracy, which can only function When we consider human rights as fundamental when the people are able to deliberate about and rights, as well as economic, social, and cultural rights, understand the system and thus maintain it. Real we observe the following: democracy takes into account the necessities and the ➤➤ Afro-descendent Cubans have lost many of the aspirations of all the people, including minorities, and rights they previously won and do not have the legal it is important that all feel part of the system. right to create independent organizations. They are An important issue in the workshop discussion was not permitted to hold meetings or have their own the ethnic divisions and conflicts in Africa and the An- media outlets. The lack of freedom of expression, dean region, specifically in Bolivia. The participants association, and assembly has thus limited their po- discussed democracies that have emerged from ethnic litical and civic participation. conflicts because they are in transition. The conflicts ➤➤ Given the growth of the Cuban antiracist move- continue until the transitions are complete, which thus ment, the government has targeted the pacifist ac- require special measures. The importance and value of tions of independent movements with repressive western philosophical conceptions of democracy moti- mechanisms. The government thus impedes them vate discussions on the ways to implement democracy by force from carrying out their activities or forbids in conflicted countries in non-western regions. activists the use of official space for intellectual ex- Participants also discussed the following subjects: change on the subject so that everything remains ➤➤ The situations of countries that were victims of behind closed doors without letting those who are colonization, the ethnic conflicts that were thus truly affected articulate their criteria. Harassment generated, and how those problems have been car- and arrests by state security forces are the order of ried over from one generation to another, above all, the day. where measures to counteract such conflict have not ➤➤ Afro-descendent Cubans are excluded from busi- been undertaken; in those cases, politics has con- nesses that provide better working conditions and tinued to be the exclusive purview of the groups in access to convertible money. They are overrepre- power. sented in jobs with poor pay and are poorly recog- ➤➤ There are political and electoral systems that nized. The most recent economic reforms serve only generate and deepen discrimination; governments to help those who were already in an advantageous and political parties often consolidate power and situation. Many of the fundamental economic activ- abandon minorities and others facing discrimina- ities that are expanding under the reforms require tion. prior fixed assets that the Afro-descendent popu- ➤➤ The absence of a democratic culture and the en- lation does not possess. Afro-descendants are also trenchment of intolerance in some societies. negatively affected socially and culturally, since ➤➤ The concept of ethnicity and its place in address- they are disproportionately affected by housing ing ethnic problems. problems, violence, and crime, as well as a constant ➤➤ The need to provide education and economic em- distortion of, and neglect towards, black history in powerment to help people facing discrimination be- Cuba. come economically and politically active. ➤➤ The need to create a good constitution that can According to Mr. Alvarado, to make progress we must help address ethnic conflict derived from ethnic di- recognize that Cuba has a deeply racist society; that versity. racism in Cuba has a political character; and that ➤➤ The need to have inclusive democratic systems. there is a need for reform measures at the governmental level to protect the rights of Afro-descendants and to promote their equality and economic and social empowerment.

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Youth Engagement and Empowerment

Workshops

What can be Done to Empower Youth through Economic Inclusion?

OrganizerS: ModeratorS: Presenters: Youngstars Foundation (Nigeria) Claudia Bustamante – Sergio Balladares – Instituto Invertir (Peru) Movimiento Puente (Nicaragua) Instituto Invertir (Peru) Kingsley Bangwell – Emmanuel Kitamirike – Youngstars Foundation (Nigeria) Uganda Youth Network (Uganda)

Rapporteur: Claudia Bustamante – Kim Bettcher – Instituto Invertir (Peru) Center for International Private Enterprise—CIPE (U.S.)

he workshop presenters highlighted a number of Claudia Bustamante described in her presentation case studies illustrating both the hardships youth how the EmprendeAhora program in Peru focuses on T face from economic exclusion and best practices leadership, democracy, the market economy, and en- in youth engagement for economic empowerment. In trepreneurship to give opportunities to university stu- the first presentation, Sergio Balladares remarked dents in the provinces outside the capital of Lima. It that the challenges facing youth in Nicaragua are has a competitive selection process for the program that underemployment, shortage of skills, and difficulty identifies applicants with a leadership profile. Thanks in finding employment that matches one’s specializa- to the program, 40 companies have been formed in the tion. Also, there are few incentives to start an eco- last four years. nomic enterprise. To help address these challenges, Kingsley Bangwell noted that the challenges for Ni- Movimiento Puente advocates in schools for demo- gerian youth are unemployment in excess of 30 per- cratic values and assists with the socioeconomic devel- cent; the absence of youth involvement in the planning, opment of youth. It conducts workshops on job search implementation, and evaluation of city grants to start- skills, such as how to write a curriculum vitae or how up businesses; and a lack of trust in government. The to act at a job interview. It also works with companies government needs private sector cooperation to provide to develop internship and employment programs for an enabling environment for young people, and young youth. people need platforms through which they can share In his presentation, Emmanuel Kitamirike described their experiences and hardships. the ways in which the Uganda Youth Network engages The workshop discussion addressed a number of ad- young people in mainstream political processes. It has ditional issues, such as the need for opportunities in discovered that participation among youth is not mean- technical and vocational work; the importance of the ingful if they are not economically empowered. Educa- agricultural sector; the nature of the informal econo- tion often does not provide youth with the skills to bet- my; the need to address discrimination on the basis of ter themselves, and economic growth has not created sexual diversity; the role of active citizenship; the value sufficient jobs. In Uganda, therefore, there is a need to of mentorship; access to capital; access to information; attract youth to the agricultural sector. Young people and educational reform. especially need platforms through which they can participate in the making of decisions that will affect them.

42 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Youth Engagement and Empowerment

Recommendations ➤➤ Connect entrepreneurs with each other and con- ➤➤ Include youth in planning processes on economic nect different sectors that support entrepreneurs issues at all levels. Reach out to youth to listen and (universities, financial entities, businesses, NGOs, build trust. Help them to articulate their issues and etc.). Facilitate the sharing of best practices. give them platforms for doing so. ➤➤ Improve education policy and address structural ➤➤ Provide access to information on how to start a challenges so that young people will have the right business, how to find a job, and what opportunities skills for the job market. and resources are available. ➤➤ Do not stop with training, but continue to track ➤➤ Provide technical assistance to entrepreneurs, the progress of participants in youth programs. especially through civil society. Give them tools ➤➤ Support youth initiatives at the local level. for leadership, teamwork, and conflict resolution, as well as technical, management, and vocational skills.

World Youth Movement for Democracy (WYMD)

Organizer: Moderator: Presenters: World Youth Movement for Dyan Aimee Rodriguez – Rami Shamma – Development for Democracy—WYMD WYMD Leadership Board People and Nature Association—DPNA (The Philippines) (Lebanon)

Rapporteur: Pablo Innecken – Glanis Changachirere – Latin American and Caribbean Network Institute for Young Women for Democracy—Redlad (Costa Rica) Development (Zimbabwe) Ishraga Eltahir – World Movement for Democracy Secretariat (U.S.)

Maja Micic – Youth Initiative for Human Rights (Serbia)

Tapera Kapuya – WYMD Leadership

Ryota Jonen – WYMD Leadership

he workshop began with an ice breaker in which of the Youth Movement, highlighting that the begin- participants used balloons to select each other to ning of the movement was inspired by the need to see T talk to, learn where they are from, and what they youth taking a more active role in democratic par- do in their organizations, following which the participation at all levels, national, regional, and inter- ticipants introduced themselves to the whole group. national. As such, the network emerged in 2003 and They came to the Assembly from various countries, has since grown significantly. It is now a strong and including Argentina, Costa Rica, Cuba, Lebanon, well-grounded network that works through an elected Nicaragua, Nigeria, Peru, The Philippines, Serbia, leadership and regional representation. Uganda, the United States, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, Further, the Youth Movement successfully organized among others. All the participants are involved an African regional conference entitled, “From the Cape in democracy work in their respective countries. to Cairo,” which was held in South Africa in February of 2012. It brought together young female and male activ- Background ists from Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Uganda, Ukraine, Ven- Ryota Jonen of the WYMD leadership took the par- ezuela, and Zimbabwe. The conference mainly sought ticipants through the emergence, work, and structure to strategize about how young activists can contribute

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to the democratization agenda in their respective coun- and Threats—SWOT—as a way to inform its improve- tries and enabled youth to learn about the South Afri- ment. The results of the SWOT analysis were shared can democratic transition and to meet and learn from with the participants: political party leaders in the country. Mr. Jonen also described a new youth fellowship pro- Strengths gram to promote active youth participation in democ- ➤➤ The WYMD is global and inclusive of youth in de- racy work. The fellowship enables young people to be mocracy work; for example, many members of the in residence at the National Endowment for Democracy movement from Arab countries were involved in the (NED) and initiate and conduct online discussions on Arab Spring. various topics relevant to different countries. The fel- ➤➤ The nature of the WYMD structure allows for ef- lows are selected quarterly. To increase interaction fective planning and implementation of activities. among Youth Movement members, a web site has been ➤➤ The structure of its Leadership Board en- created at www.wymd.org. ables the WYMD to conduct activities at Tapera Kapuya provided an update on the activities the national, regional, and global levels. being conducted by the Youth Movement to engage its members. He noted the importance of decentraliza- Weaknesses tion of communications in the network to reach new ➤➤ There is no mechanism by which all the WYMD’s members and to encourage debate on region-specific is- Young Democracy Ambassadors can be included in sues. Examples of such issues include the African Youth most of the Internet-based social media activities. Charter and, in Latin America, use of the Internet and ➤➤ There has been a decline in the enthusiasm of the ICTs. members of the Leadership Board in Youth Move- To help decentralize the coordination of communica- ment activities. tions relevant to the various regions, Young Democracy ➤➤ There are currently few activities and no annual Ambassadors of the WYMD foster communications calendar of activities that members can consult. in their own countries and regions. This strategy has ➤➤ Membership is still small considering that the worked well in some regions but not as well in others. network is global. There is a need, therefore, to continue the discussion about how to increase the effectiveness of WYMD com- Opportunities munications in those other regions. ➤➤ There are unfortunately many violations of hu- Workshop participants also learned about emerg- man rights around the globe on any given day, so ing opportunities for activists in the WYMD. Accord- the Youth Movement should provide solidarity with ing to Ishraga Eltahir, to encourage participation of human rights defenders and help strengthen de- those not directly involved in democracy work, the mocracy. WYMD introduced an annual photo contest that, af- ➤➤ There is an opportunity to increasingly use social ter commencing in 2011, received 150 submissions in media. 2012 in three categories, and most of the winners of ➤➤ Many countries are going through demo- the 2011 and 2012 contests were present at the Lima cratic transitions, so there is a need and oppor- Assembly. The contests were very notable for ways in tunity to reach out to youth in those countries. which the contestants captured spontaneous moments that spoke to democracy. Other opportunities include Threats the online newsletter and recognition of World Youth ➤➤ The main threat to the Youth Movement concerns Day for Democracy every October 18th. The theme this its sustainability. year was “Claim the Future.” A large number of youth organizations in the WYMD have been taking part Recommendations in the annual commemoration, and the Youth Move- ➤➤ The WYMD should organize activities through- ment has been pushing for its recognition by the UN. out the year in all regions. ➤➤ A stronger mechanism should be developed to in- Evaluation of the WYMD volve regional Youth Democracy Ambassadors and The WYMD’s self-evaluation process involving its the Leadership Board in developing activities. members was discussed. The evaluation was aimed at ➤➤ Increase outreach, since current membership is establishing the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, only 1,200.

44 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Youth Engagement and Empowerment

➤➤ There is a need for face-to-face interaction The Youth Movement members were also challenged among Leadership Board members in addition to to act more than just talk. It was reiterated that for de- virtual interaction. For example, new members, or mocracy to be attained and sustained, there is need to those standing for election to the Leadership Board, have a deep commitment among WYMD members. should meet before the election at each World Move- ment Assembly. Priorities ➤➤ There is a need to “scale up” the Youth Move- The following three priority areas were agreed to for ment’s solidarity, since there are many emerging is- the WYMD’s next two years: sues and thus a need to provide solidarity in various ➤➤ Intensify use of social media; ways. ➤➤ Develop capacity; and ➤➤ Increase communications.

How to Channel Negative Expressions of Disaffected Youth into Constructive Activism?

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: Youth Initiative for Human Rights Gina Romero – Darko Brkan – Dosta! Movement (Serbia) OCASA (Colombia) (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

OCASA (Colombia) Rapporteur: Sergio Balladares – Ivana Howard – Movimiento Puente (Nicaragua) National Endowment for Democracy—NED (U.S.)

his workshop was designed to allow for extensive engaged as well. Civil society has been working to de- exchanges of experiences among youth activists vise new means to address problems faced by youth and T from around the world on effectively addressing increase their participation in society, but the number youth apathy with innovative approaches, including and variety of groups engaged on the issues are still too using new information and communication technolo- small to comprehensively address the problem. gies (ICTs). Particular emphasis was placed on the A history of conflict poses similar challenges for challenges youth face in conflict and post-conflict youth in Nicaragua, according to Sergio Balladares. societies. Natural disasters, changes in government, and eco- Gina Romero presented the challenging case of Co- nomic difficulties have added to a feeling of helpless- lombia, where youth find themselves in a perpetual ness among youth under 40, a segment comprising over state of conflict, which affects all segments of the popu- half the population. But even when youth, who feel the lation and aspects of life. A lack of greater economic weight of past legacies on their shoulders, want to en- development leads to a higher rate of poverty, with gage more actively or protest the current situation, such the younger population perhaps the most affected. In- forms of participation often draw criticism and even tegrating young former combatants from the internal persecution. Consequently, they are rarely involved in conflict in the country back into society poses a par- social and political processes. ticular challenge, since they face discrimination and Youth in Serbia face a similar set of challenges; that difficulty securing jobs. Some public services have been is, it is not just a transitional country trying to build a designed to address the violent behavior of youth. For sustainable democracy, but one that also has to address example, the city government of Bogota has created en- a post-conflict legacy. These two challenges have led trepreneurship opportunities for youth who have aban- to a transformation of youth from being a progressive doned violence. However, most solutions only address power that helped to bring about democratic change near-term issues and will not have longer-term effects in 2000 to a destructive force that is often radical and unless other actors, namely the business community, are violent today. The key factor leading to this negative

www.wmd.org 45 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

transformation, according to one of the workshop par- friends is as important as knowing one’s foes: online ticipants, is the failure to deal effectively with Serbia’s tools can just as easily be used by those who promote role in the recent Balkan conflicts. Neither the gov- violence or radical behavior. Worse yet, they may be just ernment nor the educational system has properly ad- as effective, if not more so, in attracting youth to their dressed this key issue, which has produced a “confused cause. In areas where access to the Internet is limited, generation,” one filled with negative energy generated extremist movements are more likely to have greater by disillusionment and a lack of future prospects, and appeal to youth, as confirmed by several workshop par- no constructive ways to channel it. Without a clear-cut ticipants. Therefore, groups seeking to engage youth national enemy, these young people often direct their constructively should also work offline and provide frustration towards those who are different, that is, citi- them with meaningful means of engagement outside zens of different religious, sexual, or political orienta- the virtual world. tions. A recurring theme in the workshop discussion was To provide an alternative, youth NGOs and human the role that political parties can play in providing rights organizations should appeal to youth in new space for youth engagement. In most countries, youth and interesting ways, provide an engaging context, and apathy is exacerbated by the fact that political fig- involve individuals who have credibility with young ures are often older, even when the general population people. Some of the approaches employed by the Youth is young. Political parties may have youth wings, but Initiative for Human Rights in Serbia and its network young people are often told to wait and “mature” before in the Western Balkans involve: running in elections. In the meantime, politically active ➤➤ Developing informal educational tools and op- youth are given trivial tasks and thus lack meaningful portunities; opportunities for youth-related activities within their ➤➤ Facilitating meetings between youth and their respective parties. A number of participants noted that peers in other countries in the region to discuss dif- youth often enter parties simply as a way to get a job. ficult issues that they have in common, thereby ex- When young people act together, governments are posing them to different views; and often pushed to react. It is important, however, to not ➤➤ Providing youth with communication skills so just protest but to build the capacity of youth to think they can present the issues in such a way as to en- differently and act for long-term change. For example, courage constructive engagement on them and to politically active youth should find ways to engage with act to change society. each other across the political spectrum to discuss common issues and jointly contribute to addressing them To elaborate further on tools for constructive youth in effective ways. Whether employing offline or online engagement, Darko Brkan focused on the role of new campaigns, it is best to begin with smaller, resolvable ICTs, including social media. First, he emphasized the problems that youth face and their needs at a particular need to consider which tools are most often used in a moment, rather than focus on larger, more intractable particular societal context so they can be effectively problems. employed. In other words, just as the activist who hands It was also noted that new technologies provide ex- out leaflets to passersby does so in a busy square, rather panded opportunities for constructive youth engage- than on a quiet street, so youth NGOs should identify ment, but the challenge is to move youth from using and utilize the most frequented social networks when online networks just to socialize to utilizing them to promoting messages online. In addition to identifying become more actively engaged in the political and so- where youth meet in the online world, activists should cial arenas. also understand the profile of young people employing a particular online tool. In this case, knowing one’s

46 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Youth Engagement and Empowerment

Democracy Education: Building a Culture of Tolerance

Organizer: Presenters: David McQuoid-Mason – University of Educational Society of Malopolska— Ulviyya Tofiq Mikayilova KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) MTO (Poland) – Center for Innovations in Education (Azerbaijan) Steve Harison – Indonesian Youth Moderator: Movement for Sport and Healthy Alicja Derkowska – Gabriel Salvia – Centro para Lifestyles—INVOTE (Indonesia) MTO (Poland) la Apertura y el Desarrollo de America Latina—CADAL Alicja Derkowska – MTO (Poland) Rapporteur: (Argentina) Julie Boudreaux – MTO (Poland) Jafar Alshayeb – Adala Center for Human Rights (Saudi Arabia)

ne of the pillars of democracy is ensuring students or recent graduates in the social sciences that respect for others. Education has a key role to complement what they study formally. This allows them O play in convincing children, youth, adults, and to hear and learn from other professors and peers who communities of the importance of tolerance. The pre- may hold differing views. They also provide opportuni- senters focused on the challenges to, and methods for, ties for internships and volunteerism. Projects and pro- promoting tolerance in their respective countries. grams related to tolerance, such as “Good-Bye Lenin,” include debate, dialogue, and defense of rights, and are Presentations designed for active participation in the classroom. In Azerbaijan, most children with disabilities are The Shia minority in Saudi Arabia (representing not covered by educational services. The Center for 10-15 percent of the population) is working to foster Innovations in Education thus promotes the rights greater tolerance among those in the dominant major- of every child through social inclusion. Initially, the ity. With no freedoms and institutionalized discrimina- specialized training of teachers was thought to be tory policies in all spheres, the reaction of the Shia had key, but in fact was insufficient. A large number of previously been very passive. In the past 15 years, there teachers have not been implementing mainstreaming have been concerted efforts to mobilize the Shia com- properly. Although the attitudes of stakeholders to the munity mainly on social inclusion issues. Documents, mainstreaming of children with disabilities is gener- such as “Partner in the Nation” and “National Integra- ally positive, a core problem is that many teachers still tion of Shia Persons,” make specific recommendations. believe that children with disabilities are incapable of People are encouraged to participate in municipal elec- fulfilling a standard curriculum. Training in social tions (the Shia region had the highest participation justice was thus used to demonstrate that tolerance in the country), have more community involvement in alone is insufficient to teach children with disabili- local councils, register NGOs, and even challenge the ties; student activities, such as creating video clips or government on the process of registration. Through cul- having discussions that pair children with disabilities tural fora and art exhibitions, better communication is and their peers without disabilities are most effective. being promoted across religious divisions in an effort to The International Step–by–Step Program and anti- break barriers and erase stereotypes. Thanks to outside bias trainings are also very effective. There are also pressure (particularly after September 11) the school methods for breaking down stereotypes among adults, curriculum that had taught hatred against Muslims of such as “Name, Voice, Act.” different (non-Sunni) sects and against non-Muslims is In Argentina, although it is not an educational institu- gradually being modified by reducing the number of re- tion, CADAL promotes the improvement of democratic ligious subjects and taking the language of hatred out. institutions, social inclusion, and international solidar- Since 1985 the Street Law Program has effectively ity around human rights. The organization designs and promoted the knowledge of basic rights in South Af- implements extracurricular activities for university rica. Initially, the program designers were able to cir-

www.wmd.org 47 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

cumvent government skepticism by claiming that the In repressive societies, promoting tolerance and program would “make good citizens who will obey the teaching basic democratic skills requires creativity and law if they understand the law.” They were thus able patience. Providing information to policy makers over to train law students to use interactive methods. The time can actually convince them that change is even hidden agenda was to teach about human rights and in their best interest. Forming alliances with others is democracy. During the first post-Apartheid elections, often crucial. In South Africa, democracy education they created materials to address “why you vote, not was initiated, but it wasn’t called that. People can be just how to vote.” Street Law Inc. and Street Law South trained to “obey the law” (desirable to most dictators), Africa jointly published the manual, “Democracy for but in the process, and through the use of hypothetical All,” which is an educational tool aimed at creating a cases (space colonies or other lands, for example), stu- democratic culture with a particular focus on political dents can learn to analyze and debate. It is imperative tolerance and how to combat violence based on intol- to build a culture of democracy among the young now erance. “The Democracy Challenge” is a popular game rather than waiting for wider political change. that uses 13 signposts for democracy, debates, and quiz- Of course, it is not only the young who need to learn zes to increase knowledge and skills essential for de- democratic skills. There often is reluctance to listen to mocracy. It is designed to be used with the “Democracy opposing views among adults. Methods such as “Take a for All” manual. Stand,” “Written Debate,” and “World Café,” and tech- Indonesia is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic country, niques like paraphrasing, foster a culture of discussion and the challenge there is to encourage young people and are especially effective when using polemical ques- to embrace democratic values. This is encompassed in tions with young and old alike. The “people with green the concept of Pancasila, which is promoted through hair” activity is an effective way of promoting discus- the school curriculum. Inside and outside of the schools, sions about stereotypes, since it uses a visible difference there are many methods that appeal particularly to to promote discussion about any group that is somehow youth and can be used to instill democratic values: different from the majority. “Mini-Babel” is a fun way short movie clips, songs, online games, events, photo of examining national stereotypes, since it uses discus- and art exhibitions, competitions about democracy, sions over the Internet among teenagers from differ- happenings, activities (such as “Visit to Mars” and “Visit ent countries who examine what they know about one to Jail”), and comics about different kinds of tolerance another’s countries. Such games were a source of great and multi-culturalism. interest among the workshop participants who were ea- In Poland, the Educational Society of Malopolska ger to receive copies to use them in their work. has sought to break down traditional stereotypes about It was emphasized that teacher training, especially the Roma people. In southern Poland, illiteracy and un- using pedagogical colleges and such, are crucial for employment are rampant among that population, and promoting a democratic culture in education. Inter- a key problem is how to get Roma children to attend active teaching methods can intimidate teachers and school. The position of a Roma assistant in each school many are not ready to discuss controversial issues. It was created to address this issue. A pilot group of 20 is imperative, therefore, to give them support and op- young Roma men and women were trained to be teach- portunities to practice first. Furthermore, integrating ing assistants in public schools and to act as liaisons democratic education, active citizenship, and leader- between the Roma parents and the respective school. ship into the school curriculum requires support from In addition to providing employment (they were paid the government; otherwise, even with the best practices positions), having a Roma adult in a classroom changed and strongest determination, NGOs are limited in the the image that Polish children had of the Roma, thus numbers they can reach. breaking down some stereotypes. School attendance There must also be recognition that the focus should among the Roma children increased and the project was not be placed only on religious or ethnic differences; eventually implemented nationwide. living with broad diversity in a society is an acquired skill. It requires empathy, which should be promoted Observations from home or beginning in kindergarten. Finally, if you The workshop participants offered various ideas, com- are teaching about democracy, you yourself must do so ments, and practical methods to promote a culture of in a democratic manner. tolerance, even in the most difficult situations.

48 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Building Democracy Movements

Building Democracy Movements Workshops

Building Democracy Movements: How to Enlist the Broader Public through Education and the Media?

