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International Civil
Society Forum for Democracy
29 October – 1 November, 2006 Doha, Qatar
Declaration and Plan of Action
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Values and Principles
3. Challenges and Opportunities to Democratization
Process
4. Implementation of ICSF 2003
5. Recommendations and Call to Action
1. Recommendations for governments
and parliaments
2. Recommendations for civil society
3. Recommendations for United Nations
and other relevant international organizations
4. Recommendations for donor
organizations and agencies
5. Plan of Action concerning
institutionalizing ICSFD and the ICNRD-led process
6. Expressions of gratitude
Introduction
1. We, 160 civil society democracy advocates and
practitioners from 90 countries from around the world, met in Doha,
capital of the State of Qatar on 29 October – 1 November 2006 as
International Civil Society Forum for Democracy (ICSFD 2006)1. The
forum, held under the overarching theme “Democracy is the Road to
Peace”, was the civil society component of the evolving tripartite
international process to promote democracy at the national, regional
and international level, known as the ICNRD-led process.
2. International Civil Society Forum-2003 (ICSF-2003) was
held in September 2003 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on the decision of
the Follow-up Mechanism of the International Conference of New or
Restored Democracies as part of preparations for the Fifth
Conference (ICNRD-5). The forum’s aim was to prepare civil society
contributions to ICNRD-5 as well as promote partnerships and
strengthen commitments to democratic governance locally, nationally
and internationally. The forum produced a substantial set of
recommendations addressed respectively to civil society
organizations, governments and parliaments as well as to
international organizations and the donor community. It also
produced recommendations addressed to the participants of ICNRD-5
held immediately after ICSF-2003 that formed the basis of subsequent
cooperation between the two international pro-democracy movements.
3. ICSFD has since become a recognized civil society partner
of the ICNRD-led process2 and is working together with governments
and parliaments of the participating states of the ICNRD-led
processes in implementing its decisions as well as monitoring its
implementation.
4. Preparatory meetings for ICSFD 2006 have been held in
various regions, including in Asia (in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on
28-30 June 2006), Arab preparatory meeting (in Doha, Qatar on 17-18
June 2006), that assessed the state of democratic changes and
reforms in those regions, shared and exchanged experiences, assessed
implementation of the decisions of ICSF-2003 and adopted sets of
recommendations addressed to ICSFD-2006.
5. ICSFD, as a global civil society movement, has the
following main mission:
o To foster, strengthen, expand civil
society's role at the national, regional and international level in
promoting democratic reforms and their consolidation; to examine the
strengths and weaknesses of the democratization processes at all
levels from the perspective of civil society;
o To identify challenges to and
opportunities for democracy-building at various levels, particularly
strengthening civil society’s role in the processes of democratic
institutionalization and consolidation; support democracies facing
threats or assaults on democracy;
o To participate in, establish
minimum standards for, and monitor the implementation of, the
relevant decisions of the ICNRD-led processes;
o To develop effective strategies for
collective action to advance democratic processes, regionally and
internationally, including by providing support and advice to
regional and national civil society organizations in establishing
democracy watch mechanisms that take into consideration the social
dimension; and
o To promote cooperation and
partnership relations with parliaments, governmental organizations,
United Nations bodies, international processes, as well as with
civil society organizations and social movements, in the pursuit of
democratic reforms, transformations and promotion of democratic
values and their consolidation.
6. Having met in Qatar, exchanged information and shared
experience in making democratic changes or consolidating democratic
reforms, and having discussed with representatives of governments
and parliaments, we have identified the following as the values and
principles, priorities of democratic changes, and tasks and
challenges that lie ahead:
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II. Values and Principles
We reaffirm the values and principles reflected in the Declaration,
Recommendations and Plan of Action of ICSF-2003 and call for their
full implementation. In light of developments over the past three
years, we further emphasize the following values and principles that
are of particular relevance and importance today:
1. Democracy is a universal value and good. It is being
widely understood and recognized as the only legitimate form of
governance. However, as international practice vividly demonstrates,
democracy and democratic governance can be practiced in different
forms depending on historical backgrounds and current
socio-political and economic situations.
