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DCP holds roundtable in Brussels on the UN
Human Rights Council
On 23rd November, 2006, DCP held a roundtable
in Brussels analyzing and discussing the challenges and priorities
for the new UN Human Rights Council. "The New UN Human
Rights Council: Getting it right and why it matters"
brought together key representatives from the Council of the
European Union, the European Parliament, the Permanent Representations
of Finland, Portugal, and Chile as well as NGOs from the Human
Rights and Democracy Network. The Roundtable was held just
prior to the third session of the Human Rights Council, held
in Geneva on 27 November - 8 December, 2006. The debate was
preceded by introductory remarks from Morton Halperin, DCP
President, and Mr. Michael Matthiessen, Personal Representative
of the Secretary General/High Representative for Human Rights,
Council of the European Union.
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Challenges and priorities facing UN Democracy
Caucus debated at roundtable in New York
About 40 governmental and non-governmental representatives
of the Community of Democracies debated the workings of the
UN Democracy Caucus in a roundtable luncheon, "The UN
Democracy Caucus: Challenges and Priorities," September
18 at the start of the 61st General Assembly in New York.
Participants discussed obstacles facing the Caucus, divergent
views on democracy promotion, and competing priorities of
the grouping of democratic states which have met at the UN
since 2003. Speakers at the event were Cheick Sidi Diarra,
Permanent Representative of Mali to the UN, João Manuel
Guerra Salgueiro, Permanent Representative of Portugal to
the UN, Gabor Brodi, Permanent Representative of Hungary to
the UN, and Matteo Meccaci of the Transnational Radical Party.
The event was organized by the Democracy Coalition Project
and co-sponsored by the Open Society Institute, the Transnational
Radical Party, Freedom House, and the Council for a Community
of Democracies. Jeffrey Laurenti of The Century Foundation
moderated the off the record discussion.
- Flyer
of the event
- Background
note on caucuses and groupings at the UN
For more information, please contact Dokhi Fassihian
at: dfassihian@demcoalition.org
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Panelists
Rudolph Boschwitz, head of the US Delegation to the Human
Rights Commission, and Abel Chikomo, Advocay Coordinator
of the Zimbabwe NGO Media Monitoring Project, listen as
Bo Kyi (far left), Joint Secretary of the Assistance Association
for Political Prisoners, discusses his experiences as
a political prisoner in Burma. |
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NGO Coalition Hosts a Panel Discussion on
UN Democracy Caucus at 61st Human Rights Commission
On March 31, 2005, the Democracy Coalition Project,
Transnational Radical Party and Feedom House co-hosted a panel
discussion titled "The UN Democracy Caucus: Its Role
in Promoting and Protecting Human Rights.” Representatives
from both civil society and Community of Democracies governments
spoke to a crowd of over 150 people on the important role
the UN Democracy Caucus can play in the Human Rights Commission.
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NGO Coalition Hosts a Luncheon Briefing on
UN Democracy Caucus.
On December 16, 2004, the Council for a Community
of Democracies and other members of the NGO coalition hosted
a luncheon briefing on the UN Democracy Caucus. Chilean Ambassador
to the UN, Heraldo Munoz and Hungarian Ambassador to the US,
Andras Simonyi were invited to give brief presentations. Ambassador
Munoz spoke on the progress to date and future expectations
for a UN Democracy Caucus which was formally launched at the
UN General Assembly by Foreign Ministers of the Community
of Democracies on September 22, 2004. Ambassador Simony spoke
about Hungary’s plans to create a Democracy Transition
Center and its relationship to the UN.
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NGO Coalition coordinators host round table
luncheon with Chilean UN Permanent Representative on the UN
Democracy Caucus
On September 17, 2004 DCP, TRP and Freedom House
hosted a meeting to discuss the UN Democracy Caucus with Ambassador
Munoz, Chilean Permanent Representative to the UN as well
as representatives from 7 other CD countries and representatives
from NGOs.
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NGO Coalition Hosts a Roundtable Discussion
at the 2004 Human Rights Commission
On March 29, 2004 the Democracy Coalition Project,
Freedom House and the Transnational Radical Party organized
a roundtable discussion entitled “Human Rights and Democracy:
Building Common Purpose Among the UN’s Democracies.”
The following speakers were featured at the meeting:
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Ambassador Richard
Williamson, Head of the U.S. delegation to the 60th
UNCHR |
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Ambassador Krzysztof
Jakubowski, Permanent Representative of Poland to the
UN |
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Ambassador Gordan
Markotic, Permanent Representative of Croatia to the
UN/Vice President of 60th UNCHR |
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The Hon. Marco
Pannella, Member of the European Parliament and founder
of the Transnational Radical Party |
Click
here to see the flyer for this event.
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UN Reform: What Role Could a Democracy Caucus
Play?
On November 12, 2003, DCP Executive Director
Ted Piccone moderated a meeting held at the Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace on the role of the UN Democracy Caucus
in UN reform. The panelists included, Adrian Karatnycky of
Freedom House, Mark Lagon of the US Department of State, and
Susan Rice of the Brookings Institute. This meeting was one
in a series
of meeting held on democracy promotion that are sponsored
by Democracy Coalition Project, The Center for Institutional
Reform and the Informal Sector at the University of Maryland,,
and Open Society Institute.
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Roundtable Discussion on “Enhancing
Democratic Cooperation At The United Nations” Held April
9, 2003 at The Palais Des Nations in Geneva.
This meeting was organized by Freedom House,
the Open Society Institute/Democracy Coalition Project and
the Transnational Radical Party, and it featured the following
speakers:
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Ambassador Jeane
J. Kirkpatrick, head of the US delegation to the UNCHR
and a Freedom House trustee |
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Emma Bonino,
member of the European Parliament and former European
Commissioner for humanitarian aid, and a leader of the
Transnational Radical Party |
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Adrian Karatnycky,
counselor and senior scholar, Freedom House |
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Claudia Caldeirinha,
Regional Director for Europe of the Democracy
Coalition Project |
To read the presentation by Claudia Caldeirinha,
click
here.
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UNA-USA and the Council for a Community of
Democracies co-host Policy Roundtable “A Democracy Caucus:
What Roles at the UN”
In October 2001, the United
Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and the Council
for a Community of Democracies (CCD) co-hosted a policy
roundtable to discuss the role of a Democracy Caucus at the
United Nations. UNA-USA presented a twelve-point option list
of possible roles that a democracy caucus at the United Nations
might undertake. The roles ranged from the moderate and easily
achievable--forging common positions on General Assembly agenda
items specifically related to democracy, e.g., extension of
the mandate of the Election Assistance unit—to the most
ambitious and fanciful—the democracy caucus serving
as a forum to forge common positions on “democratic”
reforms in the operations or decision-making structures of
the United Nations system. For more information on this conference,
click
here. |
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