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: Mouvement Citoyen (Senegal) Siti Nurjanah – Women and Youth Eddie Jarwolo – NAYMOTE Partners for Development Institute of Indonesia Democratic Development (Liberia) Potohar Organization for (Indonesia) Development Advocacy Muhammad Zubair – Potohar (Pakistan) Organization for Development Advocacy Rapporteur: (Pakistan) Siti Nurjanah – Women and Youth Development Institute of Indonesia Rafael Marques de Morais – Maka (Indonesia) Angola (Angola)

his workshop addressed the topic by drawing on communication must be found. Information can be case studies from Angola, Liberia, and Pakistan, transmitted face-to-face. Material can be circulated T countries that face common problems of poverty, and copied privately. Documents can be shared infor- unemployment, voter apathy, distrust, corruption, and mally. However, free access to media does not necessar- marginalization. More importantly, each country has ily contribute to democratization or a shift in political restricted access to media, which may also be heav- discourse, as the case of Singapore demonstrates. Simi- ily regulated, as well as poor educational systems larly, although a range of alternative channels may be that discourage critical thinking and problem-solving available, many people will tend to tune in to media skills, thereby undermining prospects for building that confirm their existing political beliefs. The chal- democracy. lenge for media is not only how to inform people, but also how to educate them about the issues and engage Challenges them in the democratic process. ➤➤ How can political and public discourse shift or change, especially when there are constraints on Recommendations media freedom, as in The Philippines, Thailand, ➤➤ Strengthen civic education in school curricula Singapore, and other countries? and programs to bolster citizens’ confidence in en- ➤➤ How can communities be engaged on a democ- gaging in the political system and processes. ratization agenda that will ultimately serve their ➤➤ Public education should be designed to encour- self-interests? age citizenship and political participation by addressing themes that affect people in their everyday Observations lives. Education and media are key to democratic devel- ➤➤ Encourage various forms of citizen journalism. opment. An educational system, formal or informal, ➤➤ While journalists should be protected from should encourage the broader public to participate censorship, they themselves should create a self- and to build democracy. The participatory process regulating code of conduct as an alternative to gov- can generate forceful pressure on a government to ernment regulation. initiate democratic reforms. Civic engagement should ➤➤ To shift political discourse, advocacy groups and address the problems of citizens’ daily lives, including opinion makers could encourage focused group dis- such issues as domestic violence, education, electricity, cussions that may help to shape public opinion in water, health care, and unemployment. favor of democratic reform and human rights. When access to media is restricted, other forms of

www.wmd.org 49 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Realizing the Vision of the International Women’s Democracy Network (IWDN)

Organizer: Presenters: Soraida Sabbah – Women’s Affairs International Women’s Democracy Betty Yeoh – All Women’s Technical Committee (Palestine) Network—IWDN Action Society (Malaysia) Mma Odi – BAOBAB for Women’s Moderator: Andrea Romani – Cidadania, Human Rights (Nigeria) Mahnaz Afkhami – Women’s Learning Estudo, Pesquisa, Informaçao e Partnership for Rights, Development, Açao (Brazil) Masuma Hasan – Pakistan Institute of and Peace (Iran/U.S.) International Affairs (Pakistan) Lina Abou-Habib – Collective Perry Aritua - Women’s Democracy Rapporteur: for Research and Training on Network Uganda Country Chapter Layla Moughari – IWDN (U.S.) Development-Action (Lebanon) (Uganda) Selima Ahmad - Bangladesh Women’s Chamber of Atifa Timjerdine – Association Commerce and Industry Democratique des Femmes du Maroc (Bangladesh) (Morocco)

he International Women’s Democracy Network Presentations (IWDN), a functional network of the World ➤➤ Betty Yeoh spoke about successes in Malaysia. T Movement for Democracy with a secretariat Women were able to secure quotas and relax dra- at the Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, conian laws, which ultimately increased freedom Development, and Peace (WLP), convened its fifth of movement. Women’s rights activists continue to meeting during the Seventh Assembly. The session advocate, not just for increased rights, but also for included a short history of the IWDN; an overview of voter rights and on environmental issues. recent achievements, including advances in women’s ➤➤ In Brazil, the women’s movement has made sig- educational attainment worldwide, and, for network nificant contributions to civil society and democra- members, a new web site with regional resources and cy, largely focusing on reproductive rights, access to new social networking pages; updates from IWDN land, and labor issues, according to Andrea Romani. members—i.e., women’s political and civic engage- Brazil recently elected its first woman president, ment in Bangladesh, Brazil, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Dilma Vana Rousseff, which reflects significant Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, and Uganda; progress. However, in terms of formal political par- and a discussion of next steps and priorities, including ticipation, women are still vastly underrepresented. how to expand the IWDN’s reach. During the session ➤➤ Lina Abou-Habib suggested a number of poli- participants also utilized WLP’s forthcoming tool- cies that would further women’s rights in Lebanon. kit, Leading to a Culture of Democracy: A Handbook Nationality laws should be reformed so that women for Women in Transitioning Societies, which draws receive the same citizenship rights as men. Laws to on numerous strategy sessions organized by WLP on protect women from domestic violence and quotas advancing women’s rights during democratic transi- to increase women’s political participation should tions. The participants heard from IWDN members be implemented. Family laws should be reformed. about the achievements of, and challenges faced by, Implementation of these policies is difficult due women around the world, including successful advo- to opposition by powerful religious groups. The cacy campaigns, establishment of quotas and achiev- women’s rights movement in Lebanon must there- ing political advances, on the one hand, and attacks on fore remain vigilant and politically active. Women reproductive health, the rise of fundamentalism, and should continue to mobilize, raise consciousness, the obstacles of illiteracy and lack of access to educa- hold leadership positions, and maintain the right to tion, on the other. challenge religious institutions.

50 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Building Democracy Movements

➤➤ Selima Ahmed reported on her successful efforts ➤➤ According to Atifa Timjerdine, the women’s to create the first women’s chamber of commerce movement in Morocco is working towards progress, in Bangladesh, which works to encourage an equal but is held back due to high levels of maternal mor- role for women’s decision making in the home. She tality and illiteracy and low levels of educational stressed the need for additional female entrepre- attainment. Building alliances and coalitions has neurs and the importance of building women’s eco- proven to be a successful tool for the women’s move- nomic capacity. ment in Morocco. ➤➤ Soraida Sabbah explained that the women’s struggle in Palestine is closely tied to the fight During the second half of the session, IWDN mem- against occupation, although the movement is al- bers divided up into groups to test WLP’s toolkit on so working to increase women’s rights within the advancing women’s rights and resisting backlash. The Palestinian government by advocating for family following conclusions were reported back: law reform. Palestine already has a quota system ➤➤ Democracy is based on the concept of equal citi- in place and the education gap between women and zenship and must include women’s equal partici- men is very narrow. pation. For democracy to be truly representative, ➤➤ Mma Odi spoke of the many challenges to en- women and others who have been traditionally ex- hancing women’s political participation in Nigeria, cluded from power must be included. Quotas are of- including cultural constraints, such as the idea that ten a useful tool to achieve this goal over a period of “women should be seen and not heard,” and the high time, but it is not enough for women to merely have cost of forming political parties. However, when Ni- political representation. Elected women must also gerian women do come together and mobilize, their adopt an agenda that advances women’s rights and efforts are successful. democratic principles in general. In addition, uni- ➤➤ In Iran, prior to the 2009 elections, the status of versal human rights are a core element of democ- Iranian women’s civic and political engagement was racy, which cannot exist in the absence of women. among the strongest in the region, according to an ➤➤ Fundamentalist religious groups are becoming Iranian activist. The women’s movement gradually increasingly politically empowered in many coun- moved away from factional politics and focused tries. Therefore, democracy activists must analyze largely on legal reforms, while simultaneously en- and address how these developments affect women’s gaging civil society. Today, women are bearing the rights. It is critical that those seeking to advance brunt of political uncertainty, economic sanctions, women’s rights enter into national debates and dis- and the threat of war. This environment has forced cussions being influenced by these extremist forces. the Iranian women’s movement underground, along Women’s rights activists must not be reactive, but with other civil society groups. should define and follow their own agenda while at ➤➤ Masuma Hasan stated that in Pakistan the the same time making their voices heard vis-à-vis greatest need for women is to enter the political the agendas of other groups. If they are silent, they mainstream. To do so, Pakistan should implement will be overtaken. They must oppose censorship political quotas, create an environment in which and refuse to be silenced. women feel comfortable taking leadership roles and ➤➤ Each local context must be analyzed in address- being active in the public sphere, and encourage ing the challenges and opportunities for advancing more women to run for office. The greatest threat women’s rights and their full democratic participa- to women’s rights in Pakistan is the rise of “politi- tion. In many countries, a woman’s identity with cal religion.” The women’s rights movement should another group, such as with an indigenous group, revise its strategies to respond to these challenges. has a significant impact on her ability to realize her ➤➤ In Uganda, 35 percent of the members of parlia- rights. ment are women and a woman, Rebecca Kadaga, is ➤➤ Impediments to systems of justice disproportion- the speaker, one of the best individuals to hold that ately affect women and are among the many factors position, according to Perry Aritua. On the other that have adverse implications for women’s rights. hand, political structures must be strengthened and ➤➤ Forming alliances is key to achieving objectives. low levels of education and literacy among women, Women’s rights movements should thus include which hinder their access to equal rights and op- men’s voices and work with male advocates to real- portunities, must be addressed. ize full citizenship rights for women. Teachers have

www.wmd.org 51 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

a strong ability to shape society and should there- The moderator concluded the session by encouraging a fore be engaged as allies to advance gender equal- “culture change.” Women’s issues include a wide range ity and encourage girls to take on leadership roles. of areas that impact all levels of society. For society Women politicians should work together and should and democracy to thrive, women’s movements should be supported by civil society groups to advance a advance cultures that embrace full gender equality, shared agenda. tolerance, and participatory leadership, thus recognizing the full rights of all citizens.

How Networks Promote Shared Principles, Best Practices, and Solidarity in Citizen Election Monitoring

Organizer: Rapporteur: Presenters: National Democratic Institute—NDI Nabil Hassan – Lebanese Darko Aleksov – European Network (U.S.) Association for Democratic of Election Monitoring Organizations— Elections—LADE (Lebanon) ENEMO (Macedonia) ModeratorS: Rindai Chipfunde-Vava – Zimbabwe Alejandra Barrios – Mision de Election Support Network—ZESN Observacion Electoral—MOE (Colombia) (Zimbabwe) Dammy Magbual – National Citizens’ Meghan Fenzel – NDI (U.S.) Movement for Free Elections—NAMFREL (The Philippines)

he moderators gave a brief introduction of the his- ety’s issues. Mr. Aleksov also underscored that the tory and importance of election observation. They wider the geographic focus, the harder it is to build a T also explained the establishment of the Global stable network. He also emphasized that with the rise Network for Domestic Election Monitoring (GNDEM). of social media and information technologies, which are efficient, generally free, and can reach a wide Part 1: Sharing Experiences through Global audience, civil society will no longer be available so and Regional Networks much in person, but more so online. GNDEM exempli- The first part of this workshop sought to address the fies this trend, since it has managed to get 180 organi- following questions: zations to support one common cause mainly through ➤➤ Why is it important to build global or regional online platforms. solidarity among civil society organizations? What Alejandra Barrios drew upon her 10 years of expe- are the goals of such networks? rience in networking to illustrate the challenges that ➤➤ How can civil society organizations establish ef- networks face. The biggest issue, she said, is to identify fective multi-national networks? an agenda that will keep the network’s members inter- ➤➤ How can social media and new technologies con- ested and active. Election observation missions brought tribute to the sustainability of regional and global her network members together and increased solidarity networks? among them. She explained that the use of social media would enable network members to express even greater Presentations solidarity and reach a higher number of people, and Darko Aleksov launched the discussion by stressing should thus be the new means to develop her network. the importance of building networks to achieve the Dammy Magbual also drew upon his experience to members’ goals through a common effort. Sharing illustrate network solidarity. After his network moni- basic objectives, principles, standards, and best prac- tored more than 30 elections, people wanted to enhance tices is essential to making a network work. If not, their own observation mission processes by benefiting the network is at risk because its members will start from network exchanges. Five experts from around the devoting too much time on tackling the politics of the world looked at their reports and gave them very use- civil society community rather than focusing on soci- ful recommendations. He also underscored how useful

52 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Building Democracy Movements

the help from the National Democratic Institute was in ➤➤ What are the appropriate means for establishing learning about networks. Keeping volunteers active in mechanisms for mutual accountability? What are between elections was a challenge, he said. They there- the challenges? fore diversified their activities by monitoring government projects and corrupt agencies. Presentations The moderator began the discussion by describing the Discussion creation of the Declaration of Global Principles for The workshop presenters and other participants Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by engaged in discussion on several issues: Citizen Organizations. Aware of the common chal- ➤➤ The issue of credibility was raised several times. lenges that election observation networks face world- One participant reported his experience in Sri wide, a platform was created in 2010 to draft this Lanka, where he tried collaborating with election Declaration. So far, it has been translated into several monitoring bodies. The network almost lost the languages and endorsed by many networks and offi- credibility it had developed as a result of the inde- cially by the United Nations in 2012. pendence it had built up throughout the years. Darko Aleksov added that acting under the prin- ➤➤ The workshop participants agreed on the impor- ciples of the Declaration helped his network regulate tance of respecting a network’s rules. The leader- itself and provide information to its constituents in ship body should be strong enough to remove the a better and more credible way. He then shared good membership of a member who might undermine a practices that his network implemented in Macedonia. network’s reputation by breaking its rules. The project, “Mobile Parliament Meeting,” consisted of ➤➤ Many participants stressed the importance of pe- drawing members of parliament (MPs) outside their of- riodically reinventing a network’s agenda to engage fices to meet directly with the people and thus make its members. For instance, a network can monitor them more accountable. They also created performance official activities at different levels of public ad- cards to monitor MP activities. They continued to di- ministration, or if electronic ballot machines are versify their activities by monitoring local councils and used in an election the network should audit them. reform implementation. ➤➤ All the participants agreed on the benefits of Alejandra Barrios remarked that the Declaration has using new information and communication tech- three useful dimensions: a political dimension that we nologies (ICTs). When a government increases its have to exploit so the quality of the process reflects the crackdown on civil society, building solidarity and democratic nature of the government and citizens have public support through social media and online political control of their country; a citizen dimension to networks is the CSOs’ best tool. strengthen citizen observation; and a legislative dimen- ➤➤ Two main issues were raised about ICTs. First, it sion in which rights and obligations are framed. She is important to know your target audience and how emphasized that the challenge now is to find a way to to reach it through the Internet. Second, using ICTs measure compliance with the Declaration so it will be- in election monitoring raises the risk of gathering come more than a simple text. some false information. If pro-government or pro- opposition activists share flawed reports online, the Discussion network’s credibility can be seriously endangered The workshop participants spoke about their experi- if it relies on those reports. Paying attention to who ences and raised several key issues: sends information and double-checking it reduces ➤➤ A participant from Lebanon said that the Decla- those risks. ration helped his network gain legitimacy and ownership. He also acknowledged that the Declaration Part 2: Advancing Shared Principles was drafted through an organic, participatory, and to Build Political Accountability consensual process that made it and the GNDEM The second part of the workshop sought to address the both useful and legitimate. following questions: ➤➤ A participant from Asia stated that election man- ➤➤ How can networks effectively promote best prac- agement bodies (EMBs) have generally tough atti- tices to hold governments accountable? tudes towards observation groups and fear the term ➤➤ How and when should networks formalize shared “watchdog.” However, the Declaration helped ob- principles? servation groups to convince EMBs that they share

www.wmd.org 53 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

the same goals and values and can thus work to- ➤➤ A participant from Kenya added that the Decla- gether. ration also covers human rights protection issues, ➤➤ To monitor compliance with the Declaration, which thus broadens its implications. The Declara- some observation groups make it part of their an- tion can therefore play the role of a social contract nual general assembly agenda by discussing how between citizens and the government because it they give meaning to the Declaration and how the conveys the duties and principles for both of them. network complies with the Declaration’s principles. It is the networks’ role to consolidate the influence ➤➤ A participant raised the importance of differ- of the Declaration by expanding its audience and entiating between a centralized network that has widely sharing knowledge of its benefits. a strong secretariat for sharing knowledge and in- ➤➤ A member of a Nicaraguan observation group formation, and a “flat” network that has a low-pro- described her experience. In 2006, she said, the file secretariat, thus giving more ownership to its government abandoned democracy to consolidate members. While the former can be more efficient, its power and the economy. The observation group it limits ownership compared to the latter. When directly suffered from this shift and used the Dec- building a network, therefore, it is important to de- laration as a key resource to highlight the fraud and cide which kind of network one wants and then for- to develop indicators to work in this newly repres- mulate its structure accordingly. sive environment.

54 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Building Democracy Movements

Building Democracy Movements: Moving from Online to Offline for Effective Activism

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: Dosta! Movement Ivana Howard – National Esraa Abdelfattah Rashid – Egyptian (Bosnia-Herzegovina) Endowment for Democracy—NED Democratic Academy (Egypt) (U.S.) Vision of Tomorrow (Russia) Oleg Kozlovsky – Vision of Tomorrow (Russia) Rapporteur: Darko Brkan – Dosta! Movement Darko Brkan – Dosta! Movement (Bosnia-Herzegovina) (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

he aim of this workshop was to reflect on the terested in a film into a movement of tens of thousands growing trend of online activism, and to deter- who would support a workers’ strike. Using Face- T mine its implications for the broader field of book was the main way to mobilize successfully those activism and democracy-building processes, as well people who could not previously demonstrate on the as to facilitate an exchange of experiences in integrat- streets. Social media thus helped to give them a sense ing online and offline work as effective strategies. The of solidarity, organization, and strategy in far less time first part of the workshop examined past examples than would have been needed otherwise. and experiences in using online tools, with a focus on It is important to note that applying the term “Face- work in Egypt, Russia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and book Revolution” to the Egyptian Revolution is inaccu- highlighted lessons learned by the democracy move- rate because Facebook was not the essence of the pro- ments in those countries. tests; it was only a clever means used to engage people. Concerning the distinction between real online ac- The key aspect of the Revolution was the people’s de- tivism and so-called “slacktivism” (a term that com- termination to bring about change. Perhaps the best il- bines the words “slacker” and “activism,” referring to lustration of this point is that during the main protests people who support social, political, and other causes there was no Internet or mobile connections available; exclusively online but without any practical effect and the only form of communication was landline phones. only for personal satisfaction), there was agreement However, the protests might not have grown as large as that online activism cannot be separated from offline they did or become as known as they were if it were not work. An activist must organize public events, develop for the use of social media. For example, the Internet strategies, and engage others in carrying out different was crucial for getting the word out about the murder actions to advance his or her cause. Online activism of Khaled Saeed, a young Egyptian killed in Alexan- is but one stage in a cycle of activism, not an activity dria on June 6, 2010 under questionable circumstances in and of itself. It is one tool in a set of tools to carry after being arrested by Egyptian police. His death and out activism generally and can serve to channel and photos of his corpse sparked the popular mobilization articulate people’s views. The Internet is thus a great that led to the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. The Inter- tool, but it cannot address every problem. It is the job net was thus used as a tool to help facilitate the Revo- of activists to find the best ways to use online tools to lution, not to create it. help address offline challenges that affect citizens. In his opening presentation, Darko Brkan described The Egyptian experience provides an interesting the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the 2008 pro- example of how activists have used public grievances tests against the local government of Sarajevo, which and frustration to mobilize citizens by using online was an important example for the discussion. Again, tools (Facebook in particular), and to give them direc- online tools were only part of a strategy. The Dosta! tion to pursue change, according to Esraa Abdelfattah Movement was created as a civic initiative by a few Rashid in her opening presentation. Turning a Face- members of an Internet forum. Over time, it grew vis- book group into a tool to communicate with more than ibly online, but the Movement needed an offline vic- 70,000 people began with a call to several friends to tory to gain greater credibility. The murder of a boy go out and watch a movie. A key moment transformed on a tram provided a spark of rage that the Movement this group from several hundred people who were in- channeled—through its Internet tools—to organize

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and build protests expressing the public’s widespread and push for real change. It was also emphasized that dissatisfaction with the Sarajevo government. The online campaigns should promote and celebrate small protests in February 2008 allowed the Movement to achievements at regular intervals. press for demands that certain politicians lose their Following the opening presentations and discussion, positions, which met with success. the workshop also took up the cases of Colombia, Ar- In Russia, according to Oleg Kozlovsky, while there gentina, and Bolivia. In Colombia, several powerful was growing social discontent, it became increasingly online movements emerged, such as campaigns against difficult to engage people in public protests. This can violence, mobilization around elections, and to engage be attributed to a lack of trust in collective action, university students, but none managed to succeed off- which is common under authoritarian regimes. The line. In addition, special challenges, such as reaching conventional wisdom was that it was too dangerous to out to marginalized groups, such as indigenous peo- go into the streets and that friends and family would ples in Bolivia and Argentina, were also raised. view it as a stupid and naïve act. The Internet pro- The second part of the workshop featured a discus- vided an open space that allowed people to feel more sion on using online tools in the future and ways to comfortable about writing and commenting critically build on the experiences that were presented. Con- online. While Russian activists managed to engage a cerning the audience and how to expand the number large part of the online community, however, the pub- of those engaged, both the Russian and Egyptian cas- lic refused to turn out and protest. The 2011 election es demonstrate that only a small number of citizens then provided the needed spark. Activists employed can become involved through online tools, but a small several online tools that harnessed the strong, emo- group is important, since social media is generally able tional feelings generated by widespread fraud, which to attract and reach key agents of change. This is criti- helped people overcome their apathy and fear. As a re- cal because traditional media do not generally pick up sult, on December 4th that year, there was a protest on the outcomes of social networking. in which 1,000 to 2,000 people took part, which was One way to utilize online tools in a sustainable way is easily dispersed by the police. The following day, 5,000 to focus on activity around elections, which take place to 8,000 people turned out, and the following Saturday regularly. For instance, in Russia, there are several im- 50,000 people were in the streets. Again, the activists pressive online parallel voting and election monitoring successfully combined their online and offline work to tools, including www.mashina.org and www.kartana- bring about a real change in public mobilization. rusheniy.org. While particular incidents served as important In Bosnia-Herzegovina, online election-related work sparks in each of these cases, the workshop partici- focuses on holding incumbent politicians accountable pants agreed during the ensuing discussion that a dra- by examining their pre-election promises and post- matic incident, such as a death, is fortunately not al- election performance. The Truth-o-Meter (www.isti- ways necessary. Alternative examples include the 6th nomjer.ba) focuses on evaluating election programs of of April workers strike in Egypt, for which the catalyst governing parties and politicians; its influence is now was a rise in prices, and the campaign calling for the helping to frame election campaigns. A version of the prime minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina to resign given Truth-o-Meter, in Serbia (www.istinomer.rs), has dem- revelations of property acquired through corruption. onstrated that the use of such tools can be sustained Participants concluded that while an extraordinary in between elections; in fact, this innovative online incident can be important, successful online actions tool has been so successful that it has been replicated are also often the result of years of offline activism. throughout the entire Balkans region. The Internet enabled activists in the countries dis- Of course, not every online tool or action is success- cussed to act quickly at the right moment and to seize ful. The experience of the Egyptian constitutional that moment, and a combination of online and offline referendum campaign is one example, and its failure creativity was able to capture the public’s attention. can be very instructive. Activists should always of- The workshop participants also agreed that sus- fer alternatives to online activism, have a timely plan, taining online campaigns is among the toughest chal- and begin early. Before going online, they should know lenges for activists. The best approaches seem to lie in the situation on the ground accurately. The Nigerian understanding important political and social dynam- case shows that different civil society organizations ics, listening to the voices of the people, and engaging using the same tools, such as multiple Ushahidi elec- them at the right time in order to inspire them to act tion platforms, can produce poor results and confuse

56 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Building Democracy Movements

users. In Central Europe, there is a growing feeling of petitive processes and to develop an integrated strat- helplessness because a combination of more developed egy that will best combine and utilize all tools in the online tools and increasingly available information is most appropriate way for each specific situation. An not producing essential change. online presence is a necessary and useful tool, but it Participants concluded that the best way to ensure is most successfully used when integrated with offline success in moving activism from online to offline, and work in the course of a long-term, coherent strategy. from offline to online, is to make them parallel and re-

Preparing Civil Society for the Potential of Breakthrough Elections

Organizer: Rapporteur: Oleg Kozlovsky – Vision of Tomorrow Forum Asia (Thailand) Laura London – International (Russia) Republican Institute—IRI (U.S.) Moderator: Ben Suffian – Merdeka Center for Swee Seng Yap – Presenters: Opinion Research (Malaysia) Forum Asia (Thailand) Benigno Alarcon – Fundación para la Organización del Desarrollo José Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon – en las Américas—FODA (Venezuela) Office of Political Affairs, Government of The Philippines (The Philippines)

lections—generally the symbol of a country’s civil society must work to create the conditions nec- commitment to democratic values and political essary for the potential of breakthrough elections, a E equality—are all too often co-opted by authori- process that may last many election cycles. Conditions tarian regimes as a means of attaining legitimacy conducive to reform elections are contingent upon the while simultaneously assuring control. In circum- government’s assessment of the risks of oppression stances in which elections are neither free nor fair and versus those of tolerance, the balance between oppo- results are pre-determined, civil society can and must sition parties, and the capacity for real, competitive still play a role in advancing democracy. This work- elections. The likely scenario for Venezuela is one of shop thus focused on the mobilization of civil soci- “rupture and reform,” according to which reform oc- ety as a counterforce to the governing party, with an curs via levels of negotiation between moderate stake- emphasis on preparing civil society for breakthrough holders, since the regime finds itself unable to remain elections and maintaining momentum in post-election in power through elections but unable to stay in power periods, in cases of both victory and defeat. The work- by any other means. No matter the circumstances, civil shop moderator, Swee Seng Yap, set the narrative for society must not abandon its political space, since it is the discussion by defining three contextual scenarios only through participation that civil society can adapt that determine civil society’s role in breakthrough itself to the sophisticated mechanisms of oppression elections: First, in circumstances of authoritarian used by the regime. rule where reform elections are highly unlikely, if According to Oleg Kozlovsky, participation is also not impossible; second, under conditions of legitimate essential even in cases where the candidates are pre- competition where there is great potential for a break- selected and elections are predetermined. The demo- through election; and third, in post-election transi- bilization of the opposition—a result of boycotting tions where democracy risks backsliding if it is not elections—rids it of potential momentum and removes properly consolidated. the opportunity to achieve symbolic victories through In his opening presentation, Benigno Alarcon dis- which reform progress is made. In the case of the Rus- cussed the failure of Venezuela’s opposition to achieve sian elections, he said, the opposition was able to dele- a breakthrough in recent elections. To move beyond gitimize the election results by exposing violations this defeat, Mr. Alarcon stressed the importance of and fraud at polling stations, and protests on an un- viewing elections as a small part of a larger game: precedented scale have kept the opposition fervent.