2. Democracy is the realization of self-determination and
cannot be imposed by force, by invasion or by foreign powers. Peace
is a prerequisite for democratization
3. Democratic order requires support of the outcome of free
elections and the right of elected representatives to fulfil their
functions.
4. In the process of democratization the capacity building and
empowerment of women in all societies is key to the realization of
democracy as a societal reality.
5. Democracy empowers citizens and offers checks and balances
on government activities and possible abuse of office or power,
promotes effective protection of human rights and the rule of law;
it provides legitimacy to governments to govern the people and the
society.
6. Though democracy represents a strategic choice, it is an
ever-evolving process that requires full commitment, engagement,
shared responsibility and empowerment of all citizens.
7. Democracy is a human and people’s right. All citizens are
entitled to democracy as an essential enabling environment and
condition for full enjoyment of human rights. Alongside all other
basic human rights, the right to participate in political decisions
affecting citizens’ lives and communities is indispensable; without
the guarantee of this right, democracy would simply be rule by the
majority, devoid of respect for the rights of minorities (ethnic,
linguistic and sexual) and vulnerable groups including immigrants.
8. Special attention and support should be paid to the issues
of indigenous peoples and include their right to self-determination,
their free, prior and informed consent, respect of their own
identity and special rights, in accordance with the Universal
Declaration on Indigenous Peoples.
9. Cultural or other differences of a region cannot serve as
insulation of that particular region and its peoples from the
objective yearning for social and economic justice and personal
freedom. There is no contradiction between the particularity of the
region and application of principles of democracy based on
citizenship and active participation.
10. Democracy may be attained best through full and effective
partnership between all the stakeholders that are committed to the
noble ideals and goals of democracy, especially the government,
civil society and parliament, a partnership that is based on mutual
respect and full cooperation. Governments and parliaments need to
work with civil society as their full indispensable partner, while
the civil society needs to act beyond mere criticism of government,
beyond a demand-oriented and service role that is limited to filling
the gap left by government organizations, to serving as an active
and effective partner in pursuit of national development, justice
and social progress.
11. In the era of globalization, domestic, regional and
global democratization processes are interlinked and mutually
reinforcing; thus, these processes need to be promoted
simultaneously.
12. While recognizing various forms of democratic governance,
we believe that an effective and legitimate democratic governance
requires, inter alia, the following:
o Freedom to live with dignity, full
enjoyment of human rights and freedoms, and human security;
o Freedom of association, of assembly and
of speech, including the use of information and communication
technologies ;
o Independence of the judiciary and the
rule of law;
o Direct link between reform and
democratization processes with political, civil as well as economic,
social and cultural rights;
o Protection of minorities, indigenous and
other vulnerable and marginalized groups; rejection of any
intolerance;
o Non-discriminatory and equal opportunity for
political, economic and social participation, including the
participation of the youth;
o Transparency, accountability and free access to
information;
o Free access to independent media and
communication technology
o Free and fair elections as well as a
functioning multi-party system;
o Commitment to protection of the environment and
sustainable development ;
o Gender equality, in particular political
participation of women.
13. Engaging civil society actively in promoting democracy is
essential for fulfilling the conditions mentioned in (l) above.
Civil society plays a major role in facilitating dialogue between
peoples and governments and also in representing the interests of
marginalized groups. Civil society also helps to ensure viable
policy options for governments as well as the latter’s transparency
and accountability;
14. Strengthening democratic governance in new and restored
democracies requires that the private and corporate sectors carry
their responsibilities and obligations related to human rights,
labour standards, transparency, and international law. The private
and corporate sectors should contribute to equitable and sustainable
economic growth in new and restored democracies, in the absence of
which democratic development is undermined.
15. Principles of democracy apply not only to national and
local government, but should be applied as appropriate to
intergovernmental organizations at the global and regional levels.
16. Foreign government partisan interventions in the
elections of other nations are, in principle, not appropriate
mechanisms for promoting democracy; and activities towards these
ends by government-controlled and government-funded NGOs violate
democratic principles.
