International IDEA Initiates New Democracy Programme in the Middle East

Press Release: 

International IDEA Initiates New Democracy Programme in the Middle East

Stockholm, 9 January 1998 -- International IDEA has decided to start a new democracy programme in the Middle East.

A two-member team will travel to the region tomorrow to introduce International IDEA to democratic actors in the Arab world, and assess how the Institute can contribute to democratic change in the region.

The team includes Roel von Meijenfeldt, Director of Programmes, and Azza Karam, Project Manager, who expect to arrive in Cairo Saturday. They will travel to Amman on January 13 and continue to Beirut on January 15.

International IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) is a Stockholm-based international organization which promotes sustainable democracy world-wide and consolidates electoral processes.

It plans to develop a long-term programme to help build democracy in the Arab world in collaboration with national and international institutions. In June this year, the Institute will arrange a high-level roundtable with Arab democracy actors in order to seek their advice and stake out a programme.

"There is an intense debate in the Middle East on how best to promote democratic change," says Roel von Meijenfeldt. "The negative developments of the peace process, violence and the lack of a coherent agenda for democratization are of course tremendous challenges."

"But so much democratic activism is taking place and IDEA sees a window of opportunity and we hope that we can assist those struggling for change."

International IDEA is also planning to publish a report on the State of Democracy in the Arab World, which will be based on the round table discussions and inputs from experts in this area. The report will make recommendations on how to build democracy in the region.
 

International IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) was founded in February 1995. The Institute’s overall objective is to promote and advance sustainable democracy world-wide and to improve and consolidate electoral processes. To date, Members are Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana,Canada,Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, India, Namibia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, the International Federation of Journalists, the International Press Institute, and Parliamentarians for Global Action. The Institute also has co-operative agreements with the International Commission of Jurists, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and the United Nations Development Programme. Switzerland also contributes to the work of the Institute.