Editorial
The Nurturing Challenge
Vidar HelgesenBy Vidar Helgesen, Secretary-General
As the new secretary-general of International IDEA, I find it intriguing that a principle so universally accepted as democracy is also so complex in its implementation and maintenance.
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What we're up to
Switzerland Joins International IDEA
Stockholm, 24 January 2006 -- Switzerland has joined International IDEA, bringing the total number of member states in the intergovernmental organization to 24.
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Vidar Helgesen joins International IDEA as new secretary-general
At its 31st meeting in Stockholm 4-5 December 2005, the Board of Directors of International IDEA appointed Vidar Helgesen as the Institute’s new secretary-general. Helgesen, a Norwegian national, served as Norway’s deputy minister of foreign affairs from 2001 to 2005. His portfolio included human rights, democracy, refugee issues, peace and reconciliation processes, and UN policy matters. Helgesen is the third IDEA secretary-general to lead the Institute.
At the same meeting, the Board approved the Institute’s budget and Programme of Activity 2006-2008. The programme confirms the three thematic priority areas of IDEA’s work for the next three years: democracy building and conflict management, electoral processes, and political parties, with gender as a cross-cutting concern, as well as a geographical focus on Africa and the Middle East, Latin America and South Asia. IDEA also conducts activities in the field of democracy analysis and democracy assistance.
Activists discuss democratic developments in Jordan and Yemen
Jordan and Yemen have stressed the need to boost women’s participation in politics. With six female members of Parliament in Jordan’s Lower House and none in Yemen, political will and measures such as quotas will be required to enhance women’s access to the political field.
Women’s political participation was one of the themes addressed in two national workshops on "Building Democracy: Approaches to Local Agendas", held in Jordan and Yemen in November 2005. The workshops, co-organized by IDEA and its regional partners, also discussed political parties and electoral system reform in both countries. The two workshops were based on the findings of three recently released IDEA reports on Building Democracy in Jordan, Egypt and Yemen and suggested ideas for future democracy assistance and support to the democratic developments in the Arab region.
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Women stopped by cultural obstacles from entering politics in West Africa
Cultural boundaries create the largest hindrance for women to enter politics in West Africa: this is the main finding of a two-day conference on “Enhancing Women’s Political Participation in West Africa” that was held in Accra, Ghana, 24-25 November 2005.
Some 60 parliamentarians, political party members, civil society activists, academics and journalists from 10 countries attended the event, which was organized by International IDEA, Abantu for Democracy (Ghana) and Center for Governance and Democracy (Burkina Faso).
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African, Asian and Latin American experts discuss constitution building
The crafting of a constitution can be as important as its content. Afghanistan and Iraq are among many countries that have seen constitution-making processes recently, with different degrees of participation and different outcomes. In an international workshop on dialogue for constitutional reform, IDEA and the United Nations Development Programme kick-started a global network of experts on inclusive constitution building.
Experts from 26 African, Asian and Latin American countries met in Pretoria, South Africa, 8-10 December 2005 to share experiences on constitution building. The event benefited from intellectual cooperation and guidance by the recently established International Network on Constitutional Development.
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IDEA encourages political reform in Bolivia
After two years of social unrest and the ousters of two presidents, the 18 December 2005 elections in which Evo Morale's won the presidency and a majority of seats in Congress were a milestone for Bolivia. Because the elections and a planned Constitutional Assembly are so crucial to the development of democracy in the Andean nation, IDEA’s Agora Democrática programme and the United Nations Development Programme have teamed up for a project to encourage political reform and strengthen the country’s party system.
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Poverty – the biggest hindrance to democracy in Peru?
Five years after Peru’s most recent return to full democracy, the country is on the threshold of a new round of presidential and legislative elections. To analyze the changes that have occurred and the challenges facing the country’s political system, IDEA, the University of Alcalá and the Real Instituto Elcano organized a seminar entitled “Peru/Spain: Evaluation and Future Prospects of the Transitions to Democracy” 21-22 November 2005 in Madrid, Spain.
The high-level meeting brought together Valentín Paniagua, former Peruvian president; Bernardino León, Spain’s secretary of state for foreign affairs and Ibero-America; Felipe González, former Spanish president; Javier Rojo, Spanish Senate president; Enrique Iglesias, Iberoamerican general secretary; Lourdes Flores Nano, Peruvian presidential candidate; Jorge Del Castillo, general secretary for the Partido APRISTA Peruano; and José Gorritti, Peruvian vice presidential candidate.
Paniagua, who guided the transition to democracy after the collapse of the Fujimori government in 2000, said, “Peru’s greatest problem is poverty. The main task of the government is to eradicate it”.
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New Products
CD-ROM on Political Party Finance
Launched January 2006, the Political Party Finance CD-ROM offers research material designed for political party experts, political foundations, students of politics, and news editors, featuring:
The CD-ROM contains a matrix of political finance laws and regulations in 111 countries. It also gives access to IDEA’s database on political finance laws and regulations, a comparative resource covering regulation and enforcement; public funding provisions; bans on sources of funding; and disclosure rules and ceilings for income and expenditure in more than 100 countries.
To order a free copy of the CD-ROM, e-mail publications@idea.int. To download the books for free, visit the Political Parties publication section at www.idea.int.
Did you know?
- The recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, Irene Fernandez, visited IDEA’s Stockholm headquarters 8 December 2005 and made a presentation on democracy beyond the political level. Ms Fernandez, a Malaysian campaigner for the rights of the poorest, won the award “for her outstanding and courageous work to stop violence against women and abuses of migrant and poor workers”.
- Swedish Minister for Democracy, Metropolitan Affairs, Integration and Gender Equality in the Ministry of Justice, Jens Orback, visited IDEA’s Stockholm headquarters 9 December 2005. The meeting focused on how Sweden, as a member state, can benefit from the Institute's knowledge and activities and how Sweden can contribute its democratic experiences to other countries.
- IDEA’s Head of Electoral Processes, Andrew Ellis, received a diploma honoris causa as election administrator from the Institut de Préparation à l'Administration Générale. The university awarded the diploma to Mr Ellis at a 22 November 2005 seminar on “Fixed points and innovations in the electoral process”, held at the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris, France, by the university and the French Senate. The award recognized Mr Ellis’ collaboration and cooperation in the cause of electoral professionalism.
- The foreign minister of Rwanda, Charles Murigande, visited IDEA’s Stockholm headquarters 23 November 2005. He met with IDEA managers to discuss traditional justice in Africa and the possibilities for IDEA to forge partnerships with Rwandan research institutes and other organizations.
Consultancies
IDEA invites readers to regularly check its Web site for open positions and consultancies. Currently, the Institute has one “call for papers” available:
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Contact information
Editors: Bénédicte Walter, Monika Ericson
Head of external relations: Ingrid Wetterqvist
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
Strömsborg
SE-103 34 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel.: +46-8 698 37 00
Fax.: +46-8-20 24 22
E-mail: news@idea.int
Web: www.idea.int
