*EPF413 11/02/00
World Movement for Democracy to Meet in Brazil November 12-15
(Confronting the Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century) (540)
By Stuart Gorin
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Following an inaugural meeting in New Delhi in February 1999, the Second Global Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy (WMD) will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil November 12-15.

The movement believes that "global economics and instant communications have provided new opportunities and potential for collaboration among democrats on a worldwide scale," says Carl Gershman, president of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and a member of the World Movement steering committee.

He says the networks established through the movement "will help democrats everywhere respond to the new challenges of globalization."

Nearly 500 democracy activists, practitioners and scholars from countries in every region of the world will attend the Sao Paulo meeting, which has as its theme "Confronting the Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century." They represent political parties, trade unions, business associations, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, civic education organizations, anti-corruption groups, democracy-support foundations, parliaments and governments.

Participating in numerous workshops at the conference, the attendees will share their practical experiences in building democracy, develop strategies to address obstacles they face in their countries and formulate the next steps that the international democratic community can take "to meet the broad challenges to democracy as we enter the 21st Century," Gershman says.

The workshops, Gershman adds, will be organized under eight general topics: 1) Assisting Democrats in Non-Democracies; 2) Strategies for Addressing Stalled and Deteriorating Situations; 3) Democracy, Poverty and Economic Reform; 4) Maintaining Electoral Standards and Defending the Outcomes of Legitimate Elections; 5) Managing Pluralism and Supporting Minority Rights; 6) Promoting Effective Democratic Governance; 7) The Challenges of Transition; and 8) Strengthening Democratic Values.

He says the workshops will be topical, regional and functional, and the participants will address issues that are common across regions and set practical goals, such as increasing women's participation in politics, creating a democratic youth network and linking democracy research institutes.

Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso will deliver the keynote address at the meeting, which also will feature a closing plenary session for a discussion of the assembly's final report and the World Movement's future direction and activities.

The World Movement for Democracy initiative, which began in New Delhi, created a "network of networks" to connect democracy activists worldwide so they can share their expertise, learn from the struggles of others and set practical goals for advancing democracy globally.

Information from the Brazil conference will be made available on the World Movement's web site: www.wmd.org.

At a briefing in Washington announcing the conference program, Gershman pointed out that the democracy umbrella covers a broad range of countries, some of which are electoral while others are liberal democracies. The goal, he said, is for electoral democracies to move to the liberal category, and for totalitarian regimes to move to electoral democracies.

"Democracy has to be seen as a step-by-step process," Gershman said. He added that it is achieved through the accumulation of little gains over time.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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