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III. Challenges and Opportunities to Democratization Process
1. The end of the cold war in the early 1990s gave further impetus
to the democratization process; many autocratic, totalitarian and
undemocratic regimes were peacefully swept from power by popular
will and movements; elections became a major manifestation of
popular choice. Positive examples of such democratic change are
found in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and the Pacific, Africa,
South America and the Caribbean. As never before, millions of people
have today a direct or indirect say in electing their government or
selecting their rulers. However, in many cases democratic processes
are limited to periodic elections only. Democratic institutions, be
it political parties, the judiciary and security agencies, etc. are
not fulfilling their intended roles in the society as envisaged by
the people, while those elected to take up public office often rule
as they choose, abusing the popular mandate. Hence democracies in
many countries remain unstable and weak, which can be seen from
reversals of some democratic reforms and changes. Furthermore, still
a large portion of the world’s population lives under authoritarian,
despotic regimes, many of which are in a state of civil war with
their own people or cannot cope with poverty and other social ills
of the society. This shows that much still needs to be done.
2. Despite efforts to promote democracy and rule of law, grave
deficits remain to be addressed. Among these we note that: unfair
elections are still evident in many democracies; social and economic
development fails to incorporate the people’s interest and
participation; many people are trapped in poverty, and this should
not deprive them from exercising their citizens rights; corruption
monitoring mechanisms are yet to be institutionalized; people’s
security still faces constant threats; democracy institutions at
times do not function according to the principles laid out in
international guidelines such as the 2003 Ulaanbaatar Declaration;
continuing impunity has resulted in increased human rights
violations in many parts of the world.
3. All the ideals of a genuine democracy and human rights still
remain core challenges in many parts of the world, notably the right
to self-determination (including indigenous peoples); the right to
development; the right to participation; the rights to freedom of
expression, association and assembly; freedom of belief; access to
information; and gender equality. Many of these are reflected in the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations. All the
aforementioned goals are attainable; however national and local
governments and parliaments, as the United Nations Millennium
Declaration specifically underlined, need to join hands with civil
society to successfully attain these goals, to turn these challenges
into opportunities for strengthening effective democratic
governance.
4. By its very nature civil society is expected to play a crucial
role as generator of policy options for governments, as service
providers in the areas of their comparative advantage and expertise
as well as the ‘watchdog’ of governments. It acts as a natural
bridge between people in the communities and the state institutions.
On the other hand, due to different historical, cultural and
developmental factors, civil societies in different countries are
also at different stages of formation, maturing and consolidation.
In a number of countries civil society is not even legalized nor
institutionalized, in flagrant violation of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. In many cases civil society
organizations suffer from lack of adequate human or financial
resources, which at times lead to dependency on others, including
donor organizations or state funding.
5. Therefore, it is imperative for governments and parliaments to
maximize support and strengthen civil society, encourage and enhance
close partnerships with civil society so as to secure stable
development and democratic reforms. It is in this light that we see
the emerging core trilateral partnership between governments,
parliaments and civil society. On the international level,
cooperation of international governmental organizations is also
essential. In this growing partnership, ICSFD, together with the
ICNRD governmental mechanisms and the Parliamentarians’ Forum, is
prepared to play a coalition-building role.
6. In the face of the challenges mentioned above as well as to
better chart broader partnership relations between governments,
parliaments, civil society, the private sector and international
organizations, donor community and other stakeholders, it is
important to call for a universal declaration in support of civil
society by the United Nations General Assembly3. Hence ICSFD needs
to work closely with national, regional and other international
civil society organizations as well as with the other partners of
ICNRD to promote this strategic goal as consolidating the increasing
role of civil society, contributing to democratization at all levels
and attaining the objectives of the MDGs.
7. At the regional level, there should also be more exchange of
information and experience among civil society organizations, which
will not only enrich the experiences in theories and practices of
democratic reforms but would also enable civil society organizations
to network and collaborate closely in promoting democratization at
the regional level, raising voices in cases of assaults on democracy
in one of the regional countries or in protection of pro-democracy
movements therein.
8. At the national level, concrete steps need to be taken to
strengthen the institutional capacity and develop horizontal
linkages among civil society organizations, and raise their
accountability to the public and the grassroots constituencies.
Measures to enhance institutional capacity of civil society could
include undertaking national studies on the state of civil society,
their strengths and weakness, the obstacles and challenges that
impede their development etc. Positive experiences of undertaking
such studies, using for example CIVICUS’ toolkit and methodology,
could be very useful.