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As an economically stable country with a relatively Challenges responsive central government, Malaysia presents a ➤➤ Uniting the opposition is the main challenge to unique context for a discussion on this topic, accord- achieving breakthrough elections, but it is key to es- ing to Ben Suffian. Mr. Suffian discussed the changing tablishing a viable alternative to the ruling regime. role of Malaysia’s civil society, which has traditionally Opposition parties must present a common agenda been found only in the upper tiers of society and has to solicit support that is sufficient to counter the largely been kept out of political undertakings. Due to ruling party. While divisions among the opposition greater technological access, however, through which will inevitably become clear after the elections, it is civil society has increasingly been exposed to the cor- important to put differences aside when the goal is ruption and mismanagement of the government, as to replace an entrenched regime. well as to the election results in 2004, which were di- ➤➤ Maintaining momentum after failing to achieve sastrous for the opposition, it has a new recognition of a breakthrough election is difficult, particularly the importance of political activism. In recent years, when expectations were high. It is important to academics and civil society organizations have come keep civil society members politically active and in together to create a common agenda on electoral and communication with each other in between election media reform, recognizing that a united opposition is periods. Russian civil society shows that this can be crucial to achieving breakthrough elections. It is with done through apolitical endeavors, such as keeping the momentum from this movement that 2013 is a year civil society members interacting through humani- of hope for Malaysian breakthrough elections. tarian or charitable work. Having had its breakthrough elections in 1986, The Philippines offered a context for the discussion that Recommendations had yet to be addressed. Chito Gascon spoke of the im- ➤➤ Always participate! Refusing to participate be- portance of viewing breakthrough elections as part of cause elections will not be free and fair takes away a continuum in which important steps must be taken the opposition’s opportunity to capitalize on sym- prior to the elections, during campaigns, and after the bolic victories, and of learning new campaign skills. breakthrough. In elections leading up to a potential Non-participation stunts the potential growth of breakthrough, civil society must evaluate expecta- the opposition movement by demobilizing civil so- tions and set a proper narrative. Armed with this nar- ciety entirely. rative, small or symbolic victories can generate crucial ➤➤ Frame the narrative and manage expectations. momentum, even if outright electoral victory is not Ground can be gained even in circumstances of achieved. Adopting international standards for free certain electoral defeat. By framing the narrative and fair elections and mobilizing both local and inter- of the elections, progress can be appreciated as a national support on the ground for election monitoring slowly evolving and incremental concept. It is im- is also very important. portant to celebrate strategic gains and victories, no matter how small they are, to keep up the spirit, motivation, and momentum of the movement. ➤➤ Empower the people. Mobilize local and international support to ensure the transparency and validity of election results, so that the people themselves can expose irregularities and demand fair elections.

58 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Defending Civil Society

Defending Civil Society Plenary Session

Preventing Backsliding from Democracy: The Role of Civil Society

Organizer: Rapporteur: Inna Pidluska – International World Movement Secretariat Ivana Howard – NED (U.S.) Renaissance Foundation (Ukraine)

Moderator: Presenters: Mauricio Alarcón Salvador – Nadia Diuk – National Endowment László Rajk – University of Theatre FUNDAMEDIOS (Ecuador) for Democracy—NED (U.S.) and Film Art (Hungary)

Mehmet Sanar Yurdatapan – Freedom of Expression Association (Turkey)

his plenary session began with the recognition In his opening presentation, Mehmet Sanar Yurdat- that following a democratic breakthrough, the apan remarked that in Turkey, nationalism is not just T seeds of backsliding are already contained in popular but is also broadly understood as being a virtue; a country’s movement towards democracy. In other it is a sign of an individual’s commitment to collective words, it should be expected that backsliding will rather than personal prosperity, but this attitude comes occur in new democracies at some point, and we at the expense of the country’s minorities, particularly should thus treat it as a qualitatively different process the Kurds. In turn, this then allows Turkish nationalists than a transition and prepare to deal with it accord- to use the minority issue as an excuse to stifle freedom ingly. of expression and other elements of democracy. In Ukraine, according to Inna Pidluska, the govern- Presentations ment uses “traditional values” rather than nationalism According to László Rajk in his opening presenta- to foster nondemocratic tendencies. Ms. Pidluska out- tion, the long-term effects of backsliding are corro- lined four signs of backsliding drawn from the experi- sive, and can create vicious cycles in which countries ence of Ukraine: The first is a shrinking space for free- with weak democratic traditions can be particularly dom, a process that creeps up and often goes unnoticed vulnerable. For example, the imperative in democra- by the public. Freedom of expression, for example, often cies is to win elections, but when democratic institu- starts with self-censorship. Public information becomes tions are not yet consolidated and the political culture increasingly incomplete, inaccurate, and hard to access; is not yet mature, the electoral process can easily consequently, the government stops letting people know regress through the use of nationalism and populism what it is doing. Second, corruption becomes so wide- in campaigns. In Hungary, where nationalism is seen spread that citizens accept it as a norm. Third, trust as one of the causes of backsliding, recent elections in institutions declines, as their legitimacy is replaced have centered on nationalist and populist rhetoric, with legality. The final indicator is the selective appli- using themes like “independence” from globalization, cation of justice, most poignantly illustrated in the re- fight against the EU bureaucracy, and protect national cent selective prosecution of opposition leaders in the interests. Joining a larger international community country. like the EU, brings many advantages to a country, but Evidence from Ecuador confirms the trends outlined also means giving up some sovereignty, which is then by Ms. Pidluska, particularly in the areas of corruption exploited by populist politicians as a campaign tactic. and freedom of expression. Mauricio Alarcon Salvador cited in his opening presentation the worrying trends in

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his home country, where over 150 attacks on press free- In Ukraine, civil society is rising to the challenge and dom have been registered recently, including lawsuits has prevented specific cases of backsliding through ef- against journalists and media critical of the govern- forts that bring together domestic NGOs and media ment. Citizens are even prosecuted for simply express- with representatives of the international community ing their dissatisfaction with the authorities. The right and sympathetic political forces. of access to public information is limited and journal- In Turkey, civil society has been successful in creating ists who reveal information on political leaders’ conflict an alternative public dialogue with decision makers. of interest cases are prosecuted and imprisoned. More Mr. Yurdatapan described the establishment of small than 200 civil rights defenders have been tried under provincial assemblies as a new method of communica- the guise of being threats to national security. Conse- tion in which NGOs, trade associations, and chambers quently, citizens are afraid to publically protest. of commerce meet every month to discuss national and In both Ukraine and Ecuador, backsliding has led to local issues of interest and present them to their dis- a divorce between the government and society. At the trict members of parliament and mayors. This process, same time, these countries have seen the rise of Gov- which involves no decision making, allows civil society ernment NGOs (GONGOs) and other forms of fake de- to identify common issues across the country and pres- mocracy. ent them to the Parliament for consideration. For Ecuador, the challenge is greater, since the gov- Discussion ernment has successfully divided and coopted civil so- Following the opening presentations, the plenary dis- ciety. Therefore, the first major challenge is to create a cussion produced a number of points: new civil society whose role will be to promote demo- For some countries, the process of joining an inter- cratic values, defend democratic institutions and val- governmental organization, such as the EU, initially ues at risk, and advocate for proactive measures to help bolstered their systems of checks and balances. How- consolidate democracy. ever, gaining a stronghold on power allows elected parties to begin attacking national democratic institutions, Final Observations including checks and balances, that in a young democ- The plenary discussion concluded with several impor- racy play a key role in democratic consolidation. There- tant observations. Backsliding is a broader trend to fore, according to Mr. Rajk, one of the first key tests for which we should pay greater attention, and we should the EU will be whether it decides to exercise the tools expect it after democratic breakthroughs. It encour- at its disposal and actually punish member states that ages a vicious cycle through the use of populism, and fail to comply with its rules. is characterized by the creation of GONGOs, limits on For countries that aspire to EU membership, incen- freedom of expression, and manipulation of national- tives for reform have also been significantly weakened ist and traditional values. However, new governments by the increasingly remote prospects of accession. The prone to backsliding are also sensitive to international pushback experienced by Turkey, for example, has re- pressure and their own populations because they have sulted in a weakened enthusiasm for membership established quasi democratic credentials for which among the population. This is one of the reasons why they want recognition. Civil society is perhaps the more has to be done from within these countries to re- best weapon to oppose backsliding and put democratic verse backsliding trends. transitions back on course.

60 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Defending Civil Society

Panel Discussion

Defending Civil Society: Addressing Threats to Freedom of Association and Assembly Online

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: World Movement Secretariat Ladan Boroumand – Maina Kiai – UN Special Rapporteur Abdorrahman Boroumand on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful International Center for Foundation (Iran) Assembly and of Association (Kenya) Not-for-Profit Law—ICNL Rapporteur: Doug Rutzen – ICNL (U.S.) Waruguru Kaguongo – ICNL Maria Leissner – Community of (Kenya) Democracies (Sweden)

Background and Challenges topic, and their responses revealed how widespread the Before World War II, the nation-state dominated the use of the Internet has become as a means of expression, world political stage as the sole recognized actor. But association, and assembly. Most participants indicated after the war, with the consecration of the Universal that they use Facebook and/or Twitter mainly to dis- Declaration of Human Rights, the individual emerged seminate news and information, but also to associate as the primary bearer of rights replacing the nation- with other online groups and to meet or discuss issues state and imposing upon the latter the obligation of online. None of the participants use social media to protecting and defending the individual’s rights. Over fundraise. the last 60 years, the international recognition of the The ensuing workshop discussion indicated that the individual’s autonomy and rights, including the right opportunities for using social media to exercise free- to have a say in decisions that affect his or her life, has doms of assembly and association are enormous. You- resulted in progressive but profound changes. Civil Tube, for instance, received over 1 trillion views in society organizations have emerged as new actors on 2011 and the most popular Twitter hashtag in 2011 was the political and social stage. As the role and impact #Egypt, while in the last 12 months it has been #Mos- of the forces of civil society grew over the years, so cow. The use of Skype, Google Hangout, and Magic Jack did the harshness and sophistication of the counter- has been increasing due to affordability, reliability, and attack orchestrated by authoritarian states unwilling anonymity. to accept the unalienable autonomy of the individual Repressive governments have long controlled access and his/her right to associate and organize in differ- to means of communication, such as typewriters, pho- ent forms to push for his/her chosen political or social tocopiers, fax machines, and radio, among others, while agenda. using the same media to disseminate their propaganda. The Defending Civil Society report, produced by the The same rationale applies to the Internet, as govern- World Movement and the International Center for Not- ments try to constrain Internet use by retaining users’ for-Profit Law (ICNL), has analyzed the legislative and personal data, including the web sites they have visited political arsenal the authoritarian or semi-authori- and the content they have downloaded; using data to tarian states have put in place to silence the forces of trace and crack down on online activists; and block- civil society and deny their rights. As repressive gov- ing access to web sites or pulling down material posted ernments have stepped up their efforts to restrict civil on the Internet. Threats also result in Internet users’ society space, the Internet has become the latest arena engaging in self-censorship to protect themselves and in which civil society is pushing back. This workshop other users. Non-state actors, such as multinational focused on how the virtual arena still available to civil corporations, have also been implicated in restricting society forces can be strengthened and protected. It ex- access to the Internet either directly or in collaboration plored the challenges faced within the virtual political with governments. space and how they can be overcome. The UN Human Rights Council has emphasized that At the beginning of this workshop, participants re- “offline” rights must also be protected online. The Spe- sponded to a series of multiple choice questions on the cial Rapporteurs on freedom of peaceful assembly and

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association and on freedom of expression have elabo- norms and mechanisms to protect rights to associa- rated norms and standards to guide states, and they can tion and assembly online. provide activists with important advocacy tools. ➤➤ Train activists in digital security. ➤➤ Mobilize activists to exploit spaces still avail- Recommendations able to express themselves, for example, encourag- ➤➤ There should be initiatives to encourage gov- ing those not using the Internet or mobile phones ernments to respect existing norms on freedom of in their work to do so; take advantage of the inef- expression, peaceful assembly, and association, for ficiencies states experience when trying to control example, making it costly for governments to resort numerous Internet users. to restrictive practices. ➤➤ Encourage the effective protection of citizens un- ➤➤ Develop an understanding of “association” and der threat, for example, by rapid mobilization of ac- “assembly” to include online activities, thus taking tivists to respond to emergency situations. advantage of existing international human rights

Workshops

Defending Civil Society: How to Work in Legally Repressive Environments?

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Leila Alieva – Center for Christopher Walker – International (Zimbabwe) National and International Forum for Democratic Studies, NED Studies (Azerbaijan) (U.S.) Center for National and International Studies (Azerbaijan) Khin Lay – National League for Rapporteur: Democracy/TRIANGLE Women Support Okay Machisa – Crisis in Group (Burma) Zimbabwe Coalition (Zimbabwe) Carlos Ponce – Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy— Redlad (Venezuela)

Observations only limited efforts to block travel or personal com- Christopher Walker opened the session by describing mercial activity. But there are significant political the context of legally repressive environments. He rec- restrictions in place. ommended a recent book by William Dobson, entitled ➤➤ Repression cannot be understood purely in legal The Dictator’s Learning Curve, and highlighted the terms, but also within a broader context. For exam- following points: ple, the media are often used to de-legitimize civil ➤➤ The main objective of these repressive regimes society, which in turn paves the way for the toler- is to disrupt and prevent meaningful information ance of legal repression. sharing and political coordination. This objective ➤➤ At the domestic level, repressive regimes are ap- is distinct from the overwhelming control of ev- plying rule by law, rather than the rule of law. Laws ery aspect of life characteristic of totalitarian re- are applied selectively and designed to restrict gimes. Instead, current dictators apply calibrated critical voices. The use of law in this way gives re- pressure designed to address what matters most, gimes a veneer of respectability and the ability to which includes the security of the regime. To illus- veil their actions behind a cloak of law. Moreover, trate, there is a gulf between the Russia of today there is often the “illusion of choice” whereby in- and the Brezhnev period of the Soviet Union. In dependent actors must compete with Government Russia today, unlike in the Soviet Union, there is NGOs (or GONGOs) and other faux organizations a tremendous amount of information available and and “independent” scholars. In such circumstances,

62 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Defending Civil Society

genuinely independent NGOs may struggle to deliv- Challenges er their messages. Moreover, they may be perceived ➤➤ There are emerging donor patterns that cause as the voice of the political opposition, even where some concern. For example, emphasis on results- they are politically neutral. based approaches is unrealistic. A human rights- ➤➤ At the international level, the “appetite is in the based approach would be preferable. In addition, eating.” Countries with ambition and resources— the privatization of democracy support is unhelpful e.g., Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, China— and misguided. Moreover, democracy work must be are using their influence to set lower standards in done by local organizations and individuals, while international settings. For example, in the OSCE, donors often prefer to support international orga- some countries seek to circumscribe work on elec- nizations. tion monitoring with implications for all 56 OSCE ➤➤ We are beginning to witness the phenomenon of member countries. “policy laundering” whereby democratic states use ➤➤ It is important to note that the regimes are tak- international organizations (e.g., the Financial Ac- ing these steps because they see civil society as an tion Task Force, FATF) to impose policies on other effective and potentially threatening player. countries that would not be accepted by the democratic states themselves. Khin Lay then described how civil society operates in ➤➤ The “donor knows best” approach is problematic. Burma: ➤➤ Prior to 2008, there was no independent civil so- Recommendations ciety in Burma, only some UN agencies, GONGOs, ➤➤ NGOs should take advantage of international and business associations. Anyone carrying a co- mechanisms. py of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights ➤➤ NGOs should stick to their mandates and resist could be arrested. corruption. ➤➤ Following the elections in 2010 and 2012, the cur- ➤➤ NGOs should recognize the necessity of working rent transition period has witnessed much progress together. in the social and political arenas. Some political ➤➤ NGOs should work with donors to promote a prisoners have been released; new laws are being funding relationship marked by flexibility and drafted relating to freedom of association; an NGO meaningful impact evaluation. law is pending in Parliament, which will address ➤➤ Donor governments should invest more in youth the registration of nongovernmental organizations. and social media. ➤➤ NGOs have been successful in forming networks ➤➤ Donor governments should engage NGOs in plan- to defend civic space and to push back against gov- ning funding priorities. ernmental action (e.g., the construction of a dam). The student movement in Burma has a long history Additional Observations of commitment to fighting for human rights. The ➤➤ Regimes are sensitive to international pressure, movement has largely been underground, but has even while their confidence is growing. never disappeared, and is ongoing, despite the risks. ➤➤ In addition to legally repressive regimes, there are semi-authoritarian states where some space is For his part, Carlos Ponce emphasized two important allowed for protest, but nothing ever changes. points: ➤➤ Established democracies sometimes play a role in ➤➤ Authoritarians learn from each other, and NGOs perpetuating repression in other countries. More- should do the same. There is a need to be innovative, over, donor states are often reluctant to grant visas to use social networking and the Internet creatively, to activists seeking to flee countries of repression. and to share ideas among those in different coun- ➤➤ We should focus not only on urban areas, but con- tries and across sectors. sider how to empower NGOs in rural communities ➤➤ NGOs should break away from donor-based as well. thinking; they should set their own agendas and re- ➤➤ The development of an independent business sec- fuse donor funding to pursue priorities that don’t tor is relevant and important to civil society devel- make sense for their mission goals. opment. ➤➤ NGOs are often too reactive and need to plan and carry out proactive strategies.

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Defending Journalists under Attack: What are the Best Strategies?

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: Center for Media Freedom Melinda Quintos de Jesus – Cyntia Cárdenas – Independent and Responsibility—CMFR CMFR (The Philippines) Consultant (Mexico) (The Philippines) Masuma Hasan – Aurat Foundation Rapporteur: Freedom House (Mexico) Pakistan (Pakistan) Mariclaire Acosta Urquidi – Freedom House (Mexico) Sandra Romero – Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (Colombia)

he main objective of this workshop was to iden- is also important to promote codes of ethics for jour- tify effective strategies to counter threats to nalism in order to gain social respect and support for T freedom of expression from attacks against jour- journalists’ work. nalists. This was undertaken by a brief analysis of An important part of the discussion centered around two different types of hostile environments against attacks on journalists connected to the content of their journalists and freedom of the press: those in which work through defamation, blasphemy, and security there are clear lines of attack against journalists, such laws, etc. This is the case especially under repressive as situations of armed or severe political conflict, and regimes, but is not limited to them. The cases of jour- those in which the boundaries are unclear and attacks nalists in Vietnam, Bahrain, and Sri Lanka were con- may come from a variety of sources, which are often sidered. unexpected or unidentified. Such is the case of attacks The situations of “citizen journalists” and bloggers coming from criminal elements, corrupt government were also considered because they are especially vul- officials, including, in some cases, suicide bombings. nerable in every part of the world and badly in need When threats to the space in which journalists work of help in many cases. Training in digital security and appear, it was pointed out, journalists can mobilize to professional ethics is vital to protect them. help themselves, and international support is important The workshop discussion made clear that journalism in these cases. However, when physical violence is in- can be regarded in a broader sense as a profession, and volved, it becomes more difficult for journalists to help that the situation of citizen journalists should become themselves through mobilization, especially when the part of the mainstream discussion on the protection of state is complicit in the violence. In this latter case, the journalists. only real remedy is to strengthen society’s security at large, especially by addressing the issue of impunity in Recommendations the criminal justice system. ➤➤ International mechanisms for solidarity, both The general discussion during the workshop centered formal and informal, should be strengthened and on the different vulnerabilities of journalists in many possible new ones should be explored. parts of the world. Poor labor conditions and low pro- ➤➤ The content of journalism and the conduct of fessional standards stood out, among other situations, journalists should be supported by strong ethical such as the lack of organization of members of the pro- values. fession, the lack of support from editors and publishers, ➤➤ Fighting impunity of attacks against journalists and, in general, the lack of social support for journalists in the criminal justice system is vital. in many quarters. ➤➤ Documenting cases of attacks and collecting data One important point that came across is that society about them is essential. as a whole should protect its journalists. This entails an ➤➤ The creation of alliances and networks is also es- effort to promote media literacy so that the important sential. role that journalists play is well understood. This is re- ➤➤ Carefully managing newsroom protocols is im- lated to education and to the successful organization portant for security. of journalists to protect themselves and their work. It ➤➤ Media literacy for the public should be promoted.

64 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Defending Civil Society

➤➤ Press councils and journalist unions should be ➤➤ Knowledge of the important role of journalists created and supported. and the importance of freedom of expression should ➤➤ Digital security and ethics trainings should be be disseminated widely to the public. developed for bloggers. ➤➤ National protection programs for journalists should be encouraged and strengthened.

The Defending Civil Society Toolkit – Tips for Engaging in NGO Law Reform

OrganizerS: Moderators: Rapporteur: World Movement Ryota Jonen – World Ryota Jonen – World Movement for Democracy Secretariat Movement Secretariat (Japan) Secretariat (Japan)

International Center David Moore – ICNL (U.S.) Presenters: for Not-for-Profit Law—ICNL (U.S.) Inna Pidluska – International Renaissance Foundation (Ukraine)

Ryota Jonen – World Movement Secretariat (Japan)

hile understanding that workshop partici- The Report and Toolkit can be found in multiple lan- pants attended from different political and guages at: www.defendingcivilsociety.org. W social contexts, they recognized a common During this workshop, the moderators used the Tool- challenge during this workshop: increasingly restric- kit (particularly Chapter 2, on Engaging Civil Society, tive legal environments for civil society. The workshop and Chapter 5, on Engaging Government) to facilitate thus focused on sharing practical experiences in vari- an exchange of best practices and experiences among ous efforts to improve legal environments. the participants.

Background Engaging Civil Society In 2007 the World Movement for Democracy and the The workshop discussion addressed three main issues International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) in Chapter 2 of the Toolkit: how to mobilize the civil launched the Defending Civil Society project to society sector to engage in legal reform initiatives and address the global trend of shrinking civil society enhance civil society space; how to use local analysis space. In 2008, the World Movement and ICNL pub- in legal reform initiatives; and how to communicate lished the Defending Civil Society report, highlight- messages to society more broadly. ing ways that various governments constrain civil Participants first shared their experiences in how society and articulating the international norms that benefiting from overarching political reforms helped ought to govern proper government-civil society rela- mobilize civil society. These experiences came from five tionships. The report was updated and re-issued in cases: June 2012. In addition to facilitating discussions at ➤➤ Ukraine: CSOs mobilized to work with the gov- the national, regional, and international levels about ernment to improve the NGO law in 2008 because those international norms, the World Movement and under the EU-Ukraine Association agreement, im- ICNL also collected examples of practical strategies proving the law was stated as a priority. In April and tools that more than 400 civil society organiza- 2012, the improved NGO law was finally passed by tions (CSOs) and practitioners have used to engage in the Parliament. legal reform initiatives. With these practical strate- ➤➤ The Philippines: After the transition to democ- gies, tools, and experiences, the World Movement and racy in the late 1980s, the NGO sector drastically ICNL launched the “Defending Civil Society Toolkit – expanded. With this rapid growth, a need emerged Tips for Engaging in NGO Law Reform” in June 2012. for a self-regulation mechanism. A network of NGOs thus adopted a code of ethics, outlining the

www.wmd.org 65 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

standards for managing and operating an organiza- ➤➤ Ukraine: While working with international tion and relating to donors. Given the establishment groups is important for solidarity and technical of this code of ethics, The Philippines has no NGO and financial support, Ukrainian groups have been law, just a code of ethics for companies. extremely careful about how their partnerships ➤➤ Ecuador: In 2008, the government issued Decree with international NGOs can be misperceived. In 218, imposing tighter regulations on NGOs, includ- addition, local NGOs recognize the necessity of ing a vague basis for their dissolution. Responding responding to local needs, which helps build their to this change in the political environment, a meet- credibility and legitimacy. ing was convened with 60 organizations to build a coalition to promote reform of the Decree. The co- The workshop also took up experiences in packaging alition provided its members with advocacy train- advocacy messages in several countries: ing on how to organize, analyze legal frameworks, ➤➤ Venezuela: To engage the broader public, a CSO and prepare for discussions with the government. published a comic book, inserted in a daily newspa- This helped build confidence of CSOs in their own per, to highlight social issues and concerns and the power. possible impact of proposed constitutional reforms. ➤➤ Thailand: The case of Thailand shows that ➤➤ Ukraine: A coalition of NGOs advocating for an changes in the political environment do not nec- improved NGO law produced pamphlets with sim- essarily help mobilize civil society, but sometimes ple illustrations and cartoon images that showed create new challenges. While civil society was very how easy it is to set up a business entity compared strong in the 1980s and 1990s, the current polarized to an NGO. The coalition also related the ways in political environment has weakened and divided which NGOs contribute to Ukrainian society. For the sector. example, one cartoon indicated how health services ➤➤ Bolivia: Networks of civil society groups met over are provided by NGOs in the country and how ma- 15 times to educate themselves on international law ny people have benefited from them. The pamphlets and standards and political processes for legal re- were an important tool with which the coalition form. This helped civil society not only to build was able to mobilize support for its advocacy. consensus on priority concerns and issues, as well ➤➤ The Philippines: CSOs often work with celebri- as approaches to reform, but also to prepare joint ties, such as internationally known music bands proposals to the government. Moreover, the process and actors, to capture attention. helped convey the strong legitimacy of the propos- ➤➤ Sudan: The civil society sector formed a con- als to the government. federation of NGOs to strengthen and unite their voices. The workshop discussion also highlighted the roles of local and international CSOs, as the experiences of Engaging with Government three countries demonstrated: Chapter 5 of the Defending Civil Society Toolkit lists ➤➤ Sierra Leone: In 2009, the government introduced a number of tools and strategies for building dialogue new NGO Policy Regulations, and there was a need with government. Using this information, the work- to analyze them from a civil society point of view. A shop discussion focused on the key elements for suc- local civil society group sought technical assistance cessful engagement with government. Participants from an international legal expert to analyze the emphasized the importance of “mapping” key indi- Policy Regulations and measure them against inter- viduals in the government; it is crucial to identify who national standards. With this international analysis has mandates and obligations to work on the process of in hand, the local civil society group then prepared reforming an NGO law, and among those individuals, its own analysis within the particular political con- it is important to identify a “champion” who is able to text of Sierra Leone, which proved very helpful in mobilize broad political support and enhance political deepening understanding of the Policy Regulations will. CSOs should also be aware that the government among local CSOs. is not monolithic, but is often a very fluid, dynamic, ➤➤ Indonesia: During the Suharto dictatorship, lo- and changing composition of entities. The participants cal NGOs often invited foreign NGOs to participate focused on examples from several countries: in their activities given that the Suharto regime was ➤➤ Ukraine: The government tends to be atten- reluctant to harass/arrest foreigners. tive when it is committed to delivering something

