Toward a Community of Democracies ?Ministerial
Conference?
Final Warsaw Declaration: Toward a Community of
Democracies?Warsaw,Poland, June 27, 2000
We the participants from
Republic of Albania, People's Democratic Republic of Algeria,
Argentine Republic, Republic of Armenia, Australia, Republic of Austria,
Azerbaijani Republic, People's Republic of Bangladesh, Kingdom of Belgium,
Belize, Republic of Benin, Republic of Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Republic of Botswana, Federative Republic of Brazil, Republic of Bulgaria,
Burkina Faso, Canada, Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Chile, Republic of
Colombia, Republic of Costa Rica, Republic of Croatia, Republic of Cyprus,
Czech Republic, Kingdom of Denmark, Commonwealth of Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Republic of Ecuador, Arab Republic of Egypt, Republic of El Salvador,
Republic of Estonia, Republic of Finland, Georgia, Federal Republic of Germany,
Republic of Guatemala, Republic of Haiti, Hellenic Republic, Republic of
Hungary, Republic of Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia,
Ireland, State of Israel, Italian Republic, Japan, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,
Republic of Kenya, Republic of Korea, State of Kuwait, Republic of Latvia,
Kingdom of Lesotho, Principality of Liechtenstein, Republic of Lithuania, Grand
Duchy of Luxembourg, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Republic of
Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic
of Mauritius, Mexico, Republic of Moldova, Principality of Monaco, Mongolia,
Kingdom of Morocco, Republic of Mozambique, Republic of Namibia, Kingdom of
Nepal, Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Nicaragua, Republic
of the Niger, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Kingdom of Norway, Republic of
Panama, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of
the Philippines, Republic of Poland, Portuguese Republic, State of Qatar,
Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and
Principe, Republic of Senegal, Republic of Seychelles, Slovak Republic,
Republic of Slovenia, Republic of South Africa, Kingdom of Spain, Democratic
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Kingdom of Sweden, Swiss Confederation, United
Republic of Tanzania, Kingdom of Thailand, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of
Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United
States of America, Eastern Republic of Uruguay, Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela, Republic of Yemen,
in the Community of Democracies Ministerial Meeting convened
in Warsaw, 26 - 27 June 2000:
Expressing our common adherence to the
purposes and principles set forth in the Charter of the United Nations and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
Reaffirming our commitment to respect
relevant instruments of international law,
Emphasizing the interdependence between
peace, development, human rights and democracy,
Recognizing the universality of democratic
values,
Hereby agree to respect and uphold the
following core democratic principles and practices:
ï The will of the people shall be the basis of the
authority of government, as expressed by exercise of the right and civic duties
of citizens to choose their representatives through regular, free and fair
elections with universal and equal suffrage, open to multiple parties,
conducted by secret ballot, monitored by independent electoral authorities, and
free of fraud and intimidation.
ï The right of every person to equal access to public
service and to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through
freely chosen representatives.
ï The right of every person to equal protection of the
law, without any discrimination as to race, color, sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other
status.
ï The right of every person to freedom of opinion and of
expression, including to exchange and receive ideas and information through any
media, regardless of frontiers.
ï The right of every person to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion.
ï The right of every person to equal access to education.
ï The right of the press to collect, report and
disseminate information, news and opinions, subject only to restrictions
necessary in a democratic society and prescribed by law, while bearing in mind
evolving international practices in this field.
ï The right of every person to respect for private family
life, home, correspondence, including electronic communications, free of
arbitrary or unlawful interference.
ï The right of every person to freedom of peaceful
assembly and association, including to establish or join their own political
parties, civic groups, trade unions or other organizations with the necessary
legal guarantees to allow them to operate freely on a basis of equal treatment
before the law.
ï The right of persons belonging to minorities or
disadvantaged groups to equal protection of the law, and the freedom to enjoy
their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, and use their
own language.
ï The right of every person to be free from arbitrary
arrest or detention; to be free from torture and other cruel, inhumane or
degrading treatment or punishment; and to receive due process of law, including
to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
ï That the aforementioned rights, which are essential to
full and effective participation in a democratic society, be enforced by a
competent, independent and impartial judiciary open to the public, established
and protected by law.
ï That elected leaders uphold the law and function
strictly in accordance with the constitution of the country concerned and
procedures established by law.
ï The right of those duly elected to form a government,
assume office and fulfill the term of office as legally established.
ï The obligation of an elected government to refrain from
extra-constitutional actions, to allow the holding of periodic elections and to
respect their results, and to relinquish power when its legal mandate ends.
ï That government institutions be transparent,
participatory and fully accountable to the citizenry of the country and take
steps to combat corruption, which corrodes democracy.
ï That the legislature be duly elected and transparent
and accountable to the people.
ï That civilian, democratic control over the military be
established and preserved.
ï That all human rights -- civil, cultural, economic,
political and social -- be promoted and protected as set forth in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights instruments.
The Community of Democracies affirms our determination to work
together to promote and strengthen democracy, recognizing that we are at
differing stages in our democratic development. We will cooperate to
consolidate and strengthen democratic institutions, with due respect for
sovereignty and the principle of non-interference in internal affairs. Our goal
is to support adherence to common democratic values and standards, as outlined
above. To that end, our governments hereby agree to abide by these principles
in practice, and to support one another in meeting these objectives which we
set for ourselves today.
We will seek to strengthen institutions and processes of
democracy. We appreciate the value of exchanging experiences in the
consolidation of democracy and identifying best practices. We will promote
discussions and, where appropriate, create forums on subjects relevant to
democratic governance for the purpose of continuing and deepening our dialogue
on democratization. We would focus our deliberations on our common principles
and values rather than extraneous bilateral issues between members. We resolve
jointly to cooperate to discourage and resist the threat to democracy posed by
the overthrow of constitutionally elected governments. We resolve to strengthen
cooperation to face the transnational challenges to democracy, such as
state-sponsored, cross-border and other forms of terrorism; organized crime;
corruption; drug trafficking; illegal arms trafficking; trafficking in human
beings and money laundering, and to do so in accordance with respect for human
rights of all persons and for the norms of international law.
We will encourage political leaders to uphold the values of
tolerance and compromise that underpin effective democratic systems, and to
promote respect for pluralism so as to enable societies to retain their
multi-cultural character, and at the same time maintain stability and social
cohesion. We reject ethnic and religious hatred, violence and other forms of
extremism. We will also promote civil society, including women's organizations,
non-governmental organizations, labor and business associations, and
independent media in their exercise of their democratic rights. Informed
participation by all elements of society, men and women, in a country's
economic and political life, including by persons belonging to minority groups,
is fundamental to a vibrant and durable democracy.
We will help to promote government-to-government and
people-to-people linkages and promote civic education and literacy, including
education for democracy. In these ways we will strengthen democratic
institutions and practices and support the diffusion of democratic norms and
values.
We will work with relevant institutions and international
organizations, civil society and governments to coordinate support for new and
emerging democratic societies.
We recognize the importance our citizens place on the
improvement of living conditions. We also recognize the mutually-reinforcing
benefits the democratic process offers to achieving sustained economic growth.
To that end, we will seek to assist each other in economic and social
development, including eradication of poverty, as an essential contributing
factor to the promotion and preservation of democratic development.
We will collaborate on democracy-related issues in existing
international and regional institutions, forming coalitions and caucuses to
support resolutions and other international activities aimed at the promotion
of democratic governance. This will help to create an external environment
conducive to democratic development.
Final, June 27, 2 p.m.
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