
Aufruf zur Verteidigung der Demokratie
[Anmerkung: Der folgende Aufruf ist zwar schon vom 25. Juni, doch leider habe ich ihn jetzt erste entdeckt. Der deutsche Text ist von der offiziellen Website.]
Die COVID-19-Pandemie bedroht mehr als nur das Leben und die Lebensgrundlagen von Menschen auf der ganzen Welt. Sie ist auch eine politische Krise, die die Zukunft der liberalen Demokratie bedroht.
Es überrascht nicht, dass autoritäre Regime die Krise nutzen, um Kritikerinnen und Kritiker zum Schweigen zu bringen und ihren politischen Druck zu verstärken. Aber selbst einige demokratisch gewählte Regierungen nutzen die Bekämpfung der Pandemie zur Aneignung von Notstandsbefugnissen, die die Menschenrechte einschränken und die staatliche Überwachung verstärken, ohne Rücksicht auf rechtliche Grenzen, parlamentarische Kontrolle oder Zeitrahmen für die Wiederherstellung der verfassungsmäßigen Ordnung. Parlamente werden ins Abseits gedrängt, Journalistinnen und Journalisten verhaftet und schikaniert, Minderheiten zum Sündenbock gemacht, und die schwächsten Teile der Bevölkerung sehen sich mit alarmierenden neuen Gefahren konfrontiert, da die wirtschaftlichen Beschränkungen das Gefüge der Gesellschaften allerorts verwüsten.
Repression wird nicht dazu beitragen, die Pandemie unter Kontrolle zu bringen. Die Redefreiheit zum Schweigen zu bringen, friedliche Dissidentinnen und Dissidenten einzusperren, die Aufsicht durch die Legislative zu unterdrücken und Wahlen auf unbestimmte Zeit zu annullieren – all das trägt nicht zum Schutz der öffentlichen Gesundheit bei. Im Gegenteil, diese Angriffe auf Freiheit, Transparenz und Demokratie werden es den Gesellschaften erschweren, schnell und wirksam auf die Krise zu reagieren, sowohl durch staatliche als auch durch zivilgesellschaftliche Maßnahmen.
Es ist kein Zufall, dass die gegenwärtige Pandemie in einem Land begann, in dem der freie Informationsfluss erstickt wird und in dem die Regierung diejenigen bestraft hat, die vor den Gefahren des Virus warnten – Warnungen, die als Verbreitung von Gerüchten erstickt wurden, die dem Ansehen des Staates schaden. Wenn die Stimmen verantwortungsbewusster Bürgerinnen und Bürger unterdrückt werden, können die Folgen tödlich sein, nicht nur für ein Land, sondern für die ganze Welt.
Demokratie ist nicht nur ein geschätztes Ideal. Sie ist das Regierungssystem, das am besten geeignet ist, eine Krise vom Ausmaß und von der Komplexität von COVID-19 zu bewältigen. Im Gegensatz zu den selbstherrlichen Behauptungen der autoritären Propaganda sind ein glaubwürdiger und freier Informationsfluss, eine faktengestützte Debatte über politische Optionen, die freiwillige Selbstorganisation der Zivilgesellschaft und ein offener Umgang zwischen Regierung und Gesellschaft entscheidende Vorteile bei der Bekämpfung der Pandemie. Und sie alle sind Schlüsselelemente der liberalen Demokratie.
Nur durch die Demokratie können Gesellschaften das soziale Vertrauen aufbauen, das es ihnen ermöglicht, in einer Krise durchzuhalten, nationale Widerstandsfähigkeit angesichts von Notlagen zu bewahren, tiefe gesellschaftliche Spaltungen durch integrative Beteiligung und Dialog zu heilen und das Vertrauen darauf zu bewahren, dass die Lasten geteilt und die Rechte aller Bürgerinnen und Bürger respektiert werden.
Nur durch Demokratie kann eine unabhängige Zivilgesellschaft, einschließlich Frauen und junger Menschen, in die Lage versetzt werden, mit öffentlichen Institutionen zusammenzuarbeiten, bei der Erbringung von Dienstleistungen zu helfen, den Bürgerinnen und Bürgern zu helfen, informiert und engagiert zu bleiben und die soziale Moral und den Sinn für gemeinsame Ziele zu stärken.
Nur durch die Demokratie können freie Medien ihre Aufgabe wahrnehmen, die Menschen zu informieren, damit sie fundierte persönliche und familiäre Entscheidungen treffen können, die Regierung und öffentliche Institutionen kritisch hinterfragen und Desinformationen entgegenwirken können, die darauf abzielen, Gesellschaften auseinander zu reißen.