66 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Defending Civil Society

tangible. Its interest in European Union integra- The workshop participants also highlighted the im- tion, the EU-Ukraine Plan of Action, and the World portance of packaging persuasive messages to the gov- Bank’s strategy for Ukraine helped ensure that the ernment: government was committed to improving the legal ➤➤ Ecuador: Given the current, politically polarized framework for NGOs. environment, civil society’s engagement with gov- ➤➤ Ukraine: In drafting the NGO Law in 2008-12, ernment officials might be more effective if it focus- many different departments of the government or es on providing government agencies with apolitical committees of the Parliament submitted draft pro- technical assistance. visions reflecting different interests. Therefore, it ➤➤ Sudan: To avoid having advocacy efforts per- was extremely important for NGOs to keep moni- ceived as partisan, a participant from Sudan shared toring the development of the draft law as it kept her experience of inviting officials from all politi- changing. It was noted that when legal reform in cal parties to a meeting being organized with gov- Ukraine was taking place, many other laws were ernment officials and parliamentarians. It was also reformed (e.g., the security law and tax law) aside noted that identifying the right messenger for a from the NGO law. Monitoring the development of dialogue with the government, as well as effective those laws was crucial because they also affected communication with the public, were key. Based on the NGO sector. the Sudanese civil society experience, social service ➤➤ Ukraine: The formation of a cross-sectorial groups or groups working on health and education working group (made up of representatives of gov- can sometimes be better messengers than political ernment, Parliament, NGOs, and independent ex- and human rights groups. Academics can also be perts) was a crucial means of engagement. neutral actors in negotiations with the government. ➤➤ Morocco: As the NGO sector decided to engage in This underscores the importance of working with a reform process, the NGOs had to grasp the nature diverse sectors of society. of the “deep state” within the monarchical system ➤➤ Sierra Leone: Recognizing the importance of re- of the country. ligious authorities in multi-religious societies, Sier- ➤➤ The Gambia: Experiences in The Gambia indi- ra Leonean CSOs worked with the Inter-Religious cate that the drafters of the NGO law in the govern- Council in the country, and having it serve as a mes- ment might not have been aware of issues related senger, to make their advocacy more effective. to the NGO sector; it is thus important to educate ➤➤ The Philippines: A participant from The Philip- government officials as part of civil society advo- pines shared his experience as a senior government cacy efforts. official and provided insight into how CSOs can ➤➤ Ecuador: Investing in long-term engagement approach the government. The government needs with the government, an Ecuadorian CSO worked to deliver, he said; therefore, it would be easier for to engage and empower “mid-level” civil servants the government to build dialogue with CSOs if they and government officials, but not “leaders,” in its can offer concrete, actionable recommendations. It advocacy efforts because such officials tend to is also important to use language and arguments be more accessible and more directly involved in that the government understands. Given the limita- drafting laws and policies than their leaders. NGOs tions under which a national government operates, should map issues of shared concern to enhance op- such as the national budget, macro policies, and the portunities for engagement. high number of political actors and social sectors ➤➤ Sierra Leone: NGOs should take advantage with which it must negotiate, CSOs can often make of their personal relations with those in govern- a bigger impact on reforms when working with lo- ment to identify allies and find contact points for cal government instead. engagement. The workshop participants agreed that this exchange of practical information and experiences was very helpful for reflecting on their own advocacy strategies and for developing new ideas. They recommended that the World Movement and ICNL continue to facilitate such information sharing at the country and regional levels.

www.wmd.org 67 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Challenges in Democracy Assistance: Confronting the New Authoritarianism

OrganizerS: Rapporteur: Leila Aliyeva – Center for National and Democracy Digest (U.S.) David Kral – EUROPEUM International Studies (Azerbaijan) Institute for European Policy People in Need Foundation (Czech Republic) Rodrigo Diamanti – World Without (Czech Republic) Censorship (Venezuela) Presenters: Moderator: Christopher Walker – Renee Xia – Chinese Human Rights Michael Allen – International Forum for Defenders—CHRD (China) Democracy Digest (UK) Democratic Studies, NED (U.S.) Marek Svoboda – People in Need Foundation (Czech Republic)

he workshop began with the assumption that the what ambiguous, but some common denominators can situation of democracy assistance in the second be identified that have helped them consolidate them- T decade of this century is significantly different selves and thus pose a challenge to the Western liberal from that of previous periods. Before 1989, democracy order. For example, they are often not isolated, but assistance was a highly contentious issue within the have managed to integrate themselves into the global context of the Cold War because of the bipolar nature economic, political, or security structures. This makes of the world at the time, but after the collapse of the it more difficult for Western policy makers to find cali- USSR, a shift towards greater government-to-non- brated responses to the actions of those regimes. They governmental cooperation and technical assistance in also often like to exploit the weaknesses of liberal de- the building of democratic institutions was observed mocracies by raising their shortcomings, which is par- in many former communist countries. Another sig- ticularly easy during an economic crisis when these nificant shift occurred in the aftermath of the “color democracies are under the increased pressure of the revolutions,” which were viewed as endangering the international community and their own citizens and already consolidated or semi-consolidated, but new, when populism is on the rise. Authoritarian regimes authoritarian regimes, which viewed those revolu- also often exhibit some features of democracy: they tions as potential dangers to their own existence. At have elections (although they are often contested as the same time, these regimes attempted to appropriate unfair and flawed), which are often used for their self- the language of democracy by complementing it with legitimization. They are often doing economically well various adjectives that they see as useful to them, such (for various reasons), and are often making progress in as “sovereign democracy” in Russia or “Bolivarian economic modernization by combining economic de- democracy” in Venezuela. velopment with political control. The authoritarian regimes then became much more Several models of these new regimes can be seen to- sophisticated in their attempts to de-legitimize democ- day: Iran (Shia theocracy); Russia (post-Soviet clep- racy assistance by portraying it as an intrusion into tocracy); Saudi Arabia (Suni theocracy); Venezuela their national sovereignty. This can be easily illustrat- (petrostate with personality cult); and China (which is ed by the recent expulsion of USAID from Russia or the most difficult to classify or describe and was de- the crackdown on Western (especially US) donors and scribed in the discussion as a post-totalitarian, rath- NGOs operating in Egypt. Another illustration of au- er than “new authoritarian,” regime, which makes it thoritarian regimes defending themselves through the quite distinct from the other models). use of democratic rhetoric is the proliferation of Gov- A common denominator among these regimes is that ernment NGOs (or GONGOs), which are intended to they are centered around a relatively narrow group of give the impression of civil society serving as a check leaders, who make decisions with the aim of protecting on government while in fact being under the full con- their interests, thus not allowing meaningful partici- trol of the government itself. pation of outsiders. Corruption is an indispensable ele- The nature of the new authoritarian regimes is some- ment (it appears in all of them), and helps them to sus-

68 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Defending Civil Society

tain and survive (like the blood the human body needs Russia and Kazakhstan. The distinctive feature is that to function). The regimes view these techniques as it seeks to join Europe through the Eastern Partner- successful and are thus adopted by semi-authoritarian ship project. It is also geopolitically important for the regimes, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin EU’s energy security, and for this reason Azerbaijan America. The overall justification of their methods is cares about its European image. To some extent, how- “state sovereignty,” which is used both internationally ever, it is a “Potemkin” village: its institutional façade (vis-à-vis the international community) and nationally is there to comfort the EU, but it is coupled with the (vis-à-vis the regimes’ own people). This often includes persecution of journalists, bloggers, political activists, attempts at delegitimizing civil society and other op- and average citizens of different classes who express position voices, complemented by a firm grasp over discontent and can threaten the regime. Political pris- public media. Although the Internet is the principal oners are an important bargaining chip in negotia- challenge to maintaining control over public media, tions with the EU or the U.S. If more domestic actors the proliferation of Internet access does not mean that can be brought into negotiations between the West and politically relevant information is reaching the public. the Azeri government there would be greater hope for Still, authoritarian regimes are sensitive to inter- change. national pressure, which can be documented, for in- In the case of Venezuela, the recent presidential stance, by the Chinese government’s reaction to the election represents another victory for modern dic- Nobel Peace Prize given to dissident writer Liu Xiao tatorship, but how did this happen? President Hugo Bo in 2010. The populations in authoritarian countries Chavez was not only in control of political power, but also have grievances about the lack of basic goods and also public opinion through his control over the media. services, but the regimes keep control over their dis- He is also the top employer in Venezuela, employing satisfied citizens through repression. One very large 5 million people who enjoy related government bene- challenge facing the democracy assistance communi- fits. State employees are frightened of the government ty is the state of civil society in these countries. They knowing how they will vote and fear losing their jobs are often detached from the broader population and if they are disloyal. The electoral system was changed perceived as foreign agents, which helps support the two years ago to enable Chavez’s re-election, and the regimes’ use of state sovereignty rhetoric to prevent oil riches of the country also make a difference. Ad- democratization. One of the recommendations raised dressing this situation may rest in innovation. This has in the workshop discussion, therefore, is to involve the been done, for instance, by organizing protests in front general public more in the activities of NGOs, whether of Venezuelan embassies abroad, supporting a move- through the delivery of social services, volunteerism, ment of artists who are unafraid of acting against the computer education, or foreign language training. government, holding concerts in support of democracy Many NGOs have developed successful strategies that across the country, etc. Again, bringing dissident ac- can be applied in free, partially free, and non-free tivists and NGOs closer to the broader population is countries. Sharing experiences can be done across dif- part of the solution. ferent countries belonging to those three categories. Another problem widely acknowledged in the work- Another point noted in the workshop discussion is shop is the difficulty that the civil society opposition the “watering down” of the language of leaders from in an authoritarian country has to build electoral democratic countries when they address leaders of support (which is, in turn, linked to its perceived de- these new authoritarian regimes. It is becoming in- tachment from the broader population) and does not creasingly difficult to defend what can be perceived as do enough to attract future constituencies. One pos- a “double standard,” criticizing undemocratic practic- sible example of doing so is the Muslim Brotherhood es in authoritarian regimes abroad while facing criti- in Egypt, which built its electoral base through bread cism for nondemocratic practices at home. Delivering distribution to the poor, operating health clinics, etc. critical messages to the broader public in democratic However, attempting to link the civil society opposi- countries to increase their scrutiny of their own lead- tion to the broader population runs the risk of it taking ers’ statements thus represents an important challenge an illiberal turn, as in the case of the Muslim Brother- for civil society in established democracies. hood, which presents another challenge in confronting The discussion focused on two cases of the new au- new authoritarian regimes. thoritarianism: Azerbaijan and Venezuela. As an oil- The importance of the role of elections in counter- rich state, Azerbaijan shares some characteristics with ing the new authoritarianism was also disputed in the

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workshop discussion, because if the political system is basis with those of the ruling party, the possibility of undemocratic, then it is difficult, if not impossible, for campaigning freely, and last but not least, having al- the opposition to win elections. In addition, democracy ternative policies. All of these are necessary for the de- is not just about elections, but also about having free velopment and consolidation of democracy. media, leaders who can address the voters on an equal

Collaborating to Protect Human Rights Defenders: Assessing Current Needs and Strategies

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: International Federation Antoine Bernard – FIDH Carlos Ponce – Consorcio Desarrollo for Human Rights—FIDH (France) y Justicia (Venezuela)

National Endowment Rapporteur: Dismas Kitenge – Groupe Lotus for Democracy—NED (U.S.) Judith Welling – NED (U.S.) (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Ladan Boroumand – Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation (Iran)

Swee Seng Yap – Forum Asia (Malaysia)

his workshop examined how collaboration among the judiciary, or civil service. Workshop participants human rights defender protection efforts can provided examples demonstrating the frequent exclu- T more effectively meet the needs of endangered sion of persons in such groups from the human rights human rights defenders (HRDs) at the local, nation- protection system; these individuals may not even al, regional, and international levels. The workshop identify themselves as HRDs. Organizations can work gathered representatives of HRD protection networks together to educate these groups, along with grass- and HRDs and practitioners from intergovernmental roots activists and representatives of marginalized human rights protection mechanisms. Reflecting the communities, about HRD protection mechanisms and complexity of the global human rights defender pro- tools. For example, a Kazakhstan-based NGO distrib- tection system, the workshop addressed three main uted the Special Rapporteur’s handbook to its net- areas: the definitions and landscape of human rights works, which assisted defenders in Eurasia. defender protection; horizontal articulation of pro- The participants also noted that persons within these tection efforts; and vertical articulation of protection groups actually would fall under the definition provid- efforts. ed in the 1998 Declaration on Human Rights Defend- ers, which defined a human rights defender as anyone Definitions and Landscape of acting in accordance with and supporting international Human Rights Defender Protection human rights. The participants agreed that it was time Participants sought to clarify the definition of “human to reaffirm this broad definition, both to acknowledge rights defender” and to address situations in which and embrace all bona fide HRDs and to expose and unclear definitions have undermined support for at- counter the reluctance of many self-proclaimed human risk HRDs. Substantial numbers of HRDs may find it rights groups to extend the universal application of difficult to benefit from protection systems because human rights protection to marginalized populations, their work does not align with “traditional” human such as sexual minorities, religious minorities, women, rights work. Such groups may include journalists, law- and others. yers, civil servants, democracy and political activists The participants also discussed the complex issue or opposition party members, women’s rights advo- of how to categorize those who cooperate with inter- cates, trade unionists, or those in formal institutions national human rights mechanisms, such as the Inter- upholding human rights, such as law enforcement, national Criminal Court, but who themselves may be

70 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Defending Civil Society

perpetrators of crimes. While these individuals may be tect against persecution from non-state actors, as in threatened on account of their willingness to cooperate, the case of religious fundamentalists, the International they may not qualify under the formal definition of “hu- Center for Islam and Pluralism is networking to bol- man rights defender.” ster the voice of progressive-moderate Muslim activists and intellectuals in Southeast Asia. The effectiveness of Horizontal Articulation of Protection Efforts regional HRD networks to address violations has also The participants discussed notable gaps in HRD pro- been illustrated through Forum Asia’s work in South- tection, including longer-term support for HRDs both east Asia, the African regional human rights defenders in country and in exile, and support for dependents networks and the emerging Defenders Fund to Support and medical care. Participants noted that stronger Persons in the Americas, 2013. Furthermore, there was collaboration and communication among HRD pro- discussion of how networking among HRD protection tection groups could help to address these gaps; for organizations through the World Movement for Democ- example, different nongovernmental organizations racy can bolster the work of protection groups around (NGOs) should cooperate to provide support at differ- the world. ent times during the ongoing period of a safe haven. Updated mapping efforts can also help protection Vertical Articulation of Protection Efforts groups identify one another, as well as those organi- The workshop explored how collaboration between zations positioned to provide dependent and medical NGOs and inter-governmental human rights mech- support. Donors can support horizontal networking anisms can lead to better outcomes for threatened efforts (local/regional/international) to facilitate the HRDs. Opportunities for interaction among NGOs sharing of information and strategies for HRD pro- working at different levels (national, regional, and tection. global) were also considered. Participants recognized that local and regional pro- Participants noted that the inter-governmental tection groups often need to collaborate with Interna- mechanisms and assistance provided by the United tional NGOs (INGOs) to get HRDs the assistance they Nations can be weak and lack funding; therefore, pro- need. While INGOs may have greater capacity and fund- tection groups should work collaboratively with these ing to draw upon, they are also beholden to bureaucrat- mechanisms to share information and bolster effective- ic processes that reduce response times and flexibility. ness. The West African Human Rights Defender Net- Local and regional organizations are very adaptable work (WAHRDN) has facilitated visits by the UN High and can often provide the most effective protection, Commissioner for Human Rights to inform her of the but they may lack capacity and adequate funding. The situations of particular HRDs. In Southeast Asia, orga- INGOs and local groups may thus work together more nizations are encouraging the adoption of a focal point effectively by accommodating each other’s weaknesses: for HRDs within the ASEAN Human Rights Commis- local groups should devise stop-gap measures to meet sion. Participants agreed on the importance of facili- the immediate needs of HRDs, while INGOs should tating mission visits by special rapporteurs and other flexibly and expeditiously respond to cases shared by inter-governmental representatives working to support local protection groups by minimizing bureaucracy and HRDs on the regional or international levels. Such col- maximizing responsiveness to crises. INGOs should laborative missions can also help counteract the prob- also focus on building the capacity of their local part- lem of reprisals against HRDs who cooperate with ners, since the most effective responses often come from those mechanisms. Working with diplomats can provide the front lines. HRDs with additional protection, and democratic gov- Participants offered many novel strategies to lever- ernments should be encouraged to provide safe haven, age the impact of protection groups via collaboration. visa, and financial support for HRDs at risk. Examples included joint lobbying, mission visits, and In conclusion, participants emphasized that greater prison visits to demonstrate solidarity with HRDs and horizontal and vertical collaboration among nongov- concern for their situations. NGOs can also collaborate ernmental and governmental actors at all levels is re- with other groups, such as the media, trade unions, etc., quired to support the protection of HRDs. The workshop to strengthen such efforts. As illustrated by the FIDH/ itself demonstrated the value that such collaborative OMCT Observatory experience, these local/interna- efforts may yield. tional partnerships have been shown to counteract repressive practices and legislation effectively. To pro-

www.wmd.org 71 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Making Democracy Sustainable

Panel Discussions

The Changing Role of Civil Society in Transitions to Democracy: The Case of Egypt

OrganizerS: Rapporteur: Presenters: Egyptian Activists Abdallah Helmy – Al Sadat Esraa Abdelfattah Rashid – Association for Development Egyptian Democratic Academy (Egypt) Moderator: (Egypt) Ahmed Samih – Andalus Institute Hisham Kassem – for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies Algomhouria Algadida (Egypt) (Egypt)

his panel discussion sought to capture the short As the government of a strong regional power, Egypt’s history of the transition to democracy in Egypt, new administration is working to regain lost regional T and the state of that transition at the time of the and international influence by playing a role in resolv- Assembly, and to offer a number of recommendations ing regional conflicts, such as in Syria, and the Pal- to help ensure the transition moves forward. estinian-Israeli peace process. Cooperating with the The spark of the January 25th Revolution in Egypt “deep-state institution” that has handled this latter in 2011 was a quick, spontaneous action that no one case for decades, the new administration is trying to re- anticipated—thus, no one was prepared for the sub- late to different sides to ensure that a message of peace sequent period of transition. In this difficult situation, is reaching its proper audience. While all such efforts significant solidarity and organization were demon- have only been on the statement level, they nonethe- strated by courageous young Egyptian activists. This less highlight the position of the new administration to- experience created a new domestic political landscape ward important regional conflicts, especially the efforts and a potential new model for democratization glob- regarding peace with Israel. ally. It is difficult to fully comprehend the new politi- Civil society faced many challenges in the years be- cal matrix, including well-organized Islamic groups in fore the Revolution in 2011. It worked under severe power, a weak and fragmented secular opposition, and pressure to spread awareness of basic rights, to engage a huge wave of rights-claiming groups that terrify gov- people in public life, and to prepare leaders to advo- ernment, which must deliver on citizens’ demands in a cate for democracy and human rights. This generated challenging economic situation. huge suppressive actions from the Mubarak adminis- In the absence of both a constitution and parliament, tration. Within the Revolution, civil society brought a the newly-elected president and newly-formed gov- new model of solidarity and support to activists on the ernment had to confront the matter of how to assign ground by supplying essential elements of survival and and delegate responsibility. However, the bureaucratic, medical care. Within the Revolution, we witnessed civil deep-state system in Egypt is helping to fill gaps in the society successes in organizing and mobilizing people competency of the new administration. For the first time to demand their rights. We also saw civil society lead- in history, Egypt has an elected president, and military ers driving huge protests and setting up small groups in authorities have stepped back to their barracks with no Tahrir square to educate and organize protesters. The chance or interest to take over again. While the military vast successes of the elections of 2011 and 2012 were a has refrained from direct control over public policies, result of a long struggle of civil society to develop elec- however, it still controls several economic and indus- tion standards and monitoring over more than 20 years. trial state-owned resources. The process of transferring Now, political decision making is a subject of every those resources from military control will take years, debate in Egypt, and civil society thus has a golden op- but this is publicly understood and is considered a huge portunity to bring public demands into political deci- achievement for the new administration. sion making, and they need to act upon this. They face

72 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Making Democracy Sustainable

a major problem of mistrust due to a now famous court In general, looking to the future, there is an opportu- case in which employees of several local and interna- nity for Egyptian civil society that is both challenging tional NGOs were accused of illegally funding political and golden, and it therefore needs to undergo an in- operations. In fact, those associated with the former re- depth transformation by understanding its important gime use these accusations to stir up media campaigns mission clearly. to instill a mistrust of civil society in public opinion. One critical question now is, “How does Egypt’s new Recommendations administration stand on basic human rights?” With ob- ➤➤ Civil society should work to engage, organize, scure political processes, the lack of transparency, and and mobilize citizens in rural areas to achieve their a very low level of access to information for civil society demands. and the public, the new administration has much work ➤➤ Civil society should provide social services and to do on several aspects of human rights, for example, concrete ways for engaging people in public life, concerning the rights of women and labor. On women’s and donors must be open to supporting this. rights, the new administration is imprisoned by old ➤➤ Civil society should build its capacity to influ- stereotypes, while liberal activists and feminist groups ence decision making by having more think tanks, call for more progressive protection of women’s rights research institutes, watchdogs, and advocacy orga- by the Constitution. On labor rights, trade unions are nizations. demanding an endorsement of free association in a new ➤➤ Civil society should increase its outreach to all law, but achieving this may not be a smooth process. political groups and seek maximum consensus on The media in Egypt is considered a disaster and all critical issues with a results-oriented strategy. viewed as providing fuel for every conflict. The legal ➤➤ Civil society should encourage activists to create structure for media ownership blocks any possible so- structured organizations and promote teamwork lution. Given that both state-owned media and private and political party membership as a way to build enterprise-owned media suffer from their owners’ in- political institutions. terference in content, which reduces the media’s inde- ➤➤ Civil society should begin addressing socio-eco- pendence and shifts its bias in favor of business inter- nomic rights with more debate and discussion of on- ests, securing the place of a free media in Egypt will the-ground solutions to meet the people’s needs. require further effort. ➤➤ Civil society should start engaging new players in public life, such as small business owners.

www.wmd.org 73 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

The Changing Role of Civil Society in Transitions to Democracy: The Case of Burma

Organizer: Rapporteur: Khin Lay – National League for Center for Democracy and Culture Tenzin Dorjee – Students for a Democracy/TRIANGLE Women Support (Czech Republic) Free Tibet (Tibet) Group (Burma)

Moderator: Presenters: Brian Joseph – National Endowment Igor Blazevic – Center for Democracy Aung Din – U.S. Campaign for for Democracy—NED (U.S.) and Culture (Czech Republic) Burma (Burma) Larry Diamond – Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law—CDDRL, Stanford University (U.S.)

