The Eighth Assembly SEOUL, KOREA NOVEMBER 1–4, 2015 WORLD MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRACY EIGHTH ASSEMBLY 1-4 NOVEMBER 2015 SEOUL KOREA Empowering Civil Society for Democracy and Its Renewal Steering Committee Mariclaire Acosta, Mexico* Robert Hårdh, Sweden Tamara Adrián, Venezuela Bambang Harymurti, Indonesia Zainab Hawa Bangura, Sierra Leone Hisham Kassem, Egypt Antoine Bernard, France Zafarullah Khan, Pakistan Igor Blaževic, Czech Republic* Maina Kiai, Kenya Ladan Boroumand, Iran Dismas Kitenge, Democratic Republic of Congo Kim Campbell, Canada (Chair) Sook-Jong Lee, South Korea Glanis Changachirere, Zimbabwe Radwan Masmoudi, Tunisia Kavi Chongkittavorn, Thailand* Reginald Matchaba-Hove, Zimbabwe* Michael Danby, Australia Matteo Mecacci, Italy Ron Deibert, Canada Sophía Montenegro, Nicaragua Alicja Derkowska, Poland Šimon Pánek, Czech Republic Hannah Forster, The Gambia Carlos Ponce, Venezuela* Hualing Fu, China Gina Romero, Colombia Carl Gershman, United States (ex officio, Hassan Shire, Uganda representing the Secretariat) Natalia Taubina, Russia Paul Graham, South Africa* Hans Tippenhaeur, Haiti Ana Gomes, Portugal Svitlana Zalishchuk, Ukraine Tanya Hamada, The Philippines, (on leave) Yevgeniy Zhovtis, Kazakhstan Secretariat: National Endowment for Democracy *Term expired at the close of the Eighth Assembly. WORLD MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRACY EIGHTH ASSEMBLY 1-4 NOVEMBER 2015 SEOUL KOREA TableSection of Contents Opener About the World Movement For Democracy . 3 Message from the Steering Committee . 5 Statement from the Steering Committee: A Call for Democratic Renewal . 6. Agenda . 13 Welcoming Remarks, Presentations, and Official Opening Welcoming Remarks The Rt . Hon . Kim Campbell, Chair, World Movement Steering Committee, Former Prime Minister of Canada . 17. The Honorable Hwang Kyo-ahn, Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea . .17 . Mr . Seonghoon (Anselmo) Lee, on behalf of the Korea Democracy Network . 18 . Mr . Matyas Eorsi, on behalf of Ambassador Maria Leissner, Secretary General, Community of Democracies . 18. Presentations Dr . Ladan Boroumand, Co-Founder and Research Director Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation . 19 . Ms . Svitlana Zalishchuk, Member of Parliament, Ukraine, Former Executive Director of Centre UA . 19 Mr . Jose Luis (Chito) Gascon, Chair, Human Rights Commission of the Philippines . 20. Democracy Courage Tributes Presentations and John B. Hurford Memorial Dinner . .21 . The material in this report was edited by Ryota Jonen, Acting Director of the World Movement for Democracy, and pro- duced by the World Movement for Democracy Secretariat staff . Special thanks to Marianne Tshihamba, Event Manager; Danielle Agyemang, Christian Edlagan and Schuyler Miller, Project Assistants; Yelena Viner, Project Officer; and Soo Yon Suh, Local Coordinator . The National Endowment for Democracy pays a special tribute to Art Kaufman for his 15 years of service leading the World Movement for Democracy . © National Endowment for Democracy, Secretariat of the World Movement for Democracy, 2016 . www.MoveDemocracy.org 1 Discussion Highlights Conversation on Understanding the Global Assault on Democracy . 25 Preparing Civil Society for its Role in Successful Transitions, Protecting New Democracies, and Guarding against Extremist Movements . 26 Conversation on The UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) Process on Closed Societies: What Can We Learn from the COI on North Korea? . 28 . Digital Threats against Civil Society and Potential Solutions . 29 . Developing an International Action Plan to Renew Democracy . 30. Democracy Fair . 33 . Technology Trainings . 34. Site Visits . 35. Cultural Evening, co-hosted by the Secretariat of the Asia Democracy Network, with support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Mayor Park Won Soon and the Korea Democracy Foundation . 36. Participants . 37 . Press and Social Media . 45. Assembly Support . 47 2 WORLD MOVEMENT for DEMOCRACY Seoul, Korea November 1–4, 2015 About the World Movement for Democracy he World Movement for Democracy is a global ➤➤Defending Civil Society. Now in its eighth year, this network of democrats, including activists, prac- project responds to the recent disturbing trend of T titioners, scholars, policy makers, and funders, governments restricting the space in which democ- who have come together to cooperate in the promotion racy and human rights organizations carry out their of democracy. work through new “NGO laws” and other measures. The World Movement, in partnership with the In- In 1999, we held our first global Assembly in New ternational Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), Delhi, India, and have continued to organize assem- published the second edition of the Defending Civil blies in different global regions. We also