Nur durch die Demokratie können freie Medien ihre Aufgabe wahrnehmen, die Menschen so zu informieren, dass sie fundierte persönliche und familiäre Entscheidungen treffen, die Regierung und die öffentlichen Institutionen kontrollieren und Desinformation, die versucht, Gesellschaften auseinander zu reißen, entgegentreten können.
Nur durch die Demokratie kann die Gesellschaft ein nachhaltiges Gleichgewicht zwischen konkurrierenden Bedürfnissen und Prioritäten herstellen – zwischen der Bekämpfung der Ausbreitung des Virus und dem Schutz der wirtschaftlichen Sicherheit; und zwischen der Umsetzung einer wirksamen Reaktion auf die Krise und dem Schutz der bürgerlichen und politischen Rechte der Menschen in Übereinstimmung mit den verfassungsmäßigen Normen und Garantien.
Nur in Demokratien kann die Rechtsstaatlichkeit die individuellen Freiheiten vor staatlichen Eingriffen und Einschränkungen schützen, die weit über das hinausgehen, was zur Eindämmung einer Pandemie notwendig ist.
Nur in Demokratien können Systeme der öffentlichen Rechenschaftspflicht Notstandsbefugnisse der Regierung begrenzen und überwachen und sie beenden, wenn sie nicht mehr benötigt werden.
Nur in Demokratien kann man den staatlichen Angaben über das Ausmaß und die gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen der Pandemie Glauben schenken.
Demokratie garantiert keine kompetente Führung und effektive Regierungsführung. Während unter den Ländern, die am effektivsten gegen das Virus vorgegangen sind, Demokratien vorherrschen, haben andere Demokratien bei der Reaktion auf die Pandemie schlecht agiert und einen sehr hohen Preis an Menschenleben und wirtschaftlicher Stabilität gezahlt. Demokratien, die schlecht funktionieren, schwächen die Gesellschaft weiter und schaffen Spielräume für autoritäre Politiker.
Die größte Stärke der Demokratie ist jedoch ihre Fähigkeit zur Selbstkorrektur. Die COVID-19-Krise ist ein alarmierender Weckruf, eine dringende Warnung, dass die Freiheiten, die wir schätzen, in Gefahr sind und dass wir sie nicht als selbstverständlich hinnehmen dürfen. Durch Demokratie können die Bürgerinnen und Bürger und ihre gewählten Führungspersonen lernen und wachsen. Noch nie war es für sie wichtiger, dies zu tun.
Die gegenwärtige Pandemie stellt eine gewaltige globale Herausforderung für die Demokratie dar. Autoritäre Kräfte rund um die Welt betrachten die COVID-19-Krise als ein neues politisches Schlachtfeld in ihrem Kampf, die Demokratie als schwach zu stigmatisieren und ihre enormen Fortschritte der letzten Jahrzehnte rückgängig zu machen. Die Demokratie ist bedroht, und Menschen, denen sie am Herzen liegt, müssen den Willen, die Disziplin und die Solidarität aufbringen, um sie zu verteidigen. Auf dem Spiel stehen die Freiheit, Gesundheit und Würde der Menschen überall auf der Welt.
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Unterzeichnende Einzelpersonen (Warnung! Liste ist sehr lang!)