Introduction government has announced that there is no censor- The moderator, Igor Blazevic, opened the panel dis- ship, but it still exists. Third, the government presents cussion by remarking that there is much optimism itself as a partner in a dialog with the regions, but this about Burma, perceptions of things moving in a sur- dialog is not real. prisingly positive direction, and expectations that, According to Aung Din, there are, in fact, many rea- for example, the junta is changing itself into a reform sons why what is happening is not a true transforma- government. He then posed several questions to the tion: First, the judicial system is not independent, but opening presenters: functions under great pressure; there is corruption and ➤➤ Do we have top-down, negotiated reform that prisoners are forced by torture to confess to what their will put the country on a solid path to democracy? jailers want to hear. Second, the economy is controlled ➤➤ Do we only have the transformation of a junta by the military and chosen families in the regions; no into a relatively new type of authoritarianism in ordinary citizens are able to compete with their posi- which it re-packages itself just to stay in power; tion, and the military dominates and controls society. what can we learn from the Eastern European ex- Third, the military powers are independent from all perience? controlling institutions; civilian judges have no control ➤➤ Do you see the possibility of a semi-civilian, over the military, which can dissolve Parliament and weak government that will only open a Pandora’s introduce marshal law. Fourth, to pass any legislation box out of which social tensions will break into the in Parliament for change requires a vote of 75 percent open and an unpredictable, chaotic situation will of all representatives in both chambers. emerge that the government cannot control? The situation in Burma can thus be called a “tran- ➤➤ Do you foresee serious election confrontations sition to limited democracy,” Aung Din continued. The between the two major political blocs, one being opposition can contest elections but are unable to get pro-regime and one being the National League for into power and amend the Constitution. The govern- Democracy (NLD) headed by Daw Aung San Suu ment wants to legitimize the system so it will be ac- Kyi? cepted by the international community, which is why limited space has been given to the opposition. The gov- Presentations ernment has released some political prisoners to show In his opening presentation, Aung Din stressed that their good will. In the meantime, while the opposition Burma needs more active participation of civil soci- leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, theoretically can call on ety in the changes underway, especially as the coun- the regions to abolish the undemocratic Constitution, try prepares for the 2015 elections. The opposition is she has chosen to accept political compromise because working within a political system based on the 2008 of the great pressure she is under. Constitution. Some changes have been introduced in The important role of the opposition is more difficult the country that are impressive, he continued, but now than before because people are not encouraged to they just form a façade. He gave several examples: make real change. Therefore, civil society should make First, political prisoners have been released, but the members of parliament more accountable and encour- law allows for their re-arrest at any time. Second, the age them to support democratic processes; violations of

74 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Making Democracy Sustainable

human rights should not be ignored, but reported on; Asia. So they needed to reengage the international com- and the opposition should do everything it can to assure munity, and to do so, they needed to recast their image free and fair elections in 2015. and reverse the sanctions. They’ve been successful with Khin Lay began her presentation by saying that that, and today there are few sanctions left. Burma is Burma is only at the starting point of becoming more open for business, but business remains controlled by democratic and transparent. If we try to find an ideal the regime and a select few cronies. plan from the government, she said, we’re going to be On the question of Burmese dependence on China misled. There is no clear agenda for gradual top-down and its role in the changes that have been initiated, the democratic change. The main goal of the government “China card” was not the determining, but still a sig- is to keep power in the military. The new government nificant, factor in the shift in Burma, according to Mr. has its agenda for its own safety and for limiting the Joseph. In the 1990s, India introduced policies to reori- democratic forces. There is no clear agenda on social, ent its economic policies eastward. Burma was depen- economic, and ethnic issues. The government has never dent on China economically and politically, so having publicly explained its plan in detail, so no one can dare not just the U.S., but also India to the West and ASEAN trust it. We have the experience of former regimes trying neighbors to the East, allowed the Burmese government to wash away their bad reputations and thereby obtain to realign its relationship with China. credibility in the international community. Although There is transformation taking place in Burma today the top officials shout reform, Ms. Lay continued, true and people are often referencing the Arab Spring, but reform has not reached the regional or local levels. No in 2007 there was the Burmese spring, when monk-led one knows the relationship between the President and protests quickly grew to a mass protest with hundreds opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has of thousands taking to the streets. Mr. Joseph argued said the relationship is quite personal, but of course it that it was hard to imagine that there was no dissent should be more political and inclusive. In addition, we within the ranks of the army after the government should recognize that the government has seen the Arab crushed the monk-led protests. The Saffron Revolution, Spring uprisings and is determined to prevent one in as it came to be called, was quickly followed by cyclone Burma. The last factor is the government’s desire to bal- Nargis, which also exposed the government’s lack of ance the power of China. concern for its citizens. Taken together, these two events Brian Joseph said in his presentation that he fully must have impacted the military in a way that we might agrees with Aung Din and Khin Lay’s analyses of how not yet understand, but which may become clear later Burma got to where it is. Remarking that he has man- when more public records are available. aged the Burma program at NED for nearly 20 years, Today, Mr. Joseph said, Burma faces widespread pov- he recalled that the regime used to run full-page ads erty and the lack of a viable economic infrastructure. attacking what NED was doing. In early 2012, however, It is worse off than any place in Asia, except Nepal. It he met with a number of high-ranking government of- has a history of political violence, and 50 to 70 years of ficials who acknowledged that their jobs previously re- political violence cannot be undone with the flip of a quired them to attack the NED but that those days were switch. Related to this is the question of identity: What now behind them and the country was willing to collab- does it mean to be Burmese in a country with many dis- orate on efforts to advance democracy. Mr. Joseph noted tinct nationalities? In addition, the educational sector that the transformation at a personal level has been un- has been decimated. Interest from around the world is believable. Yet the same people who were responsible pouring in, but there is a very limited educated class in for previous abuses are still in charge, so we’re trying to Burma to tackle the challenges the country faces; there understand if the transformation is sincere. must be an effort to rebuild Burma’s educational sector. One thing to observe is the government’s “seven-step According to Mr. Joseph, it’s not clear exactly where roadmap,” Mr. Joseph continued, which the regime has the government wants to go, but its reforms are opening followed more closely than any of us had thought pos- up opportunities and unleashing new political forces. sible. Now, at the end of the roadmap, the regime is be- People are able to communicate, network, and organize ginning to open up, but still seeking to strengthen its in a different way. There are new centers for compet- own control. The government’s old way of managing ing political authority. Limited financial resources and the economy and control of the country was leading to ethnic groups competing for territorial control will give a situation in which Burma was being left farther and rise to a range of voices and centers of power that didn’t farther behind other countries in South and Southeast exist before.

www.wmd.org 75 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

In his presentation, Larry Diamond asked what a be agreed to just on the basis of common understand- path forward to a democratic transition might be. It ing. A serious dialog about vertical power sharing and is hard, he said, to imagine that the regime will accept real autonomy for different regions of Burma, including electoral democracy, even undertaken in many steps. geographic minority issues, should also take place. That is not their framework and it is inconsistent with Negotiations and dialog on constitutional reform the 2008 Constitution that was imposed with no demo- will involve many steps. Democratic opposition forces cratic dialog or participation. should do more than before, according to Mr. Diamond; There is much heavy lifting that has to be done be- they have to reach consensus among themselves and tween now and 2015 to make a real transition possible, build a team ready for talks with the government. A Mr. Diamond continued. If the government wants to be broader opposition front is needed. In addition, there is taken seriously by the U.S. and Europe as delivering on a need to be engaged in negotiations about power shar- a transition to democracy, then it needs to introduce ing, constitutional changes, and minimal conditions for constitutional reform. a democratic transition (including the release of some There are two possible scenarios, Mr. Diamond said: 300 political prisoners and the lifting of pressure on One is that Burma will get stuck in one place (like Cam- those released) that will be recognized by the interna- bodia) for a long time. The regime might be putting on tional community. There is also much work to be done the mask of democracy, and while there may not be real before 2015 to build structures and political parties and democracy, many actors in Burma may accept it, or at to modernize organizations (in particular, the Nation- least not object to it, because there is a little bit more al League for Democracy, which has not held internal space for civil society. This might be tactical based on elections for a long time). A civil society network for the the fear that the “old” and far worse times can return. 2015 elections should be established and prepare itself So it might seem better to accept at least a better, if not for the work to be done. a perfect, situation. That’s one possible scenario. In the other scenario, he continued, the democra- Discussion cies around the world give very serious signals to the During the workshop discussion, a participant asked government that much more needs to be done than just the presenters what makes them distrust the gov- running technically correct elections. It is not so much ernment’s willingness to transform the system. In that those in the government want sanctions lifted for response, Khin Lay said we don’t trust them based on the good of the country, but to be able to travel around our experience. It’s the same people. We know them, the world freely, so they want the changes for them- and they are the same guys who jailed us. The new law selves. Sanctions on individuals in the government can on freedom of association was a fake; everyone can set be easier to reintroduce, however, so the government up an association but can’t demonstrate in a public should be made aware of that. place. People must apply for permits to demonstrate, The provision that gives the military the power to ap- but permit requests are denied. As a result, young point 25 percent of the seats in Parliament has to go, demonstration leaders are charged by the police. Mr. Diamond continued. Maybe this will have to be For his part, Brian Joseph responded by saying that done in a few stages. If Burma is going to have democ- the government has not earned trust, just a degree of racy, maybe the democratic forces should offer a plan support and good will. to the regime to define a period of power sharing. It Aung Din responded by saying that trust is unneces- may be possible to imagine a South African scenario, sary; it cannot justify what we’re doing now. We don’t with negotiations between opposition and government. need trust to work with the government. We base our The majority of democratic forces might accept nego- actions on the situation on the ground, and trust alone tiations with the regime and such a transition. In the should not lead us to do something good or bad. Even first stage, some small change might be accepted, for though we’re not happy with the situation, we’re mov- instance, a modest reduction of parliamentary appoint- ing forward, we’re going to face the elections of 2015 ments. The reduction could be made subject to a provi- whether we like or not. We know there are challenges, sion that the reserved seats for military appointment but we’re going to try; this is the only thing we can do. will be eliminated entirely in a following brief period Another participant in the discussion pointed out of time. This kind of negotiated agreement is needed in that the presenters had said the changes in Burma are other power sharing areas as well. Such agreements can personal not institutional, so, he continued, we can ex- be included in the Constitution, but some changes could ploit that by casting those individuals as champions.

76 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Making Democracy Sustainable

How can we get them involved in drafting the insti- or an independent judiciary, and some are now starting tutional and policy changes needed? Can we use this to say, “if we say something critical, the government will personalization to get some of the government staff- turn to China.” The fact that the Burmese government ers more invested, to give them more ownership of the has opened up and allowed some reform shows that changes? Can we also get civil society to be more proac- some of the sanction tools the international community tive and less reactive? used have worked. Therefore, looking for champions Finally, a participant from Cambodia remarked that within the system is not the right strategy. The only role when looking back on 20 years of Cambodian history the global community can play is to support the grass- we can see a good example of what happens with money roots groups so they will hold their own someday. We flowing into a country. Fundamental change in Cambo- should also treat civil society not as a single unit, but as dia has not taken place, and there is no unity among the many different groups. donors. Many donors are pleased about the “reforms,” but many are unwilling to stand up for the rule of law

Workshops

From Leading Civil Society to Serving in Government: What are the Challenges and Opportunities?

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: Undersecretary - Office of Political Inna Pidluska – International Amina Rasul Bernardo – Philippine Affairs (The Philippines) Renaissance Foundation Center for Islam and Democracy (The (Ukraine) Philippines) Idasa: An African Democracy Institute (South Africa) Rapporteur: Krzysztof Stanowski – Yuyun Wahyuningrum – Solidarity Fund PL (Poland) Human Rights Working Group— HRWG (Indonesia) Diego Sueiras – Fundacion Nueva Generación Argentina (Argentina)

ivil society members serving in government is an Civil society frequently sees government as an enemy unavoidable reality in the process of democrati- rather than as a partner for change, while government C zation and establishing a culture of democracy is composed of systems and structures and is often re- in some countries, such as The Philippines, Ukraine, sistant to change. Being in government means that one Poland, Argentina, South Africa, and Indonesia. It is should be both ready to compromise and have the ca- thus very important for civil society members who go pability to know what a good compromise looks like. into government to focus on the delivery of services. There are conditions and ways to change systems. The During the discussion, both the values of and chal- first is to continue to struggle as part of civil society and lenges to civil society leaders serving in government the second is to become part of the system. The latter were presented, as well as issues that civil society faces requires political parties that compete in elections and when their leaders step down from having served in the run the government when they win. Striking a balance government, including limited spaces and positions to between being independent and not preoccupied with continue working in their new role and identity. political party agendas and ensuring service delivery The presenters agreed that despite being very differ- has been seen as one of the biggest challenges for civil ent from each other, there is a need for both civil society society. and government to have a certain level of understand- The workshop discussion also focused on the ques- ing and appreciation of each other, and the differences tions of cooptation, the weakness of political parties, between them should not prevent them from interact- and the capacity of civil society leaders to serve as gov- ing with each other. Both must change their mindsets ernment officials while their organizations continue on how to perceive each other. to operate after those leaders have left them. The par-

www.wmd.org 77 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion ticipants also recognized that some governments cre- Additional Observations ate Government NGOs (or GONGOs) to help legitimate ➤➤ There are no guidelines for moving from civil so- what those governments are doing. ciety into government, so civil society leaders have to learn by experience and have open minds; a gov- Challenges ernment job is totally different from a civil society ➤➤ While there are some limits to what can be job. achieved while serving in the NGO world, there are ➤➤ Change is possible through government, but it more limits while serving in government. takes time for the goal to be achieved. ➤➤ Preparing civil society leaders to serve in gov- ➤➤ A favorable political landscape is necessary to ernment while strengthening their organizations is enable civil society leaders to move into government a big challenge. successfully. ➤➤ Leaders of civil society organizations must be ➤➤ Civil society should be seen as an institution, not prepared to deal with issues of cooptation by gov- a platform. ernment. ➤➤ Both civil society and government have the po- ➤➤ Developing a common agenda with other parties tential to fake the process of consultation to achieve while remaining independent is also a challenge. the legitimacy they require. Government imitates the work of civil society while civil society acts as if Recommendations they are the government. ➤➤ It is very important for civil society leaders who ➤➤ All systems resist change. move into government to focus on ensuring delivery ➤➤ When participating in political parties, civil so- of services. ciety should remember that votes can be bought in ➤➤ Civil society leaders need guidelines for serving the process. in government. ➤➤ Engaging government requires skills and under- ➤➤ It is very important to strengthen political par- standing regarding the language of governing, pol- ties. icy-making routines, and budget-making timelines. ➤➤ While civil society leaders must prepare to serve ➤➤ Working as a government official often means in government, they also must prepare to leave gov- working very hard while hardly getting the appre- ernment. ciation for one’s accomplishments. ➤➤ It is very important for civil society leaders serv- ➤➤ The right people, education, processes, and time ing in government not to function as validators of are all needed to reform an institution. non-democratic government policies. ➤➤ Civil society work should be based on a long-term democratization agenda.

78 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Making Democracy Sustainable

Network of Democracy Research Institutes (NDRI): Enhancing the Policy Impact of Democracy Research

Organizer: Christopher Walker – Presenters: Network of Democracy Research International Forum for Gabriel Salvia – Centro para la Institutes—NDRI Democratic Studies, NED (U.S.) Apertura y el Desarrollo de America Latina—CADAL (Argentina) Moderator: Rapporteur: Martin Butora – Marc F. Plattner – International Forum Melissa Aten – International Institute for Public Affairs—IVO (Slovakia) for Democratic Studies, NED (U.S.) Forum for Democratic Studies, NED (U.S.) Tanya Hamada – INCITEGov (The Philippines)

his workshop was divided into two parts: The tees. One of the main obstacles CADAL has faced in first was a discussion on “Enhancing the Policy conducting this legislative barometer is that members T Impact of Democracy Research,” which is part of the ruling parties have been reluctant to respond of a broader initiative organized by the International publicly to the surveys, so CADAL has made the pro- Forum for Democratic Studies with NDRI members on cess anonymous. this topic. The second part focused on NDRI business, Martin Butora emphasized three distinctive kinds including ways in which members can gain more value of think tanks in Slovakia: those stemming from the from participation in the network. fascist, communist, and post-communist legacies in Marc F. Plattner opened the workshop by explain- the country; those reflecting civil society involvement ing how it is part of an ongoing project undertaken in politics and the struggle for the democratic charac- by the International Forum that began at a conference ter of the state; and those drawing upon civil society in South Korea in 2011. The project is a collection of involvement in reforms. IVO and other Central Euro- 10 case studies (from South Korea, Ghana, Romania, pean think tanks were actively and substantively in- Lebanon, Ecuador, Turkey, Georgia, The Philippines, volved in shaping the democratic character of the state Slovakia, and Argentina) of NDRI members’ strategies since the fall of communism. for ensuring that their research reaches policy makers IVO has initiated several projects seeking to influ- and enters into the public debate. These case studies ence policy: will be published as part of a report by mid-2013 (for ➤➤ The IVO Barometer on the Quality of Democracy, information on the “Enhancing the Policy Impact of which measures the levels of institutional democ- Democracy Research” project, please contact Melissa racy and rule of law, the quality of legislation, hu- Aten at: [email protected]). man and minority rights, and freedom of the media in Slovakia; Opening Presentations ➤➤ Public opinion polls that reflect problems per- Gabriel Salvia discussed CADAL’s efforts in Argentina ceived by the public; to influence policy through the use of a “legislative ➤➤ Reports on elections in Slovakia, Hungary, the barometer.” CADAL seeks to reach consensus on Czech Republic, and Poland; issues the public, including minorities, deems impor- ➤➤ Providing media commentaries on key political tant, and once this consensus is reached, CADAL sur- and social issues in Slovakia; veys parliamentarians on their views on these public ➤➤ Reports on the state of minorities, including policy issues, and through the surveys seeks to influ- women, the elderly, the Roma, and the Hungarian ence policy. CADAL specifically targets parliamenta- minority; ry committees, depending on the issue. For example, ➤➤ Survey on the quality of the judiciary in Slova- if the policy they are attempting to influence is appli- kia, in which experts, citizens, and judges were cable only to a particular committee, they target that polled; committee; if the policy relates to a broader issue, such ➤➤ Research on new forms of populism in Europe. as economic development, they target all the commit-

www.wmd.org 79 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Discussion During the discussion, participants identified a few additional ways that think tanks can influence policy: using charts and graphs to make analytical research easier for the public and policy makers to consume and publishing regular columns in reputable news outlets. There was also discussion on the importance of dis- tinguishing between think tanks that operate in environments in which they have the opportunity and ability to influence policy and those that operate in closed and more repressive societies. Participants identified competition with government-sponsored research centers as a major impediment to the ability of nongovernmental think tanks in semi-closed societies to get their messages out.

NDRI Participation and Activity The second part of the workshop was chaired by Christopher Walker and focused on how to make the NDRI more effective as a network. Mr. Walker pointed out that the research project mentioned in the intro- IVO faced a common challenge in its attempt to influ- duction above is relevant beyond democracy think ence policy in Slovakia: reducing its long research tanks; all nongovernmental organizations should products into concise summaries that were easily know how to get their message across effectively. understood by the public and policy makers. Participants identified several areas on which the Tanya Hamada discussed how INCITEGov in The NDRI could focus: Philippines differs from many think tanks because ➤➤ The problem of backsliding in various coun- many of its researchers go in and out of the govern- tries, such as Bangladesh, Romania, and Argentina, ment, ensuring that the research it conducts reaches which were once considered “graduated,” but in policy makers. The people in The Philippines have which democracy is now considered under threat; been successful in overthrowing autocratic govern- ➤➤ Organizing conferences on any number of top- ment, but not as successful in establishing the day-to- ics to see what other countries are doing to address day processes of democracy. INCITEGov was formed particular issues; and within this context and attempts to connect democrat- ➤➤ Establishing a mentoring program where young ic politics with good governance. Prior to 2010, it de- think tanks can benefit from the experience and ex- cided to engage political candidates. The organization pertise of more established centers. created a social contract that later became the basis of President Benigno Aquino’s campaign. The 2010 elec- Finally, NDRI members were encouraged to consid- tions brought to power reform-minded politicians who er ideas for potential joint initiatives that can help were eager to engage civil society. Many INCITEGov inform key challenges to democratic development and researchers entered government after these elections, the democratic idea. which allowed the issues they worked on to take prominence in the government. Ms. Hamada gave two examples of such policies: security sector reform and the use of the budget as a tool of reform. Ms. Hamada outlined the difficulty in influencing and building platforms for local elections after the success of the 2010 national elections.

80 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Making Democracy Sustainable

Enhancing Government Transparency and Accountability through Technology Platforms

OrganizerS: Rapporteur: Felipe Heusser – Ciudadano Omidyar Network David Sasaki – Omidyar Inteligente (Chile) Network (U.S.) Global Integrity (U.S.) Swati Ramanathan – Presenters: Janaagraha (India) Moderator: Nathaniel Heller – Mathew Bannick – Omidyar Network Global Integrity (U.S.) Oluwafemi Longe – (U.S.) Co-Creation Hub Nigeria (Nigeria) Ellen Miller – Sunlight Foundation (U.S.)

he moderator, Matt Bannick, began the workshop into the data. As a result, they developed Indaba, an by noting that the use of technology by both the online platform that creates simple workflows to man- T activists in the Arab Spring and by the Iranian age distributed teams of researchers who work collab- government against activists following that coun- oratively, often without ever meeting in person. Indaba try’s Green Movement demonstrates the increasing has been used by Publish What You Pay to facilitate prominence of technology in democratic developments their recent Global Aid Transparency Index, by the worldwide. He also briefly described the work of the World Wide Web Foundation for their Web Index, and Omidyar Network, which was founded in 2004 by Pam by the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness to mea- and Pierre Omidyar on the belief that every person has sure access to information on municipal government the power to make a difference. The Omidyar Network web sites in Mexico. began investing in transparency and accountabil- Global Integrity also manages the Networking Mech- ity initiatives in 2006, and so far has deployed over anism within the Open Government Partnership to US$60 million in support of such initiatives. It aims share best practices among national governments that to empower people with information about how gov- are introducing open government reforms. Most recent- ernment works and to support technology and media ly, Global Integrity has created an Open Government platforms through which they can hold their leaders Hub in Washington, DC to bring together like-minded accountable and bring about positive social change. In organizations in a single physical space, and they are the view of the moderator, innovative uses of technolo- currently accepting “half-crazy” proposals to sup- gy and widespread access to mobile phones fundamen- port high-risk, experimental prototypes for innovative tally transform the relationship between the governed transparency and accountability initiatives with the and the governing in a very positive way. Innovation Fund. In her presentation, Ellen Miller indicated that her Presentations organization believes firmly that open networks create In his opening presentation, Nathaniel Heller spaces of participation and greater access to informa- described Global Integrity as a convener and sup- tion that challenges closed, hierarchical systems. It’s porter of the global transparency and accountability not just that information is power, she noted, but, quot- ecosystem. It aims to push the whole field of transpar- ing Clay Shirky, “disproportionate access to informa- ency toward faster innovation by identifying and sup- tion is power.” The Sunlight Foundation is committed porting the best ideas, initiatives, and technology. Mr. to making democracy work for all by bringing a bit of Heller mentioned several specific initiatives to do so. Silicon Valley to Washington, DC. Ms. Miller mentioned In its early years, Global Integrity managed a network four projects that demonstrate her organization’s ap- of over 1,500 researchers spread across 120 countries proach: Political Party Time, Influence Explorer, For- who collected data on hundreds of indicators. At first, eign Lobbying Influence Tracker, and Scout, the last a they did this by emailing spreadsheets around the regulatory and legislative alert system that enabled a world, which inevitably ended up introducing errors partner NGO to stop an amendment to proposed leg-

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islation that would have exempted foreign companies ent governance like their peers in the countries of the from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Arab Spring? The organization concluded that most Ni- Felipe Heusser of Smart Citizen Foundation (http:// gerians simply weren’t aware of the level of corruption www.ciudadanointeligente.org/) began his presenta- and illicit influence in their country. The organization tion by highlighting research by the Latinobarometer decided to invite local programmers to a “hackathon” polling group that has found that more than half of (a marathon of “hacking” innovative solutions) to de- surveyed Latin Americans say they don’t care if they velop tools that increase transparency and participa- live in a democracy or a dictatorship as long as there tion. Two platforms that Mr. Longe described in greater is economic and social progress. Mr. Heusser believes detail emerged as a result: a budget monitoring plat- that this disillusionment with democracy is rooted in form called Your BudgIT and the Nigerian Constitution inequality and the lack of channels of participation for for All project, which has developed mobile applica- citizens who don’t belong to the economic and social tions for BlackBerry, Android, Nokia, and Java-enabled elite. Such dissatisfaction has expressed itself recently phones. At the time of this workshop, Co-Creation Hub in the Chilean student protests for greater access to was planning a “Hack Bootcamp for Trade Transpar- education, the widespread protests against extractive ency,” which aims to provide Nigerian consumers with industries that benefit only a few, and against the high information on how trade-related costs and trade bar- costs of basic commodities, which disproportionately riers affect them. affect the poor. Swati Ramanathan remarked in her presentation Recommendations that she founded Janaagraha in Bangalore, India, with During the workshop discussion three main questions her husband in 2001. Janaagraha’s ambitious mission emerged: is to transform and improve the quality of life in urban ➤➤ What do we know hasn’t worked, and what have India. Its theory of change is based on a framework that we learned from those experiences? they call REED (http://www.janaagraha.org/content/ ➤➤ How do we know what is working? pages/theory-change): bringing a Regional perspective ➤➤ Once we know what works, how do we replicate it to urban issues; Empowering citizens and local govern- as fast as possible? ments; Enabling citizens and local governments; and holding local governments Directly accountable by the Regarding what hasn’t worked, Mr. Longe warned people. Ms. Ramanathan emphasized that the organiza- that it’s important to distinguish impact from hype. tion works with both civil society and government, and Many people are excited about the potential of using that too often governments’ lack of capacity to imple- new technologies to improve governance, but so far ment sensible recommendations from civil society orga- there are few case studies of demonstrable impact. It’s nizations is not sufficiently appreciated. also important to keep in mind that this is a new sec- In the last presentation, Oluwafemi Longe presented tor, and even “veteran” organizations have only been Co-Creation Hub, a co-working space in Lagos, Nige- around for about five years. He offers the example of ria, that leverages shared space, access to technology, Ideas 2020, which was meant to support the ideas of and access to the best ideas to bring about social and local entrepreneurs so that Nigeria could meet its goal economic prosperity. They help Nigerian social entre- of being among the top 20 economies in the world by preneurs on a range of activities, from the initial excite- 2020. Ultimately, the platform wasn’t able to attract ment of “I have a great idea” to bringing the product to broad usage. For Mr. Longe, it was the experience that market and scaling up its impact. Mr. Longe noted that underlined the importance of having an entire ecosys- unlike the other presenters’ organizations, his organiza- tem in place, and not just a web platform, to achieve tion is not solely focused on transparency and account- impact. ability; however, it is increasingly interested in how Mr. Heusser pointed out that transparency and tech- new technologies can help young Nigerians become nology are tools, not objectives. They must be employed more involved in the governance of their nation. This intelligently to achieve other objectives. His example new interest began when Mr. Longe and his colleagues was the “Citizen Balloon.” In 2012, his organization realized that Nigeria was ranked far below countries used a helium balloon and a mobile video camera to like Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya in the Ibrahim Index of live-stream the Chilean student protests, which were African Governance; so why weren’t Nigerians taking purposely ignored by the country’s mainstream media. to the streets to demand more democratic and transpar- At one point over 10,000 viewers tuned into the live

