IDEA IN ACTION

Indonesia Constitutional Reform Conference

International IDEA held a conference 16-17 October in Jakarta titled Review of Constitutional Institutions to Promote Sustainable Democracy and Effective Administration in Indonesia. The objective of the conference was to identify the challenges facing Indonesia and to generate a debate on key areas of constitutional design and process. The intention is to ensure the development of a framework within which sustainable democracy and effective administration can take root in Indonesia. Participants included international experts from Asia, Africa and the USA sharing comparative political and constitutional experiences from emerging democracies, as well as national experts drawn from Indonesian civil society, the academic community and government, with a view to identifying Indonesia's specific challenges. The conference fits within the broader framework of International IDEA's constitutional reform programme in Indonesia, and will provide a wider range of options and strategies to strengthen the country's democratic process.

Contact: Sakuntala Kadirgamar-Rajasingham

'United Nations and Democracy' Seminars

Two regional seminars are planned in October / November 2001 to review and analyze the ways in which issues of democratization have been addressed in a number of selected UN operations past and present. The first, which will be held in Cambridge, UK (22-23 October) will review the UN's experience in Haiti, Bosnia/Kosovo and East Timor. The second one to be held in Nairobi, Kenya will review UN operations in Namibia, Somalia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. The seminars are part of the project 'The United Nations and Democracy', undertaken by International IDEA in co-operation with the International Peace Academy and funded by the Norwegian Government. The outcomes of the seminars will help to prepare for a larger conference planned for February 2002 in New York on the same theme. The project is a continuation of an International IDEA initiative undertaken in 2000 and entitled 'Democracy and Global Co-operation at the United Nations', the outcomes of which were presented to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the form of a discussion paper addressed to the UN Millennium Assembly.

Contact: Izumi Nakamitsu-Lennartsson

IDEA-UNDP Training Seminar

Over the past decade, UNDP has experienced a significant increase in the number of requests for support to parliaments. A training seminar for UNDP staff on legislative strengthening will be held in the Belgian Parliament 22-24 October, organized by UNDP's Global Programme for Parliamentary Strengthening in partnership with International IDEA. The overall objective of the training seminar is to strengthen UNDP's substantive capacity at the country level to respond to requests for assistance in the area of legislative development. Some 60 UNDP staff from more than 40 country offices and headquarters will attend the seminar. Topics in focus include key and emerging governance issues, legislative strengthening challenges illustrated by case studies and training advice.

Contact: Dirk Drijbooms

Burkina Faso Seminar on Constitutionalism

The Centre for Democratic Governance (CDG) in Burkina Faso is organizing an international conference, 29-30 October, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the constitution of 1991 and to assess the main challenges and opportunities for further democratic consolidation in the country. Participants will include local and international experts as well as political parties and civil society organizations. International IDEA's report Democracy in Burkina Faso (La Démocratie au Burkina Faso) of 1998 will also be reviewed.

Contact: Momar Diop

Money and Democratic Politics Workshop

Senior academics, government ministers, parliamentarians, representatives of civil society and others from the Commonwealth countries will gather in New Delhi, India, 21-24 November for a workshop titled Money and Democratic Politics. The workshop is organized by the Commonwealth Secretariat and International IDEA in co-operation with the Election Commission of India and the Confederation of Indian Industries. The workshop will explore issues around three main themes: Money and Political Parties; Money and Elections; and Money, Parliament and the Executive. The workshop is part of the Commonwealth 'Deepening Democracy' series and will also present the forthcoming International IDEA Handbook on Funding of Parties and Election Campaigns. The three-day meeting will be followed by an 'India Day' event (24 November) where workshop participants will be able to share the outcomes with a broader group of Indian participants. A report will subsequently be produced for wide dissemination.

Contact: Maja Tjernström

Georgia and South Caucasus

International IDEA, in partnership with Georgian and regional organizations and individuals has initiated a programme of 'democratic assessment through dialogue' in Georgia, commencing autumn 2001. The overall objective of the programme is to advance democracy by facilitating political dialogue and articulating a democratic reform agenda. Entitled 'Challenges to Sustainable Democracy', it lays the foundations for a broader South Caucasus regional program over the next three years (2001-2004). Based on an exploratory mission to the country conducted in the first half of 2001, the clear message from Georgian society is the need for a comprehensive reflection on Georgia's state of democratic transition and to refocus on prevailing challenges.

The emphasis of the project is on dialogue, resulting in a democracy country report. The assessment will undoubtedly serve local and national democratic forces as a critical reference point in articulating solutions to the challenges for sustainable democracy in Georgia. It will also assist other providers of democracy support to develop programs responsive to real needs in society.

In September 2001 International IDEA brought together a broad network of interested parties in the national democratic process and established a Local Contact Group consisting of the Institute's partners in the project's implementation. The Contact Group has now identified what it regards as the key elements for strengthening democratic development in the country, and initiated a series of consultations with key representative groups of Georgian society on its priority themes including: political participation (minorities, gender, political parties); local government; electoral processes; regionalism/inter-regional cooperation; and conflict resolution.

A brochure about the project will be published shortly in English, Russian and Georgian.

Contact: Armineh Arakelian

Agreement

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in August between International IDEA and the Costa Rica-based University for Peace.

Contact: Izumi Nakamitsu-Lennartsson

Calendar

More information on IDEA's activities may be found in the Calendar section.