Davood Moradian, General Director, Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies, Afghanistan
Rexhep Meidani, Former President of Albania, Albania
Juela Hamati, President, European Democracy Youth Network, Albania
Fatiha Serour, United Nations Deputy Special Representative for Somalia; Co-founder, Justice Impact Lab; Member, the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability, Algeria
Nassera Dutour, President, Federation Against Enforced Disappearances (FEMED), Algeria
Rafael Marques de Morais, Founder, Maka Angola, Angola
Mauricio Macri, Former President of Argentina, Argentina
Beatriz Sarlo, Journalist, Argentina
Flavia Freidenberg, Professor, the Institute of Legal Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Argentina
Gerardo Bongiovanni, President, Fundacion Libertad, Argentina
Laura Alonso, Former Member of Chamber of Deputies; Former Executive Director, Poder Ciudadano; Former Head of Argentine Anti-Corruption Office, Argentina
Liliana De Riz, Professor, Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo, Argentina
Patricia Bullrich, Former Minister of Security of Argentina, Argentina
Santiago Cantón, Secretary of Human Rights for the Province of Buenos Aires; Former Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), Argentina
Susana Malcorra, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Argentina; Former Chef de Cabinet to the Executive Office at the United Nations, Argentina
Gulnara Shahinian, Founder and Chair, Democracy Today, Armenia
Haykuhi Harutyunyan, Chairperson, Corruption Prevention Commission, Armenia
Kevin Rudd, Former Prime Minister of Australia; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation, Australia
Cheryl Saunders, Laureate Emeritus Professor, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne; Former Vice Chair of International IDEA Board of Advisors, Australia
Gareth Evans, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia and Leader of the Government in the Senate; President Emeritus, the International Crisis Group; Former Dean of Australian National University, Australia
Michael Danby, Former Member of Parliament; Chair, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Australia
Tom Gerald Daly, Director, Democratic Decay & Renewal (DEM-DEC), Australia
Alfred Gusenbauer, Former Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, Austria
Anar Mammadli, Chairman, the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center; Former Political Prisoner; Recipient of the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize of the Parliamentary Center of the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan
Khadija Ismayilova, Former Political Prisoner and Investigative Journalist, Azerbaijan
Leila Alieva, President, Center for National and International Studies, Azerbaijan
Leyla Yunus, Director, the Institute for Peace and Democracy, Azerbaijan
Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Laureate; Founder, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh
Shahidul Alam, Photojournalist and social activist, Bangladesh
Ales Bialiatski, Founder, The Human Rights Center “Viasna”, Belarus
Lavon Volski, Musician and Activist, Belarus
Svetlana Alexievich, Nobel Laureate in Literature, Belarus
Guy Verhofstadt, Member of the European Parliament and European Parliament Brexit Coordinator; Former Prime Minister of Belgium, Belgium
Karl-Heinz Lambertz, Speaker of the Parliament of the German-Speaking Community; Former President of the European Committee of the Regions; Former Minister-President of the German-Speaking Community of Belgium, Belgium
Kris Peeters, Member of the European Parliament; Former Minister-President of Flanders and Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium,Belgium
Cindy Franssen, Member of the European Parliament, Belgium
Koert Debeuf, Writer and Editor in Chief, EUobserver, Belgium
Sabine de Bethune, Member of the Senate of Belgium; Former Speaker of the Senate, Belgium
Theodore Hole, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Benin; Former President of the Constitutional Court, Benin
Carlos Mesa, Former President of Bolivia, Bolivia
Jorge Quiroga, Former President of Bolivia, Bolivia
Zlatko Lagumdzija, Former Prime Minister of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Darko Brkan, President, CA Why Not, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Vildana Selimbegovic, Editor-in-Chief, Oslobodjenje, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Dumiso Gatsha, Founder, Success Capital Organisation, Botswana
Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Former President of Brazil, Brazil
Bolivar Lamounier, Director, Augurium Consultores and Advisor, the World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid, Brazil
Celso Lafer, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil; Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Brazil to the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, Brazil
Daniel Mitov, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Bulgaria
Ivan Krastev, Chairman, the Centre for Liberal Strategies; Founder, the European Council on Foreign Relations, Bulgaria
Wai Wai Nu, Executive Director, Women’s Peace Network; Rohingya Human Rights Activist, Burma
Akere Muna, Chair, International Anti-Corruption Conference Council, Cameroon
Ateki Seta Caxton, Chair, African Movement for Democracy, Cameroon
Charles Joseph Clark, Former Prime Minister of Canada; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation, Canada