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video, which forced other media outlets to report on the for download at GitHub, but even so, adapting software story. to different linguistic, cultural, and political contexts Ms. Miller emphasized that the transparency sector can be very time consuming. is young, but that in the past five years it has been very Mr. Heusser responded by saying that his organiza- successful at making the transparency agenda much tion is working with the British group, MySociety, to more visible in the media and in political debate. Her take a modular approach to software development. So team noted the number of times the word “transpar- far they have developed the MapIt component and are ency” was mentioned in the New York Times from 1990 now working to develop two more components for par- to 2009 and found significant growth. liamentary monitoring. Mr. Heller distinguished between outputs and out- Mr. Heller said he hopes that more technology for comes. Outputs might be the number of site visits, transparency platforms will use “software as a service” downloads, and registered users, but outcomes refer to models that don’t require NGOs to install and update instances of institutional change. He says his organiza- software on their own servers. This is the approach that tion is less interested in reaching the largest number of Global Integrity has taken with Indaba, which has en- individuals, and more interested in reaching the indi- abled them to make iterative improvements to the plat- viduals who are capable of bringing about institutional form without requiring their partners to constantly up- change. One example is the State Integrity Investiga- date the software. It also has allowed them to collect a tion in partnership with the Center for Public Integrity sizable repository of data that they can easily cross and and Public Radio International, which developed road compare. maps for states like Florida to improve their account- Finally, Mr. Longe noted that making software eas- ability. ily replicable is one challenge, but it’s not the only one. Ms. Ramanathan, on the other hand, says it’s impor- It has become so easy, for example, to install Ushahidi tant not to discount the importance of mass participa- to monitor elections that during the last Nigerian election. Politicians and decision makers are more likely tions there were no less than 12 competing web sites to respond to advocacy campaigns when they believe that attempted to crowd-source reports of electoral it will affect election outcomes and public perception. fraud. In addition to software that is replicable, he said, The moderator asked the presenters for strategies to there is also a need for more spaces that encourage col- replicate the best ideas and approaches to make sure laboration among like-minded actors. they impact as many lives as possible in the shortest time frame. In response, Ms. Miller pointed out that all of their programming code is open source and available

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Money and Politics: Combatting Electoral Corruption

Organizer: Moderator: Presenters: Network of Democracy Research Larry Diamond – Center on Felipe Heusser – Ciudadano Institutes—NDRI Democracy, Development, and Inteligente (Chile) Rule of Law—CDDRL, Stanford University (U.S.) Aurelio Concheso – Transparencia Venezuela (Venezuela)

Rapporteur: Boris Begovic – Center for Liberal- Christopher Walker – Democratic Studies (Serbia) International Forum for Democratic Studies, NED (U.S.) William Sweeney – IFES (U.S.)

his workshop featured a comparative discussion Aurelio Concheso cleverly tested the proposition that examining the role of money in politics in four Venezuela’s recent elections were free and fair by quan- T diverse settings. The moderator opened the ses- tifying the value of state administration resources, and sion by observing that the issue of money in politics media access in particular, that were at the unchecked is a problem that transcends political system types; disposal of President Hugo Chavez. To provide context, established democracies, as well as emerging ones, Mr. Concheso reminded the group that in Venezuela 95 face vexing challenges in this regard. percent of exports and 60 percent of the federal budget In his opening presentation Felipe Heusser explained come from the country’s oil windfall. The incumbent’s that his organization seeks to “get democracies to work domination of the media in Venezuela is crucial. Of 830 right,” a critical part of which is getting the incentives radio stations, 430 are owned by the government. Of of democracy correctly, so the will of the majority is eight national TV stations, six are government owned. reflected in policy making; countries in Latin Ameri- The estimate of the value of the total airtime enjoyed by ca confront ongoing challenges in this regard. Only 30 the incumbent in the course of the election campaign percent of citizens in Latin America think they are be- was more than $2 billion, which was only part of the in- ing governed well, while the role of money in political cumbent’s wider state administrative advantage. In the systems is high among the challenges in ensuring that end, it is estimated that Chavez outspent the opposition governance serves the interests of the many, rather than in the media by 25 to 1. benefitting the few. In the region generally, the tenden- Boris Begovic shared his observations on the role of cy of elites is to maintain power with little meaningful money in Serbia’s politics since 2000. He noted specific change. cases in which money has impacted elections: A useful, baseline response to the challenges is en- ➤➤ Informal links between the political leadership hancing transparency. Poor transparency of money in and major business interests, which had the effect politics, including disclosure of uneven assets and in- of tilting the political playing field. terests, is the standard for most cases in the region. ➤➤ Similar informal links between the incumbent The intersection of access to information and rapid political party and media tycoons, which leads to development of new information and communications biased reporting favoring the incumbent. technologies offers new ways to strengthen transpar- ➤➤ Widespread abuse of the public procurement ency. However, while there is considerable information process. available, all too often it is not gathered, organized, and presented in a manner that the public can easily use. Proposed steps to address these issues include deepen- Initiatives for online transparency must overcome “data ing privatization and advancing laws to improve the smog”—the vast amount of information of varying transparency of media companies. Mr. Begovic noted quality available online—in communicating with their that in Serbian political finance law, there are many audiences. On this point, Mr. Heusser stressed the need actions that are forbidden, which tends to push a good for the democracy community working on these issues to deal of money into “gray” areas of behavior. deepen its relationship with the technology community.

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William Sweeney outlined the main aspects of politi- Mr. Sweeney noted the steps that have been taken over cal financing in the U.S. and described three models for time, since the Watergate era in particular, and the managing the role of money in politics: support provided by campaign reform advocates, and ➤➤ The disclosure model, providing meaningful stressed that these advocates have a responsibility to information to the public; such disclosure efforts defend the system they helped create. should be accompanied by public education initia- Mr. Diamond summarized the discussion by empha- tives. sizing several key points that emerged from a working ➤➤ The regulatory model, which sets forth boundar- consensus among the participants: ies and rules of the game for corporate and special ➤➤ There is a critical need to value transparency, in- interest money in the political process. cluding declarations and timely and complete dis- ➤➤ The public finance model. closures of assets. ➤➤ There is a need for strong independent institutions for enforcement. ➤➤ More attention should be paid to the context when combatting corruption.

Using Citizen-Led Assessments of Local Democracy to Advance Reforms

Organizer: Rapporteur: Presenters: International IDEA Abdi “Yenni” Suryaningati Keboitse Machangana – – YAPPIKA: Indonesian Civil International IDEA (Sweden) Moderator: Society Alliance for Democracy Helena Bjuremalm (Indonesia) Amina Rasul Bernardo – – International IDEA (Sweden) Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (The Philippines)

his workshop aimed to develop the capacity of cit- The IDEA framework includes assessment of two izens to assess local democracy and to review the pillars of democracy—representative democracy and T local democracy assessment framework produced participatory democracy—and looks into both pro- by International IDEA (http://www.idea.int/sod/ cesses and institutions in each of those pillars. For framework/). The workshop began with an explana- example, an assessment in Ghana shows that politi- tion of the assessment framework and the experiences cal parties do not exist at the local level. What does of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy in this mean for local democracy? It is also important to implementing it, followed by discussion. Participants calculate and identify strengths, not just to find prob- in the workshop included civil society activists, mem- lems. Democracy assessments should not only serve as bers of community groups, representatives of donor research agendas, but should also be accompanied by agencies, former members of local governments, and political dimensions by getting all stakeholders, in- researchers and academics. cluding community members, to engage in construc- Keboitse Machangana began by explaining why tive dialogue regarding the status of democracy and IDEA facilitates citizen-led assessments of democracy what the stakeholders want to achieve in the future. in light of the fact that most assessments are external- Amina Rasul Bernardo shared her experience in ly-led without proper feedback processes. IDEA thus using the assessment tool in the Autonomous Region sought to produce an assessment tool that enhances of Moslem Mindanao (ARMM). She explained why the role of citizens in assessing their own democracies. ARMM, as a conflict affected region, was chosen to Assessments should be based on universal democratic conduct the assessment. She also explained the steps principles, but adapted to local contexts; the idea is and components for conducting the assessment, which to allow citizens to explain “what democracy means include choosing the assessment team; understanding to us without undermining the basic principles of the diverse array of methods chosen for the assessment democracy.” (surveys, key informant interviews, and multi-stake-

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holder focus group discussions at different levels); and the assessment results; and ensure the involve- some of the important and surprising findings and ment of women and minorities. important lessons learned from conducting the assess- ➤➤ To ensure that a diversity of voices, perspectives, ment. The surprising findings, for example, include the and experiences are clearly captured in democracy community’s perspective regarding the compatibility assessments at the local level, a key challenge is how of Islamic preaching and democracy and its judgment to develop an assessment process that is applicable and practices concerning bribery during the election in many different contexts. (the refusal to pay bribes if they think the candidates ➤➤ Ensure the credibility of the local partner that will not serve their needs after the election). conducts the assessment, and include feed-back procedures in the process to ensure that citizens Challenges and Recommendations who are consulted are aware of the follow-up to ➤➤ There are two principal questions regarding the assessment results. ways civil society organizations (CSOs) can ensure that citizen-led assessments of democracy will be Additional Observations used by a wide variety of stakeholders who are able ➤➤ Choosing the proper team is a very crucial step to influence reform: First, how can the results of an to implementing good citizen-led assessments of assessment serve as the foundation for reform in a democracy. Combinations of respected academics country with no accountability and where research with experience in implementing democracy as- results have never been used for decision-making sessment tools, NGO activists with good knowledge processes? Second, how can the capacity of CSOs be of local culture and customs, and persons with a developed to enable them to work effectively with good network of decision makers to promote reform politicians and decision makers? The following rec- are probably the best to produce excellent results ommendations were offered: and to enhance the possibility of reform. ➤➤ Enhance local ownership by involving key ➤➤ In citizen-led assessments of democracy, there is stakeholders in setting indicators and adjusting no exact number of respondents to make it mean- assessment tools according to the local context ingful or more valid. The most important aspect is from the start. to ensure that all important stakeholders at differ- ➤➤ Local CSOs should build their credibility to ent levels, including the most marginalized groups, become trustworthy organizations by creating such as minorities and women, are adequately rep- correct procedures for informing all stakehold- resented to ensure their opinions and perspectives ers about the processes and follow-up of the as- about local democracy are heard. Diverse meth- sessment. odologies, such as desk-study, surveys, key infor- ➤➤ CSOs face the challenge, in trying to promote col- mant interviews, focus group discussions, village laboration among different actors, of finding ways meetings, and multi-stakeholder workshops, are to get citizens to participate in dialogues without recommended to obtain a variety of opinions from getting paid given that development projects usual- different stakeholders to enrich assessment find- ly pay per diem to people to attend meetings; there ings. In addition, clarification of certain results and is also a need to create good feed-back processes so feed-back processes can be included in the assess- that the community involved can understand what ment process by using various methodologies to col- the impact has been of, for instance, the focus group lect information. discussions at village level; how to ensure inclu- ➤➤ When used properly, and if all the important sion of women and minorities in all processes of stakeholders in a region or municipality are in- an assessment, is also a challenge especially where volved, this tool can clearly capture the “meaning” women and minorities are usually left out of deci- of democracy in the local context (what do people sion making. perceive as good democratic governance at the lo- ➤➤ Use house-to-house discussions with people cal level?) and the innovative ways to move forward about their experiences in engaging with gov- to promote reforms (how to improve local democra- ernment, rather than having them attend meet- cy?). It can also generate local solutions to problems ings for which some payment would be expected; of democracy discussed during the assessment’s create a good monitoring and feed-back mecha- multi-stakeholder dialogues. Therefore, in addi- nism to inform communities about follow-up to tion to assessing the status of democracy, this type

86 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Making Democracy Sustainable

of assessment can also be used to promote trans- Therefore, it is important to use skilled facilitators parency and accountability at the local level while who can provide that sense of neutrality and safety perspectives, opinions, and critical issues are being to all parties involved in the citizen-led assessment. discussed and shared among the participants. People with good understanding of local customs ➤➤ Creating a neutral and safe environment for and culture will definitely be an asset to obtaining dialogue and debate is important for obtaining valid data and information from respondents. honest opinions on the status of local democracy.

Civic Education: It’s Not Just About Voting

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: Council for the Community of David McQuoid-Mason – Li-hua Chen – Taipei Municipal Democracies—CCD (U.S.) University of Kwazulu-Natal University of Education (Taiwan) (South Africa) Taiwan Foundation for Democracy— Abraham Magendzo – TFD (Taiwan) Rapporteur: Universidad Academia de Humanismo Christopher Brandt – CCD (U.S.) Cristiano (Chile)

Michael Kau – TFD (Taiwan)

Robert LaGamma – CCD (U.S.)

his workshop focused on best practices for He also stressed that democracy education should be democracy education, and in their opening pre- taught across disciplines; it should be part of math, T sentations, Michael Kau and Robert LaGamma biology, and all other subjects, not just limited to the established the context and importance of democracy social sciences. education for the ensuing presentations and discus- The workshop participants then broke up into sepa- sion. rate groups to discuss six themes in democracy educa- In her opening presentation, Li-hua Chen empha- tion: sized the importance of action in civic education and ➤➤ What is Democracy? that it should not be a passive exercise. Rather, students ➤➤ How Government Works in a Democracy should be encouraged to be proactive to better their ➤➤ Checking Abuse of Power in a Democracy world. She discussed an elementary school program in ➤➤ Human Rights and Democracy Taiwan where the Civic Action Approach (CAA) was ➤➤ Elections and Democracy used: the program emphasized awareness of, and care ➤➤ Citizenship Participation in a Democracy for, social issues; inquiry and empowerment; and civic action. Students learned about the pollution and ero- The groups then reported the ideas and best practices sion of a local beach that led to its closure and were en- that emerged from those discussions, summarized as couraged to discover the causes and effects and to take follows: action to repair the damage. According to Professor ➤➤ For teaching on “What is Democracy?,” it was Chen, programs such as this encourage students to be recommended that democracy should be connected active citizens and involve other local citizens, includ- to students’ lives; they should see where it holds val- ing parents, teachers, and other community leaders. ue for them and their families, not consider it only In his presentation, Abraham Magendzo emphasized as an abstract process. the importance of training teachers to teach democ- ➤➤ Democracy should be “modeled” within the racy education. Many teachers, he said, do not know learning environment; this can be done through anything about democracy or citizen participation, so student council elections or other decision-making it is important that they be equipped with the skills processes that affect students, such as deciding and the know-how to teach these subjects effectively. where to go on school field trips.

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➤➤ When learning about the role of government in ➤➤ Citizen participation can best be encouraged by a society, students should understand the role that localizing it. Getting involved in local issues makes civil society can or should play in checking gov- democratic participation tangible for students and ernment excesses and holding it accountable; it is allows them to witness the impact of their own in- important that civic education teaches students to volvement. think critically about their government. ➤➤ NGOs and community groups that engage in de- ➤➤ In restrictive societies, it is crucial that democ- mocracy education within a given country should racy education be carried out by NGOs. In Malay- share materials and best practices with each other. sia, for example, where the government has been in ➤➤ David McQuoid-Mason stressed that students power for 55 years, civic education in schools exists should understand the role of the media within a only as a tool to consolidate the government’s pow- democracy, as well as the pitfalls of biased journal- er. In such a case, NGOs must step in and provide ism and the importance of making informed deci- real and balanced democracy education. sions based on fact. ➤➤ When learning about elections, the two- to three- month period before elections take place is the best Several questions arose about human rights educa- time to educate students on the subject. During this tion: Should it be limited to civil and political rights period, campaigning is in full swing and students or should there be a broader definition? Who should be can learn about the election process in an interac- teaching this subject? Are these rights linked to cer- tive way. tain duties? These questions should also guide thinking about democracy education.

Challenges in Established Democracies and How to Address Them?

Organizer: Moderator: Presenters: Global Integrity (U.S.) Nathaniel Heller – Paul Graham – IDASA: An African Global Integrity (U.S.) Democracy Institute (South Africa)

Morton Halperin – Rapporteur: Open Society Foundation (U.S.) Nathaniel Heller – Global Integrity (U.S.) Manfredo Marroquin – Acción Ciudadana (Guatemala)

articipants in this workshop held a robust dis- Challenges cussion exploring the challenges facing “estab- ➤➤ Undue influence is exerted by special interests P lished” democracies around the world. The over the political process through “legalized cor- discussion was divided between an exploration of ruption,” such as lobbying and political donations. the unique challenges facing established democra- ➤➤ “State capture” of politics and democratic gov- cies, particularly in the wake of the 2008 financial ernance by financial elites and powerful interest crisis and subsequent European debt crisis, and solu- groups. tions and innovations that might be brought to bear to ➤➤ A general crisis of confidence in many established address those challenges. democracies, especially in Europe, in the wake of the financial crises of the past four years. ➤➤ Often underdeveloped judiciaries and legislatures that provide few checks on powerful execu- tives.

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➤➤ An erosion of independent media in the face of ➤➤ Strengthening the media in established democ- declining advertising revenue and flawed business racies should remain a priority to help elevate the models. political debate and discourse. ➤➤ A risk that flaws in established democracies send ➤➤ Despite their imperfections established democra- negative signals to emerging democracies about the cies remain models for new and transitioning de- importance of the democratic project. mocracies. ➤➤ New norms affirming the neutrality of elections Recommendations agencies and political financing can contribute pos- ➤➤ It is important to recognize that even in estab- itively to strengthening established democracies. lished democracies, democracy is not a destination ➤➤ Focusing on the sub-national level in established but a continuous journey. democracies may yield greater short-term successes ➤➤ While it is impossible to control fully for outside with respect to strengthening democratic gover- influence (financial or otherwise) over politics and nance. politicians, greater transparency around political financing could prove helpful in many countries.

Addressing the Corruptive Effects of Transnational Criminal Networks on Democratic Institutions and Civil Society Efforts to Build Democracy

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: International IDEA Alejandra Barrios – Santiago Villaveces-Izquierdo – Mision de Observacion International IDEA (Colombia) Network for the Affirmation of NGO Electoral—MOE (Colombia) Sector—MANS (Montenegro) Vanja Calovic – MANS (Montenegro)

Rapporteur: Leopoldo Martinez – Leopoldo Martinez – CDDA (Venezuela) Center for Democracy and Development in the Americas— CDDA (Venezuela)

hrough the opening presentations and discus- cultivation of cultures of tolerance. A number of cases sion at this workshop, a number of crucial issues in Latin America were raised that illustrate some of T emerged on the topic. One of the biggest threats these challenges: to democracy in many countries today comes from ➤➤ The spill-over effect on the local economy. For ex- the impact and penetration of organized crime, and it ample, during the week of the Assembly there were is very much the result of poverty plus weak institu- two headlines in the Peruvian daily newspaper, El tions plus limited public budgets. Although the focus Comercio. One headline reported that areas in the is usually on drug trafficking, we must “de-narco- city of Cusco are under the control of drug lords, tize” the debate to get the full picture of corruption, while the other reported that a square meter of real money laundering, all kinds of trafficking, the mar- property in Cusco sells for US$5,000. Surely, the kets of illicit activities, and the legitimization of illicit latter is at least partially the result of the former. assets; these all feed into each other and create highly ➤➤ The spill-over effect on public safety, including destructive networks. the kidnapping industry (“secuestro express”) and The challenges law enforcement faces to combat automobile theft. transnational criminal networks are formidable, not ➤➤ The high level of violence in Mexico and Gua- least being limited resources, the role of militaries and temala. There is even the question as to whether other institutions in such networks, and, in effect, the Mexico is going back to the days of its permissive

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policies “as long as the drugs are only in transit.” The other pressing questions that need to be ad- ➤➤ In Venezuela, a lack of judicial independence con- dressed include: Where is the money coming from that tributes to the flourishing of criminal syndicates, supports transnational criminal networks? Where are the armed forces have been identified as complicit the markets? Are countries in “the north” or in the in the drug trade, and there is widespread criminal developed world sharing the cost of combatting these control of the prisons (“Pranes”). networks? Can de-criminalization of some trades help? ➤➤ In Colombia, the guerrillas and paramilitary Are we putting the money where our mouth is? forces have conspired with drug traffickers and It is also important to understand the structure of other illicit actors. contemporary transnational crime: it is a collaborative international network, horizontal and dynamic, with a Therefore, how can we not be concerned about the sophisticated legal arm to “legitimize capital.” It is not potential of these forces playing a role in politics, val- a pyramidal and hierarchical structure as in the past, ues, and civil society in general? and this poses a difficult law enforcement challenge to National sovereignty and international cooperation governments. issues present another challenge. There are cross-bor- Finally, in meeting the challenges to defeat orga- der law enforcement issues and issues regarding tax nized crime, civil society can organize an interna- havens. But there are also issues concerning the ter- tional network of its own to investigate and denounce ritorial reach of laws against corruption, such as the criminal networks and the government corruption U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), that supports it. anti-bribery statutes, and other laws, such as the U.S. Patriot Act, as well as the UN Convention against Cor- ruption. The question is whether we are doing enough through such legislation and enforcement.

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Independent Media in New Democracies: The Roles of Conventional and Citizen Journalism

OrganizerS: Moderator: Presenters: Malaysiakini (Malaysia) Premesh Chandran – Premesh Chandran – Malaysiakini (Malaysia) Malaysiakini (Malaysia) Women Media Center (Pakistan) Fauzia Shaheen – Women Media Rapporteur: Center (Pakistan) Marguerite Sullivan – Center for International Media Assistance—CIMA (U.S.)

he days of the traditional journalist, working in strophic flooding in 2010, citizen journalism was partic- print or broadcast news operations, as the gate- ularly effective in getting the word out about charitable T keeper of the news is no more. Today, there is a opportunities, emergency relief needs, and coordination convergence—a merging—of the professional jour- of donations. Through digital media, citizens were able nalist and the citizen journalist. Today, the man or to highlight where emergency relief help was needed woman on the street has a powerful new ability to and where relief supplies were being distributed. record what is happening around him or her, accord- Several workshop participants provided examples ing to Marguerite Sullivan. Citizens shooting video of how digital media have given voice to the voiceless or tweeting news updates and then spreading them in their countries or allowed them to give witness to through social media have become critical eyewit- injustices and harassments of certain populations, nesses in exposing everything from election fraud to such as in gay and lesbian communities. Participants local government corruption. Citizen journalists have also acknowledged the challenges digital media can reshaped the landscape, creating alternative ways of bring with it: vitriolic language, falsehoods, and cyber getting information, and they often are setting the bulling can all surface, and a number of participants agenda for mainstream media. pointed out that media literacy is essential, since more Citizen journalists are key to the news gathering op- and more citizens have become citizen journalists. The eration of Malaysiakini, Premesh Chandran pointed out public thus needs to be more discerning producers and in his opening presentation, and while Malaysiakini has consumers of information. Programs are proliferating, a professional staff of 80, it also has 300 citizen jour- not only in classrooms for youth but also in online and nalists whom it has trained in journalism ethics and offline projects for adults, to help foster media literacy. shooting video, among other areas. They are tested at The legal status of citizen journalists and their secu- the end of an eight-day training program and then be- rity was also raised in the workshop discussion. Many come Malaysiakini’s “journalists on the ground.” The press freedom groups count more bloggers in jail today citizen journalists have even formed chapters around than traditional journalists. Bloggers and other citi- the country. zen journalists often operate without the institutional In Pakistan, after decades of state-controlled tele- protections available to traditional journalists, and can vision and radio, electronic media have witnessed an thus put themselves at risk as they tweet or blog to the explosive expansion in channels and unprecedented di- world injustices they have experienced or witnessed. versity in programming, according to Fauzia Shaheen. It is essential, therefore, that they get information on However, on issues of national security and religion, the cyber-security techniques. media’s freedoms are heavily curtailed. Still, the days Finally, the participants noted the highly important when information used to flow top-down from powerful need to recognize the universal standards of good jour- media institutions to a passive audience are gone. Citi- nalism: accuracy, verification, unbiased approach, and zen journalism has taken root through digital media, having a variety of sources. While professional journal- but the most powerful tool is the short messaging sys- ists have always recognized these standards, it is now tem, SMS, used via mobile phones, given the country’s essential that all citizens do as well. low rates of literacy. In urban areas, the use of social media is particularly strong. During Pakistan’s cata-

www.wmd.org 91 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Regional Networking

Workshops

Building an Asian Regional Network for Democracy and Human Rights

OrganizerS: Presenters: Brian Joseph – Asian Members of the World Melinda Quintos de Jesus National Endowment for Democracy— Movement Steering Committee – Center for Media Freedom NED (U.S.) and Responsibility—CMFR (The Moderator: Philippines) Hannah Forster – African Centre for Premesh Chandran – Democracy and Human Rights (Gambia) Malaysiakini (Malaysia) Erdenejargal Perenlei – Open Society Forum (Mongolia) Carlos Ponce – Latin American and Rapporteur: Caribbean Network for Democracy— Yuyun Wahyuningrum – Human Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Redlad (Venezuela) Rights Working Group—HRWG Gascon – Office of Political Ryota Jonen – World Movement for (Indonesia) Affairs, Government of The Philippines (The Philippines) Democracy Secretariat (Japan)