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IV. Implementation of ICSF-2003
1. We believe that the Declaration, Recommendations and Plan of
Action of ICSF-2003 are still relevant as a framework for collective
reflection and action. However they need to be updated, taking into
account the newly emerging challenges and opportunities since 2003.
2. We recognize that the implementation work so far carried out is
far from being satisfactory, as many recommendations remain
unfulfilled or unanswered. However, we appreciate the efforts by
Mongolia to implement some of the recommendations of the Ulaanbaatar
Plan of Action of ICRND-5 through pilot projects such as elaboration
of nationally developed ‘Country Information Notes’, ‘Democratic
Governance Indicators’, and ‘National Plan of Action for
strengthening democracy’ as well as the development of the national
‘Civil Society Index’. We note, however, that few other countries so
far have made similar efforts or reported on them.
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V. Recommandations and Call to Action
1. Recommendations for governments and parliaments
1. create, in consultation with civil society, an
enabling environment for civil society, including the legal
framework;
2. promote decentralization of government
decision-making processes, support local self-governance and respect
for the rule of law;
3. governments that have not done so should
ratify international human rights treaties that support democracy as
a human right and take the appropriate measures and actions to
fulfil their obligations under these treaties;
4. set up or strengthen national and regional
human rights mechanisms;
5. refrain from using the threat of terrorism to
justify repressive practices;
6. improve the education system and curriculum to
promote human rights education and active, participatory
citizenship;
7. set up peace-building mechanisms to
politically facilitate cooperation in resolving armed conflicts,
strengthening national infrastructure for peace, as recommended in
the United Nations Report of September 2006 on the prevention of
armed conflict;
8. work with civil society organizations,
including human rights organizations, to assess and improve the
quality of democracy by developing national democracy governance
indicators (DGIs), country information notes (CINs) and national
plans of action (NPoA) to consolidate democracy, as specifically
recommended by the ICNRD-5 Plan of Action;
9. promote multilateral cooperation to develop
and foster democracy; strengthen democratic governance monitoring
mechanisms;
10. take measures to involve more broadly civil
society and the private sector in implementing the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs);
11. take measures to fulfil government
commitments undertaken by the Ulaanbaatar Plan of Action, section 4
(“Regional Action”), in particular to adopt a regional democracy
declaration or charter (4.2), to create a regional monitoring
mechanism on human rights (4.10), to develop an assistance program
for countries undergoing democratic transitions (4.5) and to promote
regional cooperation against corruption (4.13).
12. when providing official development
assistance (ODA), to promote human rights and democratic governance
for the full realization of participatory democracy and sustainable
development, as well as to ensure proper accountability of aid;
13. provide unhindered access by citizens to
independent media and information communications technology, and
facilitate the development of free and fair media, including
newspapers, radio and television stations,
14. enact and implement legislative,
administrative and other measures to effectively combat corruption;
15. implement gender-just policies based on
principles of equality and non-discrimination as defined in the
Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW). All member states of the United Nations should ratify
and implement CEDAW ;
16. governments and parliaments need to work
closely with the United Nations, ICSFD and other civil society
organizations to promote and consolidate democracy at the national,
regional and international level;
17. ensure civilian control of the military;
18. enact and implement environmental protection
measures for sustainable development;
19. ensure the democratic character of political
parties and effective regulation of campaign finance ;
20. recognize the standing of non-financial
stakeholders in trade and financial disputes (not letting foreign
investor rights supersede the domestic or natural rights of ethnic,
regional, tribal or geographical national groups (indigenous and
minorities)).
21. end to all forms of human trafficking ;
22. ensure the rights of internally displaced
persons and refugees ;
23. promote direct access of civil society
organizations to government and state institutions and ensure that
citizens have access to information held by public authorities,
regardless of who produced the information.
24. We call upon the international
community, governments and parliaments to respect the outcomes of
the Palestinian people's will as expressed in the democratic process
of the February 2006 election.
2. Recommandations for civil society
1. Civil society organizations need to become
familiar with the existing public sector mechanisms so as to be able
to engage effectively with these mechanisms.