Stephen Harper, Former Prime Minister of Canada, Canada
Anita Vandenbeld, Member of Parliament, Canada
Bob Rae, Former Member of Parliament; Senior Fellow, Forum of Federations and Professor, University of Toronto, Canada
Chelsea Gabel, Chair, Indigenous Well-Being, Community Engagement and Innovation Research Canada, Canada
Hugh Segal, Former Member of the Senate of Canada; Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs; Master of Massey College at the University of Toronto, Canada
Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Former Chief Electoral Officer of Elections Canada, Canada
Lloyd Axworthy, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs; Chair, World Refugee Council, Canada
Louise Fréchette, Former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation, Canada
Nicole Goodman, Director, the Centre for e-Democracy; Associate Professor, Brock University, Canada
Ronald Deibert, Director, Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, Canada
Thomas Mulcair, Former Member of Parliament; Senior Fellow, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Canada
Francisco Rojas-Aravena, Rector, the University for Peace (UPEACE), Chile
Gloria de la Fuente, President, Fundacion Chile 21, Chile
Jose Miguel Insulza, Member of the Senate of the Republic of Chile; Former Secretary-General, the Organization of American States, Chile
José Miguel Vivanco, Human Rights Lawyer, Chile
Leonidas Montes, Director, Centro de Estudios Públicos, Chile
Rafael Rincón, Director, Fundación Para el Progreso, Chile
Sascha Hannig Nunez, Secretary-General, Asociación Latinoamericana de Estudios de Asia y África; Researcher, Fundacion para El Progresso, Chile
Sergio Bitar, President, the Chilean Council for Strategy and Foresight, Chile
Han Dongfang, Executive Director, China Labor Bulletin, China
Liu Xia, Artist and Widow of Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo, China
Wang Dan, Founder and Executive Director, Dialogue China, China
Xiao Qiang, Director, the Counter-Power Lab; Former Executive Director of Human Rights in China; Former Vice-chairman of the steering committee of the World Movement for Democracy, China
Yang Jianli, Founder and President, Citizen Power Initiatives for China, China
Juan Manuel Santos, Nobel Peace Laureate and Former President of Colombia, Colombia
Andres Pastrana, Former President of Colombia, Colombia
Cesar Gaviria, Former President of Colombia, Colombia
Catalina Botero, Dean, the Law School of the University of Los Andes, Bogotá; Former Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Inter American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), Colombia
Humberto de la Calle, Former Vice President of Colombia, Colombia
Laura Gil, Journalist and Director, Dialogos and Estrategias, Colombia
Oscar Arias Sanchez, Nobel Peace Laureate and Former President of Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Laura Chinchilla, Former President of Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Luis Guillermo Solis, Former President of Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Miguel Angel Rodriguez, Former President of Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Eduardo Ulibarri, Journalist, Costa Rica
Josette Altmann, Secretary-General, FLACSO, Costa Rica
Ivo Josipovic, Former President of Croatia, Croatia
Vesna Pusić, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia, Croatia
Carlos Alberto Montaner, Writer and Journalist, Cuba
Joel Brito, Executive Director, the International Group for Corporate Social Responsibility in Cuba, Cuba
Rosa Maria Paya, President, the Latin American Youth Network for Democracy, Cuba
Jan Fischer, Former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Czech Republic
Alexander Vondra, Member of the European Parliament; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Czech Republic
Ivan M. Havel, Researcher and Former Director of the Center for Theoretical Studies, Czech Republic
Ivan Pilip, Former Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic; Former Vice President, the European Investment Bank, Czech Republic
Martin Palous, Director, Vaclav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy, Florida International University, Czech Republic
Michael Zantovsky, Executive Director, Vaclav Havel Library, Czech Republic
Simon Panek, Director, People in Need, Czech Republic
Zdeněk Hřib, Mayor of Prague, Czech Republic
Antoni Abat Ninet, Professor of Constitutional Law, the University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Leonel Fernández, Former President of the Dominican Republic; President, the World Federation of United Nations Associations, Dominican Republic
Rosario Espinal, Professor, College of Liberal Arts, Department of Sociology, Temple University, Dominican Republic
Osvaldo Hurtado, Former President of Ecuador, Ecuador
Rosalía Arteaga Serrano, Former President of Ecuador, Ecuador
Simón Pachano, Professor-researcher, FLACSO Ecuador, Ecuador
Amr Hamzawy, Former Member of the People’s Assembly of Egypt; Senior research scholar, the Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University, Egypt
Aya Hijazi, Founder, Belady foundation for Street Children, Egypt
Bahey Eddin Hassan, Director, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies; Human rights advocate, Egypt
Ezzedine Choukri Fishere, Writer and Academic, Egypt
Hisham Kassem, Political Commentator and Former Chairman, the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, Egypt
Nagwan Soliman, Affiliate Scholar, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, Egypt