Han Dongfang – China Labour Bulletin (China)

sia is complicated in terms of geography, cul- participants emphasized the need to revisit the ture, history, borders, political identity, strategy for advancing democracy and to study the A ethnicity, etc. This workshop focused on the connection between the reality in the region and the potential for creating a new network in Asia and mission of a new network. included members of networks in Africa and Latin ➤➤ There is also a need to analyze the reasons why America so they could share their experiences. Asia-wide networks have hardly ever survived. Building a network has to begin with existing interaction among those who would be members, at least at Recommendations the conceptual and practical level. Having a network on ➤➤ Participants agreed that an inclusive pan-Asian democracy in Asia is not new, and current ones usually network should be created as a platform for devel- focus on specific themes and cross-border issues, such oping different capacities, themes, and activities as press freedom, human rights, women’s issues, demo- on democracy. The network would be the venue cratic processes, migrant worker issues, legal aid, etc. to examine different levels of democracy in Asian countries and to investigate why there is a lack of Challenges democratic practices and culture. It can take the ➤➤ It was observed that many democracy networks form of a “network of networks.” have little interaction among their members, and ➤➤ The workshop recognized the differences in de- while their commitments to democracy exist, they mocracy across Asia, which is a challenge to build- vary from one country to another. ing a network, especially regarding freedom of the ➤➤ In Asia, the focus has mainly been on the least press, assembly, and association. The participants democratic countries with less focus on the govern- suggested engaging local initiatives on democracy, ments that are committed to democracy in the re- such as the Bali Democracy Forum initiated by the gion. China, of course, is still playing a negative role government of Indonesia. on democracy. ➤➤ In April 2013, Mongolia will host the Ministe- ➤➤ Given the diversity on the Asian continent, the rial Meeting of the Community of Democracies variety of civil society entities and their dynamics, (CD), which will provide an opportunity to dis- and the different existing networks, the workshop cuss an Asian network further (the CD is a global

92 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Regional Networking

intergovernmental association of democratic coun- Moreover, members should agree on what kind of net- tries with the goal of promoting norms and in- work would fit best with the context, needs, and ways stitutions around the world). The government of of working in Asia. The network can take the form of a Mongolia is committed to establishing an Asian coalition on a particular theme, be membership driv- civil society caucus within the CD that can engage en, or just be an informal movement. government members of the CD if that is desired. This is something that can be explored in connec- Workshop participants suggested the following tion with a new regional network. ideas for a network: ➤➤ Engage in advocacy on human rights and democ- To build and maintain a network, it is important to: racy with a focus on non-democratic countries; ➤➤ Base it on a voluntary motivation among poten- ➤➤ Divide the network according to the three sub- tial members to join; regions (East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia) ➤➤ Maintain a spirit of sharing the burdens and and/or base it on caucuses to engage with the CD, resources, which in turn creates a sense of collec- the World Movement, or other governmental and tive responsibility and ownership of the goals and nongovernmental initiatives; achievements; ➤➤ Base the network on an analysis of need, not just ➤➤ Show support for members’ advocacy efforts to on the intention to create a network; enhance their impact; ➤➤ The network should enable its members to share ➤➤ Always be open to new ideas from members; hopes and experiences despite challenges and diffi- ➤➤ Ensure the members share the same values, and culties, thus contribute to a movement that is hope- that there is complementarity rather than competi- ful; tion regarding members’ initiatives; and ➤➤ The network can be composed of different stake- ➤➤ Ensure that members respect each other’s views, holders, including civil society, think tanks, aca- agree to disagree, and recognize that having differ- demics, religious-based movements or groups, etc.; ences of opinion is a network strength. ➤➤ Have a secretariat to take on the coordination role of the network; In addition, to be effective, a network should: ➤➤ Engage exiled groups from closed societies; and ➤➤ Have appropriate by-laws; ➤➤ Have a modest, broad, and basic purpose. ➤➤ Have a collectively agreed upon and clear goal; ➤➤ Have plans of action for the short, medium, and Conclusion long terms; ➤➤ Participants agreed to use the April 2013 CD ➤➤ Have an institutional target for network advo- Ministerial Meeting in Mongolia to follow up on the cacy; Lima discussion of creating an Asia network and to ➤➤ Avoid duplication of efforts and resources, both take concrete actions to move it forward. human resources and funding; ➤➤ Explore the possibility of building links with CD ➤➤ Speak in one voice—especially for the voiceless; governments. ➤➤ Encourage dialogue among members; ➤➤ The Mongolian government should be encour- ➤➤ Maintain internal and external communications; aged to facilitate the creation of an Asian civil soci- ➤➤ Ensure that all network members can appreciate ety caucus of the CD. the achievements and challenges; ➤➤ Be open to new discourses and interests; and ➤➤ Build the capacity of the network and its members.

www.wmd.org 93 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Fostering Cross-Border Work: Lessons Learned and Future Possibilities

Organizer: Rapporteur: Vukosava Crnjanski Sabovic – People in Need Foundation Tor Hodenfield – CIVICUS: Center for Research, Transparency and (Czech Republic) World Alliance for Citizen Accountability—CRTA (Serbia) Participation (South Africa) ModeratorS: Paul Graham – IDASA: An African Marek Svoboda – People in Need Presenters: Democracy Institute (South Africa) Foundation (Czech Republic) Krzysztof Stanowski – Solidarity Fund PL (Poland) Ambikulangara Jacob Philip – The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell – Herald of India (India) Chair, World Movement for Democracy Igor Blazevic – Steering Committee (Canada) Center for Democracy and Yakin Erturk – Women’s Learning Culture (Czech Republic) Partnership—WLP (Turkey)

Andrij Nechyporuk – Bambang Harymurti – Tempo Lion Society/Tovarystvo Leva International Media (Indonesia) (Ukraine)

his workshop highlighted the challenges to and Andrij Nechyporuk. However, according to Vukosava opportunities for cultivating greater cross-bor- Crnjanski Sabovic, strategies to promote democracy T der support for democracy movements in Eurasia must reflect diverse national experiences. A “copy and and the role of emerging powers, including India, paste” model will not be successful in Eurasia. In- Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkey, in addressing stead, a process of “copy, modify, and implement” with the global democracy deficit. A consensus emerged a particular focus on country specific advocacy strate- among the presenters from Eurasian civil society gies must be incorporated in all cross-border initia- that the more consolidated democracies, including tives in Eurasia. the Czech Republic and Poland, are uniquely posi- While highlighting the varied geo-political con- tioned to buttress and galvanize democratic reforms straints to supporting democracy movements abroad, in the region. According to Krzysztof Stanowski, the presenters also stressed that civil society working with 78 percent of the Polish population in support of in emerging powers, as well as employing internation- providing democracy assistance to its neighbors, for al human rights instruments, can provide vital techni- instance, the Polish government and civil society have cal assistance to ensure the creation of durable legal both a moral imperative and democratic obligation to frameworks anchoring democratic principles in fledg- support civil society working in restrictive environ- ling democracies. In democratic countries like South ments in the region. Moreover, in contrast to Western Africa, however, which one would think would want to governments, which are often hampered by accu- be involved in democracy support, the reality is disap- sations of imperialistic aspirations, small, regional pointing, Paul Graham remarked in his presentation. democracies with similar historical experiences are By encouraging democratic initiatives abroad, govern- well suited to navigate the contours of latent Eurasian ments sense that they are exposed to too much public democracies and stimulate greater support for democ- scrutiny at home. Ambikulangara Jacob Philip echoed racy movements in the region. this sentiment; despite being the largest democracy in Currently, effective support for, and collaboration the world, India generally does not try to promote de- with, national civil society actors operating in chal- mocracy abroad, since people in India will then ask lenging environments is hindered by the difficulties questions about its own democracy. The fear of height- in establishing sustainable partnerships and reliable ened public scrutiny of Indian democracy has partly information sources, Igor Blazevic said in his presen- encouraged India’s non-interventionist foreign policy. tation. Of greatest importance in supporting domestic With European Union accession talks stalled, Tur- democracy building in post-Soviet countries, there- key has sought to exert its influence in the Middle fore, is a stronger commitment to fostering durable al- East, said Yakin Erturk. Most poignantly, it has pre- liances among civil society actors in the region, said sented itself as an archetype for democracies hopefully

94 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Regional Networking

emerging from the Arab Spring uprisings. However, Having actively supported democratization in their Ms. Erturk emphasized that Turkey’s democratic cre- own countries, civil society in emerging powers can dentials are increasingly being questioned, and asked provide valuable technical support to embryonic de- if Turkey can really become a model of democracy in mocracies and cooperate with civil society to create the region. For aspiring democracies seeking to create sustainable democratic protection mechanisms, ac- an inclusive, just, and pluralistic state, engaging with cording to Bambang Harymurti. Tempo International international human rights systems can be a viable Media, which Mr. Harymurti represents, recently sup- support mechanism that would allow for more com- ported several governments and national civil societ- prehensive and sustainable national reform, she said. ies, including in Burma and Tunisia, to help ensure that press freedoms are protected in their national legal frameworks.

The Soviet Legacy: How Should Civil Society Respond to Authoritarianism in Eastern Europe and Eurasia?

Organizer: Moderator: Presenters: Kazakhstan International Bureau Elena Ryabinina – Human Yevgeniy Zhovtis – Kazakhstan for Human Rights and Rule of Law Rights Institute (Russia) International Bureau for Human Rights (Kazakhstan) and Rule of Law (Kazakhstan) Rapporteur: Timur Kurbanov – Oleg Kozlovsky – National Democratic Institute— Vision of Tomorrow (Russia) NDI (Russia) Vyacheslav Mamedov – Democratic Civil Union of Turkmenistan (Turkmenistan)

Intigam Aliyev – Legal Education Society (Azerbaijan)

he workshop began with an introduction by it launched an “invasion” on activists, limiting Inter- Yevgeniy Zhovtis, who focused on the trends in net freedom and the operation of NGOs by introduc- T the post-Soviet area, including deepening chal- ing harsh legislation, persecution, and massive pro- lenges and the backsliding to dictatorship. He posed paganda. The protest was not “finished,” however; it three theses for the participants to consider. First, just took on different forms, so one should expect an there are no civil societies as such in post-Soviet coun- increase in tensions between the regime and the pro- tries; instead, there are somewhat organized dissident testors. groups, be they political or advocacy. Second, if one Vyacheslav Mamedov then spoke about the very re- does not engage in politics there are no chances to stricted environment in his country, where the opposi- build civil society. Third, internal resources in post- tion operates as an outcast group. Powerful, repressive Soviet states are significantly limited, meaning that machines and the ability to manipulate international reforms cannot come from the grassroots; rather, they opinion are among two of the major reasons why a re- may be offered by certain elites at the top who would gime like that in Turkmenistan can grow stronger. utilize the grassroots to support such reforms. During the workshop discussion, participants from In his presentation, Oleg Kozlovsky focused on cer- Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, tain changes in Russia since December 2011, when Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan there was a spike in the mobilization of Russian people posed interesting comments: in a number of regions, who began engaging in the po- ➤➤ Participants from Georgia provided a contrast- litical process, including monitoring elections, launch- ing picture of a fairly strong and strengthening civ- ing new civic projects, and participating in street pro- il society in that country. tests. The government then inflicted a counter-strike; ➤➤ A participant from Armenia spoke about

www.wmd.org 95 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

troubling signs of growing authoritarianism in his Recommendations country, and stressed that cooperation with author- The workshop participants generally agreed that ities backfires on all civil society. every country in the post-Soviet area is different and ➤➤ A participant from Azerbaijan strongly suggest- has its own features, and that recommendations can- ed utilizing big public events, such as Euro-Vision not therefore be based on a “cookie-cutter approach.” (held recently in Azerbaijan), to draw the attention Still, recommendations included: of the international community to the human rights ➤➤ The necessity for democrats in these states to stay and democracy situations in various countries. He connected; also recommended that social media should be used ➤➤ The possibility of a campaign, called “Friend of more actively in democracy-related work, since its the Dictator,” to embarrass and put at risk the repu- impact is growing. tations of western public figures who support bad ➤➤ A Ukrainian participant said that in spite of regimes in exchange for high honoraria; problems with democracy in Ukraine, there have ➤➤ Convince the EU and other institutions and gov- still been accomplishments and there is a vibrant ernments to stop compromising on democratic val- civil society. She suggested that her country isn’t ues in exchange for natural resources and trade authoritarian, but has a democracy deficit. She al- agreements; and so noted some positive experiences in cooperating ➤➤ Include the wider public in the work of civil so- with officials to “use” them to help promote good ciety. initiatives, such as proposed legislation or amendments. The workshop concluded that although there is no sin- ➤➤ A Kyrgyz participant spoke about a “façade” de- gle recipe, it is important to maintain and defend what mocracy in his country that is intended to deceive we have now and be prepared for new opportunities foreigners. when they arise. ➤➤ A Kazakh participant described a significant deterioration of the situation in his country over the last 20 years. He strongly suggested that one may need to start all over again, from self-organized citizen clubs to a unified TV channel for Central Asian countries, to counter official propaganda.

96 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Regional Networking

Strengthening Regional Mechanisms to Build Democracy in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean

OrganizerS: ModeratorS: Presenters: African Democracy Forum—ADF Hannah Forster – Africa Emmanuel Abdulai – Society for Centre for Democracy and Democratic Initiatives (Sierra Leone) Latin American, and Caribbean Human Rights—ACDHRS Network for Democracy—Redlad (Gambia) Mariclaire Acosta – Freedom House (Mexico) Carlos Ponce – Redlad (Venezuela)

Rapporteur: Gina Romero – OCASA (Colombia)

Introduction important to emphasize the extent to which it has pio- During the introductory part of the workshop, neered the defense of sexual minority rights and other Emmanuel Abdulai explained in his presentation difficult-to-defend rights. that the human rights systems in Africa and Latin Following the introductory part of the workshop, the America/Caribbean are quite similar in part because participants divided into two groups, one focused on the African system is inspired by the American “Civil Society Efforts to Implement Regional Democ- one. During the institutionalization of the African racy Charters” and one on “Engaging Regional Human Democracy Charter, he continued, civil society activ- Rights Mechanisms.” The two groups then came back ists played an important role. He also described the together to present their conclusions. characteristics of the Charter, focusing on access to information, freedom of expression, transparency, and Civil Society Efforts to Implement free and fair elections. The Charter is, he said, one of Regional Democracy Charters the more progressive documents in Africa, but there is a great need for follow-up and civil society monitoring Moderator: Fra ncesca Bomboko – BERCI of its implementation. (Democratic Republic of Congo) Mariclaire Acosta then presented a general descrip- Rapporteur: Emm anuel Kitamirike – Uganda Youth tion of the Inter-American System and its instruments, Network (Uganda) emphasizing the fact that although Latin America/Ca- Presenters: Fra nklin Oduro – Ghana Center for ribbean has a longer and more stable democratic histo- Democratic Development (Ghana) ry than Africa, it is not free of conflicts or challenges. In Ramiro Orias – Fundacion CONSTRUIR the various countries, there has always been an attempt (Bolivia) to modify the system to bring it closer to the European model, but Ms. Acosta indicated that this would be a This part of the workshop focused specifically on the mistake given the weak judiciary system in many Latin Fundacion CONSTRUIR in Bolivia and the Centre for American/Caribbean countries. One of the Inter-Amer- Democratic Development in Ghana. ican Human Rights Commission’s biggest achievements Concerning the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and its most concrete contribution to democracy in the Fundación CONSTRUIR is currently undertaking mon- region is its presentations of, and follow up to, personal itoring and evaluation of the Charter’s performance human rights petitions. If the Commission is eliminat- based on four principles: access to information, citizen ed, as many countries now wish, many people will not participation, freedom of expression, and decentraliza- have even minimum access to justice. Carlos Ponce, the tion of decision making. Each of these principles has general coordinator of the Redlad, reinforced this point, a complex set of indicators that a consortium of CSO noting that despite the weakening of the system, it is activists, academics, and other experts utilize to deter-

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mine country compliance with the Charter’s provisions. The IASHR is characterized by its two institutions: The reports containing these findings are disseminated ➤➤ The Inter-American Commission on Human at the national and international levels. Advocacy ac- Rights (IACHR) is part of the Organization of tivities are then pursued according to the findings. A American States (OAS) and is composed of seven participant then recommended that regional dialogues members. It receives individual complaints of hu- be used to raise awareness among CSOs and the general man rights violations committed by governments. public about the implementation of the Charter. There ➤➤ The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Cor- is also a need, the participant continued, to develop a teIDH) is an autonomous body established through communications strategy to enable countries to present litigation in 1969. the findings to a wide spectrum of audiences across the region. The Civil Society Forum of the OAS is the official Franklin Oduro spoke about the African Charter on space for civil society, but historically the IACHR has Democracy, Elections and Governance, which is gener- opened its doors to civil society and has been willing ally new, so not much has been done with it compared to cooperate. The African Human Rights System, in to the Inter-American Democratic Charter. However, turn, is implemented by the African Commission on the African Charter has obtained the required approval Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), adopted in 1981 of 15 countries and is thus operational across all the and entered into force in 1986, which is composed member states of the African Union. Still, many of of members appointed by the member states. The these states are unfamiliar with the Charter beyond its Commission is intended to protect the human rights ratification, and there appears to be a disconnect be- of African populations. The main difference between tween the regional body and national-level political the IACHR and the ACHPR is that the former issues actors, since many government leaders and politicians mandatory rulings binding on the states, while the are not aware of the Charter and its provisions. This is ACPHR only issues simple recommendations that are why it is important for democracy CSOs to help those only known by the states. countries implementing the Charter’s provisions and International and regional civil society can be more to shame those that are not, Mr. Oduro continued. The than just “clients” of these systems; CSOs are now, in Charter should also be popularized using various types fact, defenders of such human rights systems, which of communication, such as radio, and CSOs should con- is why networking and systemic, comprehensive, and duct studies to determine compliance. inter-regional collaboration is extremely important for helping to ensure that protections of human rights Engaging Regional Human Rights transcend not only national borders, but regions, Mechanisms oceans, and continents, as well. Civil society networks in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean should Moderator: Jacq ueline Pitanguy – Cidadania Estudo thus share their knowledge and respective visions, learn Pesquisa Informacao Acao—CEPIA from their differences, and communicate with each oth- (Brazil) er about the mechanisms for protecting human rights, Rapporteur: Pabl o Innecken – Redlad (Costa Rica) better practices, international advocacy, and ways to Presenters: Katy a Salazar – Due Process of Law bring joint pressure on governments to respect rights. Foundation (Peru) Maxi milienne N’Go Mbe – Central African Human Rights Defenders Network—REDHAC (Cameroon)

This part of the workshop focused on the characteristics of the Inter-American System of Human Rights in Latin America (IASHR), recognizing that there is still a lack of information about its role on some specific issues, such as the rights of indigenous peoples.

98 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Regional Networking

How Can Civil Society Provide Effective Input into Transitions to Democracy in the Middle East and North Africa?

Organizer: RapporteurS: Presenters: Network of Democrats Hajar Alkuhtany – Maati Monjib – in the Arab World International Forum for Islamic Centre Ibn Rochd (Morocco) Dialogue—IFID (UK) Moderator: Jafar Alshayeb – Adala Center for Mokhtar Benabdallaoui – MADA Aly Abuzaakouk – Citizenship Human Rights (Saudi Arabia) Centre (Morocco) Forum for Democracy and Human Development (Libya) Mokhtar Benabdallaoui – MADA Centre (Morocco)

Radwan Ziadeh – Damascus Centre for Human Rights Studies (Syria)

Aly Abuzaakouk – Citizenship Forum for Democracy and Human Development (Libya)

n his opening presentation, Maati Monjib identi- The Role of Local Factors in the Transitional Period fied three issues regarding civil society input into of the Arab Spring Countries I democratic transitions in the region: Jafar Alshayeb spoke in his presentation about the ➤➤ The three main sources of power—money, author- role of local factors in the process of democratization. ity, and knowledge (i.e., media)—were redistributed He outlined two views on this. One view emphasizes as a result of the popular uprisings. The redistribu- the flexibility and the margin of freedom local areas tion of knowledge apparently played a crucial role. have for pushing the democratization process forward. ➤➤ There were significant differences in the reac- The other view plays down the role of local factors in tions to the uprisings among the political regimes influencing the actual democratization of the state based on their character. For example, the so-called and emphasizes the important role of the central gov- ‘’republican’’ regimes, such as Egypt and Tunisia, ernment in shaping the political landscape in most were more vulnerable and weaker in the face of the of the Arab countries. Mr. Alshayeb also described protesters and thus reacted differently than the the impact that the Arab Spring has left on political ‘’monarchical’’ regimes, such as Jordan and Moroc- and religious groups in local communities who must co, which resisted the tide more effectively. examine their thinking and reposition themselves in ➤➤ The size of the urban community in any given the new political climate. country made a difference. For example, the people in Egypt, with Cairo as its main populous city, The Role of Civil Society in Arab Countries regarding succeeded in putting great pressure on the regime Constitution Drafting and Rebuilding Political Systems while the people in Morocco, with its smaller urban The presenters and other workshop participants dis- communities, were less effective in putting pressure cussed the differentiation between democratic mecha- on the regime. nisms and democratic culture, as well as the important role of civil society in educating and building the The workshop then focused on three leading topics: capacities of political actors so they can perform bet- ➤➤ The Role of Local Factors in the Transitional Pe- ter in transitions to democracy. Mr. Benabdallaoui riod of the Arab Spring Countries; highlighted the significant role of Islam at the heart ➤➤ The Role of Civil Society in Arab Countries re- of the current debate on transitions to democracy and garding Constitution Drafting and Rebuilding Po- the role that civil society can play in leading discus- litical Systems; and sions about controversial issues, such as the position ➤➤ The Role of Civil Society concerning Security of religion (particularly Islam) in the drafting of new Forces and Institutions in the Arab Spring Context. constitutions.

www.wmd.org 99 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

In the discussion, a comparison was made between Recommendations the democratization processes in Arab Spring coun- ➤➤ For effectively drafting new constitutions, the tries and the East European experiences. In this re- role of religion must be at the heart of the debate gard, the role of regional and European organizations and civil society should play a crucial role in that in assisting the targeted countries was raised in con- debate. trast to the recognition that the Arab countries lacked ➤➤ Civil society should also play a role in address- such assistance, such as assistance from the Arab ing sectarian and ethnic polarization of society League. and thus also the character of security institutions, since they reflect the social fabric. The Role of Civil Society concerning Security Forces ➤➤ For security institutions to be a part of the so- and Institutions in the Arab Spring Context lution, and not part of the problem, they should be The presenters described the ways that armies served monitored by the people’s representatives in parlia- as a crucial element in determining how the secu- ment, receive a high standard of professional train- rity forces would react to the protesters in the dif- ing, and thereby learn to serve the people, not the ferent countries. On one end of the spectrum, Egypt rulers. has a professional army with little sectarian or ethnic ➤➤ Arab democracies in this transitional period can polarization, and this was reflected in how the army greatly benefit from learning about similar expe- dealt with the situation with a minimum of civil- riences elsewhere in the world, such as in Latin ian casualties. On the other end of the spectrum, the America and Eastern Europe. Syrian army, as Radwan Ziadeh pointed out, with its ➤➤ For civil society to be part of democracy build- deep sectarian affiliation, dealt with the situation ing, it should change from mainly raising aware- much differently and the number of casualties has ness and engaging in advocacy to being an active been much greater. actor in decision making, policy making, and the Mr. Abuzaakouk reminded the participants of the capacity building of other political actors. Influen- Libyan case, where there was no professional army, tial think tanks can also contribute significantly to but there were special militias loyal to Gadhafi, which the quality of civil society’s contributions to democ- made the people’s victory easier (although with the ratization in the Arab countries. aid of the West), but there was still a high price in the number of civilian casualties. The vacuum that existed was not only with respect to the lack of a professional army, he continued, since Libya after Gadhafi had no media, no constitution, and no civil society. In this context, the lack of an organized security system creates challenges to the political process and is thus a critical factor in the democratization process, including on the issue of transitional justice.