2. to be effective, civil society organizations
need to build institutional capacity, objectivity and political
impartiality, develop horizontal linkages among themselves and
preserve their autonomy from government, parliament, the private
sector and donor community;
3. civil society should make itself responsive to
the public and grassroots constituencies; and create, strengthen and
nurture further partnership with governments and parliaments to
enhance dialogue at national, regional and international levels;
4. make essential documents available in various
languages in order to stimulate broad participation in policy
discussions and improved communication;
5. as civil wars disrupt social organizations and
civil leadership, civil society needs to play a constructive role in
preventing armed conflict, developing peace accords and
post-conflict peace-building. In this respect civil society
organizations are encouraged to work to implement the global and
regional action agenda adopted by the Global Partnership for the
Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) in 2005.
6. advocate the democratization of UN
institutions as part of the UN reform process
7. strengthen further the core tripartite
partnership of governments, parliaments and civil society in
promoting and/or deepening reforms in the spirit of the decisions of
ICNRD-5 and ICNRD-6, ICSFD and the Parliamentarians' Forum (PF);
8. improve networking and coordination among
civil society organizations engaged in democracy advocacy so as to
closely monitor the implementation of the decisions and
recommendations of ICNRD and the PF;
9. establish or strengthen further national and
regional "democracy watch" networks, promote, where feasible,
development of national tools of assessing the quality and breadth
of democracy at the national level: the nationally owned democratic
governance indicators (DGIs), country information notes (CINs) and
national plans of action (NPoA) to consolidate democracy;
10. develop and/or strengthen regional or
sub-regional democracy action networks to support democracy
movements and advocates under threat and to demonstrate solidarity
with and for peoples facing democratic crisis or reversal;
11. civil society activities should complement
democratic representative institutions (both national and local), as
well as engaging in participatory democracy;
12. generate policy options for governments and
parliaments;
13. increase opportunities and political space by
linking up regionally and internationally, and lobbying
intergovernmental organizations;
14. mobilize broad-based support to eradicate
poverty and to implement the MDGs as well as monitor their
implementation;
15. create, where appropriate, effective
mechanisms to strengthen and deepen cooperation between government
agencies and civil society organizations in promoting democracy and
human rights as prescribed by the decisions of the ICNRD-led
processes;
16. work to promote the culture of democracy and
democratic consciousness through the formal and informal education
and learning systems, the media, cultural activities, publications
and electronic publishing;
17. ICSFD needs to initiate a process that
would lead to the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of
a universal declaration in support of the role of civil society in
democratic processes and global governance.
18. Civil society organizations need to develop
their capacities to generate resources readily available in their
communities as well as attract resources from public funds and
inter- governmental organizations.
19. civil society priorities should include
empowering grassroots and advancing the rights of excluded and
marginalized communities, and advocating the implementation of the
recommendations of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues;
20. advocate for the creation of
independent media sources, and for unhindered access by citizens to
them and to information communications technology;
21. uphold intergenerational perspectives,
including the views of youth;
22. promote women's participation in politics;
production of shadow CEDAW national reports
23. promote "zero tolerance" against corruption
and abuse of power;
24. proactively network with CSOs across sectors,
including development.
3. Recommendations for United Nations and other relevant international
organizations
1. implement, in consultation with civil society
organizations, the relevant recommendations contained in the report
of the Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on United Nations- Civil
Society Relations (the Cardoso report) and subsequently advanced by
the UN Secretary-General.
2. In view of the positive experience of the
ICNRD tripartite approach in Doha with regard to building of
democracies, it is recommended that the United Nations General
Assembly, regional organizations and state parties consider the
creation of permanent tripartite platforms which would be able to
benefit from the shared vision, values and experience of
governments, parliamentarians, and civil society in developing the
societal and institutional capacities for democracy.
3. provide timely, appropriate and coherent
support to governments and civil society organizations in their
efforts to promote human rights, democracy, good governance and the
capacity of citizens for democratic interaction.
4. improve the capacity of the United Nations to
respond to the requests of civil society organizations to assist in
their capacity-building and working with all appropriate United
Nations bodies.
5. ensure that civil society organizations
exercise their participatory rights in intergovernmental processes.
6. improve the transparency of international
organizations and international dispute-settling mechanism.
7. In the development of assistance plans civil
society and the people should be involved in setting the priorities
for the funding.