Nancy Okail, Former Director, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, Egypt
Ana Vilma Albanez de Escobar, Former Vice President of El Salvador, El Salvador
Joaquín Villalobos, Scholar, El Salvador
Toomas Henrik Ilves, Former President of Estonia, Estonia
Marina Kaljurand, Member of the European Parliament; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia,Estonia Bilen Asrat Ejigu,”Executive Director, Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations Forum, Ethiopia
Heidi Hautala, Vice President of the European Parliament; Former Minister of International Development of Finland, Finland
Antoine Bernard, Deputy Director General, Rapporteurs Sans Frontier (RSF), France
Bernard Henri Lévy, Member, Jcall Advocacy Group, France
Guy Sorman, President, France-Amerique, France
Jacques Rupnik, Professor, Center for International Studies at SciencesPo in Paris, France
Jean-Claude Casanova, Former President, Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, France
Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, France
Giorgi Margvelashvili, Former President of Georgia, Georgia
Davit Usupashvili, Former Speaker of Parliament of Georgia, Georgia
Eka Gigauri, Executive Director, Transparency International Georgia, Georgia
Ghia Nodia, Chairman, Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy, and Development, Georgia
Giorgi Muchaidze, Executive Director, Atlantic Council, Georgia, Georgia
Ketevan Chachava, Executive Director, Center for Development and Democracy, Georgia
Nino Evgenidze, Executive Director, Economic Policy Research Center, Georgia
Nino Zambakhidze, Chairwoman, Georgian Farmers Association, Georgia
Tinatin Khidasheli, Chairperson, Civic IDEA, former Minister of Defense, Georgia
Ucha Nanuashvili, Director, Democracy Research Institute (DRI), Georgia
Andreas Bummel, Executive Director, Democracy Without Borders, Germany
Elmar Brok, Former Member of the European Parliament; Former Chairman, the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, Germany
Markus Meckel, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of the Bundestag, Germany
Ralf Fücks, Former Deputy Mayor and Senator for Urban Development and Environmental Protection; Founder, Zentrum Liberale Moderne, Germany
Stefan Meister, Director, South Caucasus Office, Heinrich Boell Foundation, Germany
Tanja A. Börzel, Professor of Political Science, Freie University, Berlin, Germany
E. Gyimah Boadi, Executive Director, AfroBarometer, Ghana
Esther Tawiah, Founder and Executive Director, Gender Centre for Empowering Development (GenCED), Ghana
Claudia Escobar Mejia, Former Judge, Legal Specialist on Anti-corruption Policies, Guatemala
Eduardo Stein, Former Vice President of Guatemala and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation, Guatemala
Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Laureate, Guatemala
Julieta Castellanos, Former Rector of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Honduras
Arnold Chung Chin Kiu, Founding Member, Demosisto, Hong-Kong
Joshua Wong, Founder, Demosisto, Hong-Kong
Lee Cheuk Yan, Former Member of the Legislative Council; Secretary-General, Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, Hong-Kong
Martin Lee, Founder, Democratic Party, Hong-Kong
Bálint Magyar, Former Minister of Education of Hungary, Hungary
Kata Tüttő, Deputy Mayor of Budapest, Hungary
Katka Cseh, Member of the European Parliament; Co-founder, Momentum Movement, Hungary
Kész Zoltán, Former Member of Parliament; Honorary President, Free Market Foundation of Hungary, Hungary
Klara Dobrev, Vice President of the European Parliament, Hungary
Miklos Haraszti, Former OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media; Resident Fellow, Center for Media, Central European University, Hungary
Peter Kreko, Director, Political Capital Institute, Europe’s Futures Fellow, IWM/ERSTE Stiftung, Hungary
Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Iceland
Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Former Vice President of India; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation; Former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, India
Neelam Deo, Director, Gateway House Mumbai, India
S.Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, India
Sanjay Pradhan, CEO, Open Government Partnership (OGP), India
Surendra Munshi, Sociologist, India
Vipul Mudgal, Director, Common Cause, India
Bambang Harymurti, Former CEO and Editor in Chief, Tempo Magazine, Indonesia
Marzuki Darusman, Former Attorney General of Indonesia and Member of the House of Representatives; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation, Indonesia
Titi Anggraini, Executive Director, Perludem, Indonesia
Azar Nafisi, Former Fellow, the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS); New York Times Best-Seller Author, Iran
Ladan Boroumand, Co-founder, Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy in Iran, Iran
Nazanin Boniadi, Artist and Board Member, the Center for Human Rights in Iran, Iran
Ramin Jahanbegloo, Director, Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Peace, Jindal Global University, Iran
Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Laureate; Founder, Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran, Iran
Abdalaziz Younis Aljarba, Chairman, Al-Tahreer Association for Development, Iraq
Fatima al-Bahadli, Executive Director, the Iraqi al-Firdaws Society, Iraq
Sarkawt Shamsulddin, Member of Parliament, Iraq
