International Conference on Democracy and Deep-Rooted Conflict

Press Release:

International Conference on Democracy and Deep-Rooted Conflict to be held next week in Stockholm

Stockholm 1 October -- Olusegun Obasanjo, former Head of State of Nigeria, Thorvald Stoltenberg, former United Nations Special Representative in former Yugoslavia, Valli Moosa, Minister of Constitutional Affairs, South Africa, and Lena Hjelm-Wallén, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sweden are among the 115 participants who will participate in International IDEA’s Conference on Democracy and Deep-Rooted Conflict to be held in Stockholm next week, 9 to 10 October.

For two days participants from foreign ministries, the United Nations and other international organizations, aid agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academia will meet with the aim of placing the issue of democracy-building in post-conflict societies squarely on the international agenda.

"Most of today’s violent conflicts are not the wars between contending states of former years, but take place within existing states," says Bengt Säve-Söderbergh, Secretary-General of International IDEA. "But how does a society move from conflict to democracy and peace? Many policy-makers still need practical advise on how to design and build democratic institutions which can make peace endure. This, precisely, is why we are holding this conference."

On October 9, International IDEA will launch its new handbook for policy-makers, entitled Democracy and Deep-Rooted Conflict: Options for Negotiators. The 414-page handbook provides negotiators and policy-makers with detailed information on options for building democracy in post-conflict societies. The handbook draws on experience of peace settlements and democracy-building from Bosnia, Fiji, Northern Ireland and South Africa to illustrate the many options that negotiators can use when attempting to build a nascent democracy.

The Conference, which will be held at Vår Gård Conference centre, Saltsjöbaden, is open to the media. Journalists are welcome to a press-conference on Friday 9 October at 12.00. A press kit will be distributed at the occasion. For more information, and scheduling of interviews with the participants, please call Information Sevices: Helena Höglund tel: +46-8-698 37 28  e-mail:   h.hoglund@idea.int

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, Parliamentarians for Global Action and Transparency International. 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.