100 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Participants

emocracy activists, practitioners, and scholars from Malawi Rwanda every region of the world gathered in Lima, Peru to Aloisious Nthenda Joseph Nkurunziza Malawi Electoral Never Again Rwanda discuss practical solutions to a wide range of chal- Support Network lenges to democracy. (MESN) Sierra Leone DIn the following pages, participants are listed accord Emmanuel Saffa Mali Abdulai Society ing to region, country, and then alphabetically by first Deneba Diarra Kone for Democratic name. Those who attended are but a small fraction of the West Africa Election Initiatives thousands of activists around the world, so many of whom Oservers Network could not be included in this Assembly. However, they are (WAEON)/Reseau ONG Valnora Edwin Appui au Precessus Campaign for Good as much participants in the World Movement as those who Governance attended. Many of the participants took great personal Mauritania risks to attend the Assembly and some cannot be listed Aminetou Mint El Somalia Hassan Shire here for that reason. We wish to thank both those who at Moctar Association des East and Horn of tended and those who were not able to attend for their sup Femmes Chefs de Africa Human Rights port, dedication, and commitment. Famille Defenders Network

South Africa Gisèle Ngungua Guinea Nigeria David McQuoid- AFRICA Action Large des Frederic Loua Aderemi Adegbite Mason Femmes Avocates Les Mêmes Droits Youth Photo Contest Angola University of KwaZulu- (ALFA) pour Tous (MDT) Winner Rafael Marques Natal Image & Heritage Maka Angola Robert Numbi Kenya Paul Graham Les Amis de Nelson Maina Kiai Ayo Obe Cameroon IDASA - African MANDELA pour la InformAction/UN Ogunsola Shonibare Maximilienne Democracy Défense des Droits Special Rapportuer on Law Firm Ngo Mbe Institute Humains (ANMDH) the rights to Freedom Réseau des of Peaceful Assembly Chris Uyot Défenseurs des Droits Equatorial Guinea and of Association Nigeria Labour Swati Dlamini Humains en Afrique Alfredo Okenve Congress Centrale (REDHAC) Centro de Estudios Millie Odhiambo Tor Hodenfield e Iniciativas para el Mombasa Citywide Femi Longe CIVICUS Congo-Brazzaville Desarrollo (CEID) Residents Association Co-Creation Hub Alain Louganana South Sudan Nigeria Commission Lony Ruot The Gambia Peter Aling’o Justice et Paix South Sudanese Hannah Forster Institute for Education Kingsley Bangwell African Centre for Youngstars Network for Dem. Rep. of Congo in Democracy Democracy and Foundation Democracy and Aziza Abemba Human Rights Elections (SuNDE) Women’s Self- Waruguru Kaguongo (ACDHRS) International Centre Mma Odi Promotion Movement Moses John for Not-For-Profit Law BAOBAB for Women’s Ghana Organization for (ICNL) Human Rights Dismas Kitenge Franklin Oduro Nonviolence and Group LOTUS Ghana Center Liberia Spiff Jennifer Development for Democratic Eddie Jarwolo Women Initiative for Francesca Bomboko Sudan Development (CDD- NAYMOTE Partners Transparency and Bureau d’Etude, Asma Ismail Ghana) for Democratic Social Justice de Recherche Development The Institute for the et de Consulting Development of Civil International (BERCI) Society

www.wmd.org 101 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Swaziland Tapera Kapuya George Mathew Yuyun Wahyuningrum Masuma Hasan Comfort M. Gina World Youth Institute of Social Human Rights Aurat Foundation Trade Union Congress Movement for Sciences Working Group- Pakistan of Swaziland Democracy Indonesia (TUCOSAW) (WYMD) Swati Ramanathan Misbah Shahzad Janaagraha Centre Japan Aware Girls Togo for Citizenship and Ryota Jonen Solange Fiaty Asia Democracy World Movement for Muhammad Zubair West Africa Human Democracy Potohar Organization Australia Rights Defenders Vandita Mishra for Development Roland Rich Network (ROADDH/ The Indian Express Malaysia Advocacy (PODA) WAHRDN) United Nations Ben Suffian Democracy Fund Indonesia Merdeka Center for Sameena Imtiaz (UNDEF) Uganda Abdi (Yenni) Opinion Research Peace Education

Dennis Wamala Suryaningati And Development Bangladesh Icebreakers YAPPIKA - Civil Betty Yeoh Foundation (PEAD) Selima Ahmad Uganda Society Alliance for All Women’s Action Bangladesh Democracy Society (AWAM) Philippines Women Chamber Perry Aritua Amina Rasul of Commerce and Women’s Democracy Bambang Harymurti Premesh Philippine Center Industry Network-Uganda TEMPO Chandran for Islam and Chapter Malaysiakini Democracy Burma M. Syafi’i Anwar Aung Din Emmanuel Kitamirike SoIS, COLGIS, Swee Seng Yap Chito Gascon U.S. Campaign for Uganda Youth Universiti Utara Asian Forum for Office of Political Burma Network Malaysia Human Rights and Affairs, Government of Development (Forum- the Philippines Khin Lay Zimbabwe Rafendi Djamin Asia) National League Glanis Changachirere Human Rights Dammy Magbual for Democracy / Institute for Working Group- Mongolia National Citizens’ TRIANGLE Women Young Women Indonesia Badruun Gardi Movement for Support Group Development Zorig Foundation Free Elections Roni Febianto (NAMFREL) Min Yan Naing Grace Ruvimbo Brotoatmodjo Perenlei Erdenejargal Generation Wave Chirenje Zimbabwe Federasi Serikat Open Society David Diwa Young Women’s Forum Cambodia Pekerja Metal Trade Union Congress Network for Peace Ou Virak Indonesia (FSPMI) of the Philippines Building (ZYWNP) Suren Badral Cambodian Center for Office of Community Human Rights (CCHR) Siti Maimunah Deewai Rodriguez Jestina Mukoko Mining Advocacy of Democracies World Youth Zimbabwe Peace Presidency China Network - JATAM/ Movement for Project Dongfang Han CSF Democracy (WYMD) Zanaa Jurmed China Labour Bulletin Okay Machisa Siti Nurjanah Center for Citizens’ Melinda Quintos de ZimRights Alliance Yanhai Wan Women and Youth Jesus China Health Action Development Institute Center for Media Nepal Rindai Chipfunde of Indonesia Freedom and Sushil Pyakurel Vava India Responsibility Accountability Watch Zimbabwe Election A.J. Philip Stevie Harison Committee Support Network The Herald of India Youth Photo Contest Tanya Hamada Winner International Center Pakistan Ankit Agrawal INVOTE -Indonesian for Innovation, Fauzia Shaheen Youth Photo Contest Youth Movement for Transformation Women Media Center Winner Sport and Healthy and Excellence Pakistan Tehelka Lifestyles in Governance (INCITEGov)

102 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Participants

Singapore Michael Y.M. Kau Denis Telic Macedonia Marcin Gwizdon Vincent Wijeysingha Taiwan Foundation for Centres for Civic Darko Aleksov Youth Photo Contest Singapore Democratic Democracy Initiatives (CCI)/ European Network of Winner Party European Network of Election Monitoring Sandy Yeh Election Monitoring Organizations Mieczyslaw Bak South Korea Taiwan Foundation for Organizations (ENEMO) Institute for Private Anselmo Lee Democracy (ENEMO) Enterprise and Korea Human Rights Filip Stojanovski Democracy Foundation Thailand Jasenko Selimovic Metamorphosis, Kavi Chongkittavorn Social Democratic Foundation for Romania Shin Hyung-Sik Southeast Asian Party of Bosnia and Internet and Valentin Burada Korea Democracy Press Association Herzegovina Society Civil Society Foundation (SEAPA) Development Kumjana Moldova Foundation Sri Lanka Somchai Homlaor Novakova Leo Litra Nirmanusan Human Rights Pravo Ljudski Institute for Serbia Balasundaram and Development Development and Boris Begovic Independent Foundation Majda Lovrenović Social Initiatives Center for Liberal- Journalist Youth Photo Contest “Viitorul” Democratic Tibet Winner Studies Vincent Tenzin Dorjee Ministry of Civil Ludmila Malai Bulathsinghala Students for a Free Affairs East Europe Maja Micic Janawaboda Kendraya Tibet Foundation Youth Initiative for (JK) Srdjan Blagovcanin Human Rights Vietnam Transparency Montenegro Nguyen Dinh Thang Rohana Hettiarchchi International Vanja Calovic Vukosava Crnjanski Asian Network Boat People SOS Network for the Center for Research for Free Elections Czech Republic Affirmation of NGO Transparency and (ANFREL) Penelope Faulkner David Král Sector - MANS Accountability (CRTA) Quê Me: Action EUROPEUM Institute Taiwan for Democracy in for European Policy Poland Slovakia Antonio Chien Vietnam Agnieszka Martin Butora Taiwan Foundation for Igor Blazevic Komorowska Institute for Public Democracy Center for Democracy East European Affairs (IVO) Central/ and Culture Democratic Center Awi Mona Eastern Rasto Kuzel Taiwan Foundation for Marek Svoboda Alicja Derkowska MEMO 98 Democracy Europe People in Need Educational Society of Malopolska Ukraine Andrii Kartashov Cheng-Hao Pao Albania Vladimir Bartovic Civil Initiative Support Taiwan Foundation for Gledis Gjipali EUROPEUM Insitute Dorota Mitrus Center Democracy European Movement for European Policy European Institute for in Albania Democarcy George Tsai Hungary Andrij Nechyporuk Taiwan Foundation for Belarus Laszlo Rajk Julie Boudreaux Lion Society / Democracy Christina University of Theatre Educational Society of Tovarystvo Leva Karchevskaya and Film Art Malopolska Li-hua Lee Chen European Radio for Inna Pidluska Taipei Municipal Belarus Kosovo Justyna Janiszewska International University of Agron Demi Education for Renaissance Education Bosnia-Herzegovina GAP Institute for Democracy Foundation Darko Brkan Advanced Studies Foundation Why not - Zasto ne / Viktoria Siumar Dosta! Movement Krzysztof Stanowski Institute of Mass Solidarity Fund PL Information

www.wmd.org 103 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Yulia Tyshchenko Roza Akylbekova Slava Mamedov Luz Maria Calvo Gabriela Serrano Ukrainian Center for Kazakhstan Democratic Civil Union ISA Bolivia International Independent Political International Bureau of Turkmenistan Republican Institute Research for Human Rights and Ramiro Orias (IRI) Rule of Law Uzbekistan Fundación Nadejda Atayeva CONSTRUIR Gina Romero Eurasia Sergey Duvanov Association for OCASA Kazakhstan Human Rights in Brazil Armenia International Bureau Central Asia Andrea Romani Gloria Falla Mikael Danielyan for Human Rights and Cidadania Estudo Fundacion Civico Helsinki Association Rule of Law Pesquisa Informação Social Pro Cartagena for Human Rights Latin Ação (CEPIA) (FUNCICAR) Yevgeniy Zhovtis Azerbaijan America/ Kazakhstan Jacqueline Pitanguy Hector Vásquez Leila Alieva International Bureau Cidadania Estudo Escuela Nacional Center for National Caribbean for Human Rights and Pesquisa Informação Sindical and International Argentina Rule of Law Ação (CEPIA) Studies (CNIS) Diego Sueiras Javier Loaiza Fundación Nueva Chile Kyrgyzstan Escuela de Gobierno Ulviyya Mikayilova Generación Abraham Magendzo Masha Lisitsyna Tomas Moro Center for Innovations Argentina Universidad Academia Open Society Justice (EGTM) in Education Initiative de Humanismo Gabriel C. Salvia Cristiano Katherine Romero Shahin Abbasov Centro para la Sardar Bagishbekov Fundación para la Council of Europe Apertura y el Andrés Rivera Golos Svobody Public Libertad de Prensa Foundation Desarrollo de America Organizacion de Georgia Latina (CADAL) Transexuales por Irakli Petriashvili Luis E. Olave Valentina Gritsenko la Dignidad de la Georgian Trade Movimiento MIRA Public Fund Marta Gaba Diversidad (OTD) Unions Confederation Red Latinoamericana “Justice” Marcela Prieto (GTUC) y del Caribe para Cecilia Valdès Leòn Botero Nadira Eshmatova la Democracia Corporaciòn Kate Chachava Instituto de Ciencia Youth Human Rights (REDLAD) Proyectamerica NEW Generation-NEW Política Group Initiative Matias Bianchi Eduardo Vergara Santiago Villaveces- Russia Asuntos del Sur Asuntos del Sur Paata Beltadze Izquierdo Elena Ryabinina Georgian Trade International IDEA Human Rights Samanta Kussrow Felipe I. Heusser Unions Confederation Institute Red de Seguridad y Ciudadano Costa Rica (GTUC) Defensa de América Inteligente Pablo Innecken Nikolay Rudenskiy Latina Asociación Civil Red Latinoamericana Tamar Chugoshvili Grani.Ru (RESDAL) Marcela Fajardo y del Caribe para Georgian Fundación Pro Bono la Democracia Young Lawyers Bolivia Oleg Kozlovsky Chile (REDLAD) Association Vision of Tomorrow Armando de la Parra Fundación de Apoyo Colombia Cuba Ucha Nanuashvili Timur Kurbanov al Parlamento y Alejandra Barrios Juan Antonio Human Rights National Democratic la Participación Cabrera Mision de Alvarado Center Institute - Russia Ciudadana Observacion Electoral Afro-Alliance (FUNDAPPAC) (MOE) Kazakhstan Turkmenistan Regis Iglesias Gulnara Karakulova Farid Tuhbatullin Fabiola Cordova Beatriz Torres Ibarra Christian Liberation Women’s Resource Turkmen Initiative for National Endowment Instituto de Ciencia Movement Centre Human Rights for Democracy Política

104 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Participants

Dominican Republic Mexico Paraguay Emma Alvarado Iris Jave Rommel Santos Arturo Alvarado Margarita Kelly Instituto de Estudios Instituto de Fundación Federalista El Colegio de Mexico Fundacion Paraguay Sociales Cristianos Democracia y Derechos Humanos - Ecuador Cirila Quintero Maria Victoria Rivas Erika Flores Reátegui Pontificia Universidad Daniel Barragán Ramirez Centro de Estudios Universidad Privada Católic Centro Ecuatoriano de Colegio de la Frontera Judiciales PY de Tacna Derecho Ambiental Norte Isabel Kancha Sucno Marta Ferrara Ernesto de la Jara Coordinadora Mauricio Alarcón- Gloria A Careaga- Semillas para la Instituto de Defensa Departamental Salvador Perez Democracia Legal (IDL) de Defensorías Fundación Andina International Lesbian, Comunitarias del para la Observación Gay, Bisexual, Peru Francisco Soberon Cusco (CODECC) Social y el Estudio de Trans and Intersex Alejandro Toledo Asociación Pro Medios Association (ILGA) Former President of Derechos Humanos Javier Portocarrero Peru (APRODEH) Consorcio de Orazio Bellettini Mariclaire Acosta Investigación Grupo FARO Freedom House Ana Maria Romero Gerardo Tavara Económica y Social Global Center for Transparencia (CIES) Patricia Gálvez Romel González Development and Centro Ecuatoriano Popular Indigenous Democracy Giovanny Romero Jorge Ramirez de Desarrollo y Regional Council of Movimiento Asociacion Negra Estudios Alternativos Xpujil S.C. Binolia Porcel Homosexual de Lima de Defensa y (CEDEAL) HELVETAS Swiss (MHOL) Promocion de los Cynthia Cárdenas Intercooperation Derechos Humanos Ruth Hidalgo Independent Gloria Cano (ASONEDH) Participacion Consultant Carmen Martínez Asociación Pro Ciudadana Tararocha Derechos Humanos Jose Patricio Nicaragua Mesa De Concertacion (APRODEH) Red Interquorum El Salvador Anibal Toruño - Loreto Arequipa Claudia Umaña Fundacion Guillermo Angulo Araujo Nicaraguense de Caroline Gibu Sindicato de Juan Jose Gorritti Fundación Apoyo a Programas Ciudadanos al Día Mototaxistas El Confederación Democracia, Sociales (FUNIAPS) Huarango de Ica General de Transparencia, Cecilia Blondet Trabajadores del Justicia Claudia Pineda Proética Guillermo Gonzalez- Perú Instituto de Estudios Arica Guatemala Estratégicos y Claudia Bustamante Global Center for Julio Cusurichi Manfredo Marroquin Políticas Públicas Belaunde Insituto Development and Regiones Vivas Accion Ciudadana (IEEPP) Invertir Democracy Karin Cannock Pedro Cruz Mateo Collins Claudia Solari Hermes Romero World Movement for Red Latinoamericana Unidad y la Transparencia Andrade Democracy y del Caribe para Reconstrucción de TECHO - Un Techo la Democracia la Costa Atlántica Daniel Cordova para mi País Katya Salazar (REDLAD) (FURCA) Instituto Invertir Due Process of Law Haiti Hugo Che Piu Deza Foundation Robert Courtney David Lovatón Hans Tippenhauer Derecho, Ambiente y Etica y Instituto de Defensa Fondation Espoir Recursos Naturales Libia Rengifo Transparencia Legal (IDL) (DAR) Asociación Interétnica Yva Salvant de Desarrollo de la Sergio Balladares Elaine Ford Cener for Citizen Selva Peruana Movimiento Puente Democracia Training and & Desarrollo Development Support Internacional (D&D (CEFCAD) Internacional)

www.wmd.org 105 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Lilia Ramírez Víctor H. Rojas Racini Ricardo Iran Rami Shamma Varela National Democratic Fundación Nacional Azadeh Pourzand Development for Instituto de Defensa Institute (NDI) de Estudios Jurídicos Gateway House: People and Nature Legal (IDL) Políticos y Sociales Indian Council on Association (DPNA) Winser Santa Cruz (FUNEJAPS) Global Relations Luis Nunes Bertoldo López Ziad Abdel Samad Centro Nacional Partido Popular Ladan Boroumand Arab NGO Network for de Estrategia y Cristiano Middle Abdorrahman Development Prospección Boroumand Yesenia Alvarez East/ Foundation Libya Luz Maria Instituto Político para North Aly R. Abuzaakouk Helguero la Libertad Perú Iraq Citizenship Forum Transparencia Africa Salah Albedry for Democracy Uruguay Enmaa Center and Human María Becerra Rosa Quintana Afghanistan for Researches & Development Federación Luz y Acociacion de Aziz Royesh Studies Fuerza Defensa de Marefat High Morocco Derechos Humanos y School Suhaib Albarzinji Aatifa Timjerdine Marleny Robles Ciudadania Network of Democrats Association Sindicato de Sayed Abdullah in the Arab World Démocratique des Venezuela Trabajadoras del Ahmadi Femmes du Maroc Aurelio F. Concheso Jordan Hogar de Arequipa Cooperation Cener for Transparencia Afghanistan (CCA) Asma Khader Abdelali Mastour Venezuela Sisterhood is Global Max Silva Forum de la Bahrain Institute Organizacion Regional Citoyenneté Benigno Alarcón Maryam Alkhawaja de Aidesep Ucayali Fundación para la Bahrain Center for Hadeel Khasawneh Maati Monjib Organización del Human Rights International Mirtha Callacna Cente Ibn Rochd Desarrollo en las Republican Institute Trabajadores de Americas (FODA) Egypt (IRI) Agua Potable y Mokhtar Abdallah Helmy Alcantarillado Benabdallaoui Carlos Ponce El Sadat Association Nebal Mhadeen (FENTAP-PERU) MADA Center Red Latinoamericana for Development and International y del Caribe para Social Welfare Republican Institute Palestine Omar Méndez la Democracia (IRI) Soraida Hussein- Instituto Prensa y (REDLAD) Ahmed Samih Sabbah Sociedad (IPYS) Andalus Institute for Rana Aldabbas Women’s Affairs Carlos Tinoco Tolerance and Anti- Musa Saket Technical Percy Medina A.C. Consorcio Violence Studies / Development Committee International IDEA Desarrollo y Horytna Radio Organisation Justicia Taleb Awad Rodolfo Alban Enas El Shafie Lebanon Arab World Tribunal Cristofer Correia Forum for Women in Lina Abou Habib Democracy and Constitucional Movimiento Development Collective for Electoral Monitor Estudiantil Research and Training Sergio Barrenechea Esraa Abdel Fattah on Development- Saudi Arabia TECHO - Un Techo Leopoldo Martinez Egyptian Democratic Action (CRTDA) Jafar Alshayeb para mi País Center for Democracy Academy Adala Center for and Development in Nabil Hassan Human Rights Sonia Ríos the Americas Hisham Kassem Lebanese Association Universidad Nacional Algomhouria Algadida For Democratic Syria de Ucayali Rodrigo Diamanti Elections (LADE) Radwan Ziadeh Un Mundo Sin Osama Mourad Damascus Center Veronica Ferrari Mordaza Arab Finance for Human Rights Movimiento Brokerage Co. Studies Homosexual de Lima (MHOL)

106 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Participants

Turkey Bob Miller Darda Duncan Jean Rogers Lindsay Lloyd Sanar Yurdatapan John B. Hurford National Endowment Center for George W. Bush Initiative for Freedom Foundation for Democracy International Private Institute of Expression Enterprise (CIPE) Bob Tuttle Dave Peterson Lynne Moses Yakin Erturk National Endowment National Endowment John A. Zemko Appleseed Women’s Learning for Democracy for Democracy Center for Entertainment Partnership for Rights, International Private Development, and Brandon P. Yoder David Lowe Enterprise (CIPE) Mahnaz Afkhami Peace (WLP) National Endowment National Endowment Women’s Learning for Democracy for Democracy John Sullivan Partnership for Rights, Yemen Center for Development, and Tawakkol Karman Brian Joseph David Moore International Private Peace (WLP) Women Journalists National Endowment International Center Enterprise (CIPE) without Chains for Democracy for Not-for-Profit Law Marc Plattner (ICNL) Judith Welling International Forum Bruce Abrams International Forum for Democratic North USAID-Peru David Sasaki for Democratic Studies, NED America Omidyar Network Studies, NED Carl Gershman Marguerite Sullivan Canada National Endowment Doug Rutzen Judy Shelton Center for Annie Theriault for Democracy International Center National Endowment Independent Media CUSO International for Not-for-Profit Law for Democracy Assistance (CIMA), Catherine Harrington (ICNL) NED Kim Campbell Women’s Learning Kate Conradt World Movement for Partnership for Rights, Dustin Palmer Solidarity Center Mark Hankin Democracy Development, and National Democratic Solidarity Center Peace (WLP) Institute (NDI) Ken Wollack United States National Democratic Meghan Fenzel Aimel Rios Wong Chris Brandt Ellen Miller Institute (NDI) National Democratic National Endowment Council for a Sunlight Institute (NDI) for Democracy Community of Foundation Kim Bettcher Democracies (CCD) Center for Melissa Aten Amanda Schnetzer Erika Veberyte International Private International Forum George W. Bush Christopher Thurau Women’s Democracy Enterprise (CIPE) for Democratic Institute World Movement for Network, International Studies, NED Democracy Republican Institute Laith Kubba Art Kaufman (IRI) National Endowment Miriam Kornblith World Movement for Christopher Walker for Democracy National Endowment Democracy International Forum Ishraga Eltahir for Democracy for Democratic World Movement for Larry Diamond Ben Moses Studies, NED Democracy Center on Democracy, Miriam Lanskoy Appleseed Development and the National Endowment Entertainment Claire Selsky Ivana Howard Rule of Law (CDDRL), for Democracy National Endowment National Endowment Stanford University Bill Leonard for Democracy for Democracy Molly McCoy National Endowment Laura London Solidarity Center for Democracy Dana O’Leary Jane Riley Jacobsen International World Movement for National Endowment Republican Institute Mort Halperin Bill Sweeney Democracy for Democracy (IRI) Open Society International Foundation Foundation for Daniella Foster Jayne Kurzman Layla Moughari Electoral Systems U.S. Department of John B. Hurford Women’s Learning Nadia Diuk (IFES) State Foundation Partnership for Rights, National Endowment Development, and for Democracy Peace (WLP)

www.wmd.org 107 Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social, and Economic Inclusion

Nathaniel Heller Tomicah Tillemann Inger Prebensen Global Integrity U.S. Department of Women’s World State Banking Pamela Rykowski Humanity in Action Lisa Davis Portugal Freedom House Ana Gomes Pat Merloe European National Democratic Parliament Institute (NDI) Western Spain Ragan Updegraff Europe Jose Herrera Fundación FAES National Endowment Denmark for Democracy Joergen Ejboel Pablo Díaz Espí JP/Politiken Robert LaGamma Diario de Cuba Council for a France Sweden Community of Antoine Bernard Helena Bjuremalm Democracies (CCD) International International IDEA Federation for Human Rodger Potocki Rights (FIDH) Keboitse National Endowment Machangana for Democracy Benjamin Abtan International IDEA European Grassroots Sally Blair Antiracist Movement Maria Leissner International Forum (EGAM) Community of for Democratic Democracies Studies, NED François Friederich Permanent Council of Europe Secretariat Samantha Tate Solidarity Center Marion Groh Robert Hardh Marquardt Civil Rights Sef Ashiagbor Women’s Learning Defenders National Democratic Partnership for Rights, Institute (NDI) Development, and United Kingdom Peace (WLP) Angela Wilkins Stacy Donohue Developing Omidyar Network Germany Democracy Hauke Hartmann Stephen Moody Bertelsmann Hajar Alkuhtany U.S. State Stiftung International Forum Department for Islamic Dialogue Ireland (IFID) Thomas Garrett Tara O’Grady International Bahrain Rehabilitation Linda Duffield Republican Institute & Anti Violence Westminster (IRI) Organisation (BRAVO) Foundation for Netherlands Democracy Tiffany Lynch Hans Bruning U.S. Commission on Netherlands Institute Michael Allen International Religious for Multiparty Democracy Digest Freedom Democracy (NIMD) Tim Ryan Norway Solidarity Center Bjarte Tora Oslo Center

108 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 www.wmd.org 109 SectionPress Opener

110 World Movement for Democracy Lima, Peru October 14–17, 2012 Press

www.wmd.org 111 The World Movement for Democracy would like to thank the following donors for their generous support

The Hurford Foundation

In Memory of John William Leonard

Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Supported by a Sponshorship from Omidyar Network

The World Movement also appreciates the contributions from the following individuals

• Ambassador Robert H. Tuttle and • Judy and Gilbert Shelton • Ambassador Mark Palmer* Maria Hummer-Tuttle • Fred and Marlene Malek • Selim K. Zilkha • Howard and Nancy Marks • Marc and Jane Nathanson • John Whitehead • Brad Freeman • Robert Day • Fred and Marlene Malek • Emmanuel Kampouris • Russell Goldsmith

*The World Movement Secretariat was saddened to learn of Mark Palmer’s passing in January 2013. He was a true fighter for democracy around the world. A former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, he passionately advocated diplomatic activism on behalf of democracy and human rights, and was a driving force behind the establishment of the inter-governmental Community of Democracies. He will be greatly missed.

Host Country CSO Consortium convened by Gerardo Távara, Civil Association on Transparency (Transparencia) David Lovaton, Legal Defense Institute (IDL)

Logo contributed by Joe Prucnal, Washington, DC

www.wmd.org

World Movement for Democracy Tel: +1 (202) 378 9700 National Endowment for Democracy, Secretariat Fax: +1 (202) 378 9889 Printed on recycled paper using 1025 F Street, N.W., Suite 800 Email: [email protected] vegetable-based inks and 100% wind power. Washington, D.C. 20004 USA