John Bruton, Former Prime Minister of Ireland; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation; Former EU Ambassador to the United States, Ireland
Christine Bell, Founder and Director, Global Justice Academy; Professor of Constitutional Law and Assistant Principal, University of Edinburgh, Ireland
Dan Meridor, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Finance, Israel
Elyakim Rubinstein, Former Attorney General of Israel and Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Israel
Natan Sharansky, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Housing and Construction, Israel
Shlomo Avineri, Professor, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Israel
Yaniv Roznai, Professor of Law at theRadzyner School of Law, IDC Herzliya, Israel
Enrico Letta, Former Prime Minister of Italy; Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po, Paris, Italy
Gianni Buquicchio, President, Venice Commission for Democracy, Italy
Leonardo Morlino, President, the International Center on Democracy and Democratisation (ICEDD) and Emeritus Professor of Political Science, LUISS University in Rome, Italy
Matteo Mecacci, Former Member of Parliament; President, International Campaign for Tibet, Italy
PJ Patterson, Former Prime Minister of Jamaica; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation; Former Chair of the United Nations Security Council, Jamaica
Maiko Ichihara, Associate Professor of International Relations, Hitotsubashi University, Japan
Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman, Asia Pacific Initiative; Award Winning Journalist and Author, Japan
Yukio Takasu, Chairman, Japan Center for International Exchange; Former Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations, Japan
Ibrahim Saif, Former Minister of Energy and Minister of Planning of Jordan, Jordan
Marwan Muasher, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jordan, Jordan
Oraib Al Rantawi, General Director, Al Quds Center for Political Studies, Jordan
Yevgeniy Zhovtis, Directorof the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, Kazakhstan
Gilbert Sebihogo, Executive Director, Network of African National Human Rights Institutions, Kenya
Atifete Jahjaga, Former President of Kosovo, Kosovo
Aagon Maliqi, Program Director, Sbunker, Kosovo
Roza Otumbayeva, Former President of Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan
Cholpon Idinovna Djakupova, Former Member of Parliament, Kyrgyzstan
Zamira Sysykova, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Res Publica; Recipient of the Courage in Journalism Award of the International Women’s Media Foundation, Kyrgyzstan
Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Former President of Latvia; Founding Member, Club de Madrid, Latvia
Valdis Birkavs, Former Prime Minister of Latvia, Latvia
Eddie D. Jarwolo, Executive Director, Naymote Partners for Democratic Development, Liberia
Leymah R. Gbowee, Nobel Peace Laureate; President, The Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, Liberia
Andrius Kubilius, Member of the European Parliament and Former Prime Minister of Lithuania, Lithuania
Vytautas Landsbergis, Former President of Lithuania, Lithuania
Emanuelis Zingeris, Chairman, Subcommittee on Transatlantic Relations and Democracy Development, Parliament of Lithuania, Lithuania
Mantas Adomenas, Member of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuania
Sarunas Liekis, Chair, The Vilnius Institute for Policy Analysis, Lithuania
Zygimantas Pavilionis, Deputy Chair, European Affairs Committee of the Parliament, Lithuania
Ahmad Farouk, Founder and Director, the Islamic Renaissance Front (IFR), Malaysia
Lawrence Gonzi, Former Prime Minister of Malta; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation, Malta
Cassam Uteem, Former President of Mauritius; Vice President, the World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation, Mauritius
Ernesto Zedillo, Former President of Mexico, Mexico
Claudia Ruiz Massieu, Former Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Mexico
Enrique Krauze, Historian and Editor, Letras Libres, Mexico
Jorge Castaneda, Former Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Mexico
Sergio Aguayo, Professor, Colegio de Mexico, Visiting Scientist, Harvard University, Mexico
Maia Sandu, Former Prime Minister of Moldova, Moldova
Elbegdorj Tsakhia, Former President of Mongolia, Mongolia
Sanjaasuren Bayaraa, Special Advisor, the Zorig Foundation; Former Ambassador of Mongolia to India, Mongolia
Milica Kovacevic, President, Center for Democratic Transision, Montenegro
Srdjan Darmanovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro, Montenegro
Mohammed Masbah, Director, Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis, Morocco
Mokhtar Benabdallaoui, Professor of Islamic Studies, Hassan II University, Morocco
Joaquim Alberto Chissano, Former President of the Republic of Mozambique; Chairperson, the Joaquim Chissano Foundation, Mozambique
Bhoj Raj Pokharel, Former Chief Election Commissioner of Nepal , Nepal
Pragya Lamsal, Development professional and women’s rights activist, Nepal
Jan Peter Balkenende, Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Netherlands
Emine Bozkurt, Former Member of the European Parliament, Netherlands
Hans van Baalen, President, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Netherlands
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Former Minister of Finance of the Netherlands; Former President, Eurogroup, Netherlands
Kati Piri, Member of the European Parliament, Netherlands