4. Recommendations for donor organizations and agencies
1. set up, where possible, regional democracy
assistance foundations, that would proactively cooperate to assist
democratization in that particular region.
2. recalling the commitments of the donor
community at the 2002 Monterrey Conference on Financing for
Development, donor programs on democratization, rule of law and
human rights should be based on a more strategic approach, be of a
longer duration as well as be designed and implemented in a
transparent way,
3. business communities should work more closely
with governments and civil society organizations in developing and
implementing improved democratization aid policies and programs;
4. donors should grant civil society
organizations more access to information so as to enable the latter
to perform unbiased monitoring of the developing and executing of
aid programs
5. donors should support initiatives promoting
the creation of, and unhindered access by citizens to, independent
media and information communications technology;
6. international multilateral and bilateral
programmes of development cooperation should commit on average 1% of
ODA to the promotion of democracy, good governance and human rights;
7. support from international donors for civil
society organizations should be provided through direct cooperation
relationships where possible;
8. development projects affecting indigenous
communities require their free, prior and informed consent.
5. Plan of Action concerning institutionalizing ICSFD and the ICNRD-led
process
1. We welcome the development of the ICNRD-6
(2006) as a full-fledged tripartite process. In this regard, we
welcome the joint meeting of representatives of governments,
parliaments and civil society under the title "Building Democracy
from Manila to Doha and follow-up mechanisms" and adoption of the
joint final document which would lead to establishment of a
tripartite mechanism to carry forward the work of the ICNRD-led
process.
2. The ad hoc procedures used by ISC to
coordinate its own as well as regional activities need to be
properly institutionalized in order to increase the effectiveness
and efficiency of ICSFD as a whole so as to serve as an effective
partner of ICNRD and the PF. Therefore we request the next ISC to
undertake a study using inter alia, the studies presented to the
joint meeting of representatives of governments, parliaments and
civil society under the title "Building Democracy from Manila to
Doha and follow-up mechanisms" and present its findings and
recommendations for consideration and approval at the next ICSFD.
The main aim of the study needs to be establishment of effective
essential structures to enable ICSFD to achieve its noble aims and
mission. Creation of cumbersome bureaucracy needs to be avoided;
3. In order to promote the goals and fulfil the
commitments mentioned above, ICSFD needs to build on its past
practice, enrich it and strengthen itself organizationally and
financially. Pending the outcome of the study mentioned in para. 2
above and adoption of the constitutional mechanism of the forum, ISC
is asked to take interim measures, with the minimum required
commitment of financial resources, to set up ad hoc essential
structures needed to follow-up on the decisions of ICSFD 2006 and of
the ICNRD-led process in general, including coordination within the
trilateral partnership.
4. ICSFD asks ISC to undertake consultations with
the Chair of ICNRD, United Nations and other interested stakeholders
to address the issue of fundraising necessary to promote the ICSFD
mission and fulfil the commitments undertaken by ICSFD 2006.
5. Youth and vulnerable groups need to be granted
a wider space and consideration in the future ICNRD-related events.
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VI. Expressions of gratitude
We appreciate the efforts made by the government of Mongolia at
ICNRD-5 in promoting further development of the ICNRD process and
turning it into a trilateral process that includes parliaments and
civil society, which was supported by the United Nations General
Assembly and the newly elected ICNRD chair - the State of Qatar;
We also appreciate the efforts made by the ICSFD International
Steering Committee (ISC to promote the goals of ICSF-2003 and
strengthen the emerging tripartite partnership in support of
democracy.
ICSFD expresses its gratitude to Cyril Ritchie and Jakob von Uexkull
for making keynote speeches that were sources of inspiration for the
participants and contributed greatly to the successful outcome of
ICSFD 2006.
We express deep gratitude to the host government of Qatar and its
Organizing Committee for supporting in every way the holding of this
important forum, other parallel fora and the tripartite joint
meeting as well as for making all the necessary arrangements for
these to be highly successful.
ICSFD expresses its readiness to work closely with the incoming
ICNRD Chair, his team and the bureau of the Conference in
implementing the decisions taken in Doha by the ICNRD-led movement,
and we request that the Government of Qatar circulate the
proceedings and the outcome document of ICSFD 2006 as an official
document of the United Nations General Assembly and its relevant
subsidiary bodies.
