Check the CD new initiative - the Democracy Partnership Challenge!
As a new wave of democratization spreads across the Middle East the Community of Democracies is refocusing its efforts on supporting successful transitions to democracy. As part of that commitment, the Community is launching a new initiative – the Democracy Partnership Challenge – to encourage reform in countries emerging from authoritarian rule.
The CD enjoys strong backing from countries that have come through democratic transitions and many of these states are looking to assist other nascent democracies. The Democracy Partnership Challenge creates a “race to the top” so that the CD and its members can encourage progress in countries that are committed to successful transitions and leverage their investments across the entire category of emerging democracies. The Democracy Partnership Challenge has the potential to enlarge the circle of donor nations and create a powerful new narrative of global support for emerging democracies.
How does it work?
The challenge consists of three phases:
Application – The initial process of inviting and reviewing applications is carried out by the Presidency (currently the Lithuanian Government) in coordination with civil society through the CD’s International Steering Committee. Invitations are sent to countries that have demonstrated the will to make significant progress toward democracy on their own, but still need external support to consolidate these gains. Countries that opt to participate in the competition are then asked to submit a brief application in which they outline their interest, present evidence of their commitment to a successful democratic transition, and propose a small list of initiatives that would help them reach the next stage in their transition (e.g. help conducting elections, strengthening civil society, training judges, etc.)
Selection – The governing body of the CD would select the most promising applications, with the final group consisting of roughly 2-4 countries. This decision will be made and proposals circulated in advance of the CD’s regular bi-annual ministerial meeting.
Award – The CD will create a task force to support the projects/initiatives of each of the winners. The task force members will include government, civil society organizations and private sector members and will work closely with the winners for two years to help them meet their objectives. Task Force members would implement their pledges working directly with recipient governments and civil society. All participants will make regular reports to the Convening Group to inform them of progress and foster accountability.
The International Center for Democratic Transition, in close copoperation with the Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies, and with the involvement of the CD’s International Steering Committee coordinates the process.
For further information contact:
Dr. Gyarmati István
Ambassador, Professor, President
International Centre for Democratic Transition (ICDT) & Tom Lantos Institute
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