conduct a Society report, which articulates a set of long-stand- variety of projects to defend civil society and facilitate ing principles, rooted in international law, that ought networking among participants. to inform proper government-civil society relations and provides illustrative examples of the ways in Goals which those principles are being violated. The World The World Movement aims to: Movement and ICNL also released a new interac- ➤➤Strengthen democracy where it is weak tive Toolkit for Civil Society that provides tips, tools, ➤➤Defend democracy where it is longstanding strategies, and other information for organizations ➤➤Bolster pro-democracy groups in non-democratic and activists working to reform legal frameworks in countries their respective countries. Leadership Participation We are led by a distinguished international Steering We welcome as participants any individual or organi- Committee chaired by the Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, zation who can contribute to, and benefit from, con- former Prime Minister of Canada. Our day-to-day tacts and communications with counterparts facing operations are managed by a Secretariat located at similar challenges to democracy and carrying out the Washington, DC-based National Endowment for activities in a wide array of areas of democracy work. Democracy (NED). Projects We encompass a wide variety of regional and func- tional networks, such as the Asia Democracy Network ➤➤World Movement Assemblies. Global assemblies of- (ADN), the Latin America and Caribbean Network for fer World Movement participants the opportunity to Democracy (REDLAD), the Network of Democracy take stock of the accomplishments they have made and Research Institutes (NDRI), and the World Youth the challenges they confront, and to build networks of Movement for Democracy, among others. These net- mutual solidarity and support across borders. Global works organize regional and global meetings to dis- assemblies also feature the presentation of the World cuss critical issues, share best practices, and create Movement’s Democracy Courage Tributes, presen- opportunities for collaboration and action. tations by leading activities, a Democracy Fair, and technology training sessions that focus on the use of Get involved by signing up for our mailing list by vis- new information and Communication technologies in iting our website at www.MoveDemocracy.org. Stay their democracy and human rights work. informed and take action in support of individuals ➤➤Civic Space Initiative. In 2012, we launched the Civic and organizations that are fighting for democracy and Space Initiative in collaboration with the International human rights around the world. You can also con- Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), Article 19, and nect by liking our Facebook page and following us on CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation. Twitter @MoveDemocracy. The initiative seeks to protect and expand civic space by supporting the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Assembly, producing a For further information about series of videos profiling civil society activists to help the World Movement and its projects, go to: educate broader publics about the work of democracy www.MoveDemocracy.org and human rights organizations, and other activities. www.MoveDemocracy.org 3 WORLD MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRACY EIGHTH ASSEMBLY 1-4 NOVEMBER 2015 SEOUL KOREA 4 WORLD MOVEMENT for DEMOCRACY Seoul, Korea November 1–4, 2015 Message from the Steering Committee ast year the Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy adopted the statement “A Call Lfor Democratic Renewal,” expressing our deep concern about the authoritar- ian resurgence and suggesting ways to address its challenges. We realized that the reinvigoration of democra- cy must begin with determination to defending civil society against that resurgence, protecting cyberspace as a medium for free expression, help- ing ensure the success of fragile new democracies, and countering the efforts by authoritarian and extrem- ist elements to undermine basic free- We have been inspired by the courage shown by doms. advocates for the Rohingya People, investigative As a result, we chose “Empowering Civil Society journalists in Africa, and Hong Kong’s Umbrella for Democracy and its Renewal” as the theme for the Movement. The Assembly participants expressed their Eighth Assembly, a platform that brought together a solidarity with them as we presented these heroes diverse group of more than 400 activists, practitioners, with the Democracy Courage Tributes at the John B. scholars, donors and others who are forging the bonds Hurford Memorial Dinner. of democratic solidarity around the world. South We would like to extend our gratitude to the Korea was chosen as the Assembly site for its example Asia Democracy