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International Civil Society Forum on Democracy (ICSFD)
Background; the Process of the International Civil Society Forum on
Democracy (ICSFD)
www.icsfd.org/ The ICSFD is a global network of civil society
representatives, which promotes effective democratic governance
reforms by strengthening civil society collaboration nationally,
regionally, and internationally. The ICSFD was established to
implement the Program of Action agreed at the International Civil
Society Forum held September 2003 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia at the
time of the Fifth International Conference of New or Restored
Democracies (ICNRD 5). ICSFD is an ongoing process and its annual
meetings are organized in parallel to the governmental ICNRD. The
ICNRD was established at the initiative of developing countries in
order to share experiences on democratization and to identify the
means by which to promote democracy and good governance and address
the challenges of democratic transitions. Since the first Conference
held in 1988 in Manila, the Philippines, with the participation of
13 countries, the ICNRD has grown into a global event bringing
together more than 100 countries from around the world. Subsequent
International Conferences have been organized, with the support from
the United Nations Development Program, in Managua, Nicaragua, 1994;
Bucharest, Romania, 1997; and Cotonou, Benin, 2000. The Fifth ICNRD
in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia attracted a record number of 119 states,
with over 400 participants, some 30 of them at the ministerial or
equivalent level. Civil society observers have also participated in
growing numbers at ICNRD gatherings. Reference was made in the
declaration adopted at the 1997 Bucharest ICNRD to the importance of
holding a parallel civil society gathering. However, the 2003 ICNRD
in Ulaanbaatar was the first time that the ICNRD process included a
dedicated, parallel Civil Society Forum.ICSFD seeks to empower civil
societies thus enabling them to play key roles in the states in
which they exist, through providing them an effective avenue to
assert the values of democracy and work with and influence
governments and intergovernmental organizations to promote
democracy. A mark that differentiates the ICSFD initiative from many
other similar ones is that it does not assume a condescending
approach towards less democratic countries. It targets the civil
society in such countries and seeks to enhance cooperation between
well trained and capable civil societies on the one hand and
accepting governments from the other.
ICSFD Goals
Coordinating and strengthening civil society actions for promoting
democracy, with a particular window of opportunity existing for
civil society in the countries that serve as host to the ICNRD and
the ICSFD every third year.
• Fostering national, regional, and international
alliances and partnerships for the promotion of democracy
• Strengthening civil society perspectives within the
ICNRD processes
• Coordinating ICSFD programs with the ICNRD Follow-Up
Mechanism
• Monitoring the implementation of the ICNRD Plan of
Action
• Building civil society cooperation with the United
Nations, with the ICNRD itself, and with other relevant
international organizations to promote democracy and good governance
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ICSFD Process 2006 The Sixth ICNRD will take place in Doha,
Qatar, in October 2006, hosted by the Government of Qatar. To ensure
an active participation in the ICSFD 2006, a continuous effort
throughout 2005 and 2006 has been invested in ensuring civil society
participation as an integral part of the 6th ICNRD. The ICSFD
International Steering Committee has been working with an
Arab-region civil society secretariat, to consolidate the
International Civil Society Forum on Democracy (ICSFD). ICSFD
activities for that period included:- Coordination within the
Steering Committee to accelerate planning and preparation for the
2006 meeting in Qatar; and among other civil society networks with
broad-based mandates to promote democracy as well as with United
Nations Development Programme, UN Department of Political Affairs,
the Mongolian and Qatari missions to the United Nations. -
Monitoring discussions at the United Nations among UN Ambassadors
and officials implementing the ICNRD Follow-up Mechanism and
preparing for the sixth ICNRD, as well as the "Friends of the ICNRD"
Group. - Preparing for the 2006 civil society meeting in Qatar,
including discussions with host country officials and consultations
among host country and host region CSOs; regional preparatory
processes, and raising awareness of the ICSFD process through
collaboration with existing civil society networks around the world.
Members of the steering committee have conducted several meetings
with representatives of the Qatari government, from which they have
received substantial support. The organizing committee of the
conference held in Magnolia in 2003 is presenting much help in the
preparations and content of the conference. Currently, work is in
progress on finalizing the agenda of the forum. The steering
committee has chosen the Arab NGO Network for Development as the
regional secretariat and the Qatari National Human Rights Committee
as the local partner for ICSFD 2006.
