Community of Democraties

History

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community of democracies

The Community of Democracies is a global intergovernmental coalition of democratic countries, with the goal of promoting democratic rules and strengthening democratic norms and institutions around the world.

The Community was initiated by the minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, prof Bronislaw Geremek, and US Secretary of State dr Madeleine Albright, inviting all democratic countries to a conference in Warsaw hosted by Poland in June 2000.The conference gathered ministerial delegations from 106 countries from all over the world, who signed the final declaration, Toward a Community of Democracies , still today the most comprehensive international declaration on democratic values.

Today, well over 100 democratic countries who meet democratic standards participate at ministerial meetings every two years to discuss issues of common concern. The Governing Council is the highest decision-making body and presently consists of 24 member countries. Participants and members of the Community collaborate with each other and with civil society to strengthen democracy in a variety of ways: in the UN Democracy Caucus, in working groups, in missions on the ground and in global initiatives.

The vision of the Community of Democracies is to be a global platform for democratic countries, who together with civil society and parliamentarians seek to strengthen democracy both at the national level and in the international system. Its mission is to support democratic transition and consolidation worldwide and help bridge the gap between principles and practice of democracy and human rights.