Dialogue on DemocracyBureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Seated left to right: Under Secretary for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, Prime Minister of Peru Luis Solario, President of El Salvador Francisco Flores, Prime Minister of Cape Verde Jose Maria Neves, Vice President of the Dominican Republic Milagros Ortiz Bosch. Behind them are the participants of the Dialogue on Democracy conference. [Pyramid Photographics, Fred Karrenberg, Miami, June 6, 2003.] The Seoul Plan of Action, adopted by well over 100 nations, encourages democratic nations to convene regional meetings of representatives of government, political parties, and civil society to share experiences and identify best practices. It also urges governments to engage regional and extraregional partners to assist in democratic development and institution building. In that spirit, on June 5-6, 2003, the U.S. Government hosted a Dialogue on Democracy which brought together governmental and non-governmental representatives from seven African democracies and seven Latin American and Caribbean democracies, as well as the Organization of American States (OAS), the African Union, Southern African Development Community, and numerous U.S. non-governmental organizations. The group reviewed regional democracy efforts, including the OAS Inter-American Democratic Charter and numerous African Union commitments, and discussed the role regional organizations and democracies can play in protecting and promoting democracy, as well as consolidating democratic institutions. Best practices and ideas shared by participants were summarized in the conference outcome document. Under Secretary Dobriansky hosted the conference. Keynote remarks were given by El Salvadoran President Francisco Flores, Cape Verdean Prime Minister Jose Maria Neves, and Peruvian Prime Minister Luis Solari. The countries represented were Botswana, Cape Verde, Chile, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ghana, Jamaica, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Peru, and Senegal. |
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