Role of the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) ANND
serves as the Arab region civil society secretariat for the ICSFD
2006 process. The network has been keen to take part in the ICSFD
process due to the overlap in the aims of the proceedings of ICSFD
process and the aims of ANND. The two seek to spread democratic
values and build the capacities of civil society organizations in an
effort to have them assume stronger positions in their countries and
hence be able to press for democratic change and cope with it as
well. Through involvement with the ICSFD process, especially that it
is going to convene in Qatar in 2006, ANND will strengthen its
efforts in pushing the debate on democracy in the Region and enhance
its role in this regards. ANND's contribution focuses on introducing
civil society organizations in the Arab region to the mission and
activities of the ICSFD. The Network will also seek to broaden the
scope in which ICSFD works in this region and the involvement of
Arab civil society groups in it. Moreover, ANND will exert the
greatest efforts to ensure a wide and balanced global participation
in this event. It will work with the Qatari National Human Rights
Committee on needed logistical preparations and national and
regional outreach.
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The Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting for the ICSFD 2006 (17 and 18
June 2006) The ICSFD has incorporated in its planning and
program objectives some important lessons learned from the
experience of organizing the 2003 ICSFD in Mongolia. These include
the benefits of involving a broad community of stakeholders
including media and academia, maintaining transparent and democratic
relations among all civil society representatives, and ensuring
active involvement of women and youth. For those purposes, the ICSFD
process will include several regional preparatory meetings that will
aim at achieving adequate outreach of the process before the
convening of the Forum in 2006. These regional meetings will lay the
groundwork for a structured follow up beyond Qatar 2006. From the
Mongolian experience in 2003, it was clear that the ICSF had more
immediate positive effects on the development of civil society in
the host country and region. The challenge here is to balance
international interests with the national and regional, and utilize
every opportunity to improve public awareness and understanding of
democracy and civil society, promote civil society partnerships and
develop the capacity of Arab civil society organizations while. In
accordance, ANND is looking towards using the momentum created by
preparations for ICSFD and ICNRD in Qatar to enhance discussions on
the role of civil society in democratization, invite the Arab civil
society and active public to collectively analyze and assess the
current state of Arab civil society, the quality of democratic
practices and reforms in the region, and improve the capacity of
Arab civil society groups to act more strategically and cooperate
more effectively. ANND aims at promoting partnerships and networks
among Arab civil society groups within this process, developing
dialogues between activists and academics, and educating media
professionals on democracy and civil society and engaging them in
partnerships with NGOs. For those purposes, ANND, on behalf of the
international steering committee of the ICSFD, proposes holding an
Arab regional preparatory meeting for the ICSFD Summit. The meeting
could be held around the end of June 2006. This will allow enough
time for participating groups to prepare their contribution to the
Summit to be held in October 2006. The meeting would gather around
50 participants from 12 to 18 Arab countries (from among Lebanon,
Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, Palestine, Qatar, United Arab
Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Tunisia, Morocco,
Algeria, Libya, and Syria). Participants will include
representatives of civil society organizations, involved
academicians, media, and experts and researchers on issues of
democracy in the region. Selection of participants will be done in
coordination with main civil society networks and groups involved in
democracy issues in the region. T he majority of the participants
should be representative of individual groups or institutions at
country level. Individual people participation should be among the
least. In addition, selection of participants will take into
consideration gender balance, whereby at least 40% of the
participants should be women. The meeting will be attended by
members of the ICSFD steering committee as well. Objectives of the
meeting: The regional meeting in the Arab region will mainly aim at:
• Introducing Arab civil society organizations to the
ICSFD process
• Addressing the content of the UN resolution on new
and restored democracies from the perspective of civil society
groups in the Arab region
• Identifying contributions and suggestions for agenda
building of the ICSFD Summit
• Promoting partnerships between Arab civil society
groups at the national and regional levels within the ICSFD process
• Identifying mechanisms for opening dialogue and
exchange with national Arab governments in the process of preparing
for the Summit in October
Identifying practical proposals for follow-up of the Summits
outcomes at the regional levels
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