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, Former Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Netherlands
Lilianne Ploumen, Member of Parliament; Former Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, Netherlands
Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation; Former Deputy Prime Minister; Former Administrator of the UNDP, New Zealand
Don McKinnon, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, New Zealand
Enrique José Bolaños Geye, Former President of Nicaragua, Nicaragua
Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Editor, Confidencial, Nicaragua
Cristiana Chamorro, Founder, the Violeta Chamorro Foundation, Nicaragua
Edmundo Jarquín, Former Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidate of Nicaragua, Nicaragua
Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Chair, the West Africa Commission on Drugs, Nigeria
Ayo Obe, Legal Practitioner and Former Chairperson, Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy, Nigeria
Clement Nwankwo, Founding Chairman, the Transition Monitoring Group, Nigeria
Innocent Chukwuma, Founder, the Center for Law Enforcement Education, Nigeria
Jibrin Ibrahim, Senior Fellow, Center for Democracy and Development Abuja, Nigeria
Maryam Garba Usman, Executive Director, Center for Advocacy in Gender and Social Inclusion CAGSI, Nigeria
Rinsola Abiola, Advocate for gender equity and youth inclusion in politics; Member of the Board of Directors of Young Women in Politics Forum, Nigeria
Samson Itodo, Executive Director, YIAGA and Initiator of the Not Too Young to Run campaign, Nigeria
Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate in Literature , Nigeria
Zoran Zaev, Former Prime Minister of North Macedonia, North Macedonia
Oliver Spasovski, President of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, North Macedonia
Kjell Magne Bondevik, Former Prime Minister of Norway; Founder and Executive Chair, the Oslo Center, Norway
Bjørn Engesland, Secretary-General, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Norway
Thor Halvorssen, President, the Oslo Freedom Forum, Norway
Vidar Helgesen, Former Secretary-General, International IDEA, Norway
Gulalai Ismail, Founder and Chairperson, Aware Girl, Pakistan
Husain Haqqani, Director, South and Central Asia, The Hudson Institute; Former Ambassador to the United States, Pakistan
Zafarullah Khan, CEO, Civic Concerns, Pakistan
Azmi Shuabi, Former Member of Parliament, Palestine
Walid Salem, Palestinian Intellectual, Palestine
Serena Sumanop, CEO, the Digicel PNG Foundation, Papua New Guinea
Federico Franco Gómez, Former President of Paraguay, Paraguay
Diego Abente Brun, Former Senator and Minister of Justice and Labor of Paraguay, Paraguay
Line Bareiro, Founder, Centro de Documentación y Estudios (CDE-Paraguay); Former Member, the United Nations Committee for the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Paraguay
Milda Rivarola, Member of the Academia Paraguaya de la Historia, Paraguay
Beatriz Merino, The President of the Council of Ministers of Peru and National Ombudswoman, Peru
Gustavo Gorriti, Journalist and Director, IDL-Reporter, Peru
Lucia Dammert, Professor, University of Santiago of Chile, Peru
Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel Laureate for Literature, Peru
Chito Gascon, Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights, Philippines
Maria Ressa , CEO and Executive Editor, Rappler, Philippines
Maxine Tanya Hamada, Corporate Secretary, iLEAD, Philippines
Teresita Quintos-Deles, Chairperson, INCITEGov, Philippines
Jerzy Buzek, Member of the European Parliament and Former Prime Minister of Poland, Poland
Lech Wałęsa, Nobel Peace Laureate and Former President of Poland, Poland
Aleksander Kwasniewski, Former President of Poland, Poland
Adam Bodnar, Commissioner for Human Rights of Poland, Poland
Agnieszka Holland, Film Director, Poland
Danuta Przywara, President, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Poland
Leszek Balcerowicz, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Poland and Minister of Finance, Poland
Radosław Sikorski, Member of the European Parliament; Former Foreign Minister and Minister of Defence of Poland; Chairman, the EU-USA Delegation, Poland
Rafal Dutkiewicz ,Former Mayor of Wroclaw, Poland
Sławomir Sierakowski, Director, Krytyka Polityczna, Poland
Ana Gomes, Former Member of the European Parliament, Portugal
Joao Carlos Espada, Director, the Institute of Political Studies, Catholic University of Lisbon, Portugal
Andrea Ngombet, Director, Anti-Kleptocracy Strategy of Sassoufit Collective, Republic of Congo
Dismas Kitenge, President, LOTUS Group, Republic of Congo
Hong-koo Lee, Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea
Ha Taekyung, Member of National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea
Han SungJoo, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs; Chairman, Asan Institute for Policy Studies, Republic of Korea
Ji Seong ho, Member of National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and North Korean defector, Republic of Korea
Kak Soo Shin, Former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea; Fellow, Institute for Corean-American Studies; Former Ambassador; Former Deputy Permanent Representative at the Korean Mission to the United Nations, Republic of Korea
Keum Tae Sup, Ranking Member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, Republic of Korea
Kim Se Yeon, Member of National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea
Oh Joon, Former South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations, Republic of Korea
Seung-hee Hwangbo, Member of National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea
Sook Jong Lee, President, East Asia Institute, Republic of Korea
Thae Youngho, Member of National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea
Petre Roman, Former Prime Minister of Romania, Romania
Alina Aflecailor, Human Rights Educator, Greenpeace Romania, Romania
Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, Democracy Chair, Hertie School of Governance, Romania
Alexander Likhotal, Professor, the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations; Advisor, the World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid; Former President, Green Cross International, Russia
Andrei Piontkovsky, Writer and Visiting Fellow, the Hudson Institute, Russia
Garry Kasparov, Chairman, Renew Democracy Initiative (RDI); Chairman, the Human Rights Foundation; Former World Chess Champion, Writer, and Political Activist, Russia
Leonid Gozman, President, Union of Right Forces (SPS), Russia
Lilia Shevtsova, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, Robert Bosch Academy, Russia
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Former Political Prisoner and Opposition Leader, Russia
Natalia Taubina, Director, Public Verdict Foundation, Russia
Vladimir Kara-Murza, Chairman, Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom, Russia
Zhanna Nemtsova, Co-founder, Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom; Journalist and Social Activist, Russia
Yahya Assiri, Founder, ALQST, Saudi Arabia
Abdoulaye Bathily, Former Member and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Senegal; Former UN Under-Secretary General, Senegal
Cheikh Oumar Cyrille Touré (aka Thiat), Co-founder of Y’en a Marre, Senegal
Penda Mbow, Historian and President, Mouvement Citoyen, Senegal
Andrej Nosov, Founder, Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR), Serbia
Ivan Đurić, Coordinator, the World Youth Movement for Democracy, Serbia
Natasa Kandić, Founder, Humanitarian Law Center, Serbia
Sonja Biserko, Chair, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Serbia
Vukosava Crnjanski, Director, Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability, Serbia
Ernest Bai Koroma, Former President of Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone
Noeleen Heyzer, Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations; Advisor, the World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid ; Former United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Timor-Leste, Singapore
Iveta Radicova, Former Prime Minister of Slovakia, Slovakia
Martin Butora, Honorary Chairman, Institute for Public Affairs, Slovakia
Martin Hojsik, Member of the European Parliament, Slovakia
Peter Pollak, Member of the European Parliament, Slovakia
Hassan Shire, Chairperson, Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network, Somalia
FW de Klerk, Nobel Peace Laureate and Former President of South Africa; Founder, the Global Leadership Foundation, South Africa
Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Graca Machel, Founder, Graca Machel Trust; Executive Chair, Mandele Institute for Development Studies in Johannesburg, South Africa
Thuli Madonsela, Former Public Protector of South Africa; Founder, Thuma Foundation for Democracy Leadership and Literacy, South Africa
Ana Palacio, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Spain
Cristina Manzano, Director, esGlobal, Spain
Radhika Coomaraswamy, Former Under Secretary General and the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict, Sri Lanka
Ravindra De Silva, Co-founder and Executive Director, AFRIEL Youth Network, Sri Lanka
Carl Bildt, Former Prime Minister of Sweden, Sweden
Bengt Säve-Söderbergh, Former Secretary-General, International IDEA, Sweden
Cecilia Malmström, Former Member of the European Commission; Visiting Professor, the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Margot Wallström, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Sweden
Nils Karlson, President and CEO, the The Ratio Institute, Sweden
Robert Hardh, Member, Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy; Former Executive Director, Civil Rights Defenders, Sweden
Kaspar Villiger, Former President of the Swiss Confederation; Founding Member, the Global Leadership Foundation; Chairman, the UBS Foundation of Economics in Society, Switzerland
Micheline Calmy-Rey, Former President of the Swiss Confederation; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation; Former President of the Council of Europe, Switzerland
Pascal Couchepin, Former President of the Swiss Confederation; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation; Former President of the Ministerial Assembly of the World Trade Organisation, Switzerland
Bassma Kodmani, Former Executive Director, the Arab Reform Initiative, Syria
Audrey Tang, Member of the Executive Yuan Council of Taiwan as Digital Minister, Taiwan
Joseph Wu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China, Taiwan
Jon Ungphakorn, Former Member of the Senate of Thailand, Thailand
Nidhi Eoseewong, Historian and Recipient of the Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize, Thailand
Lobsang Sangay, President, Central Tibet Administration, Tibet
Jose Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Laureate and Former President of East Timor, Timor Leste
Amine Ghali, Director, Al Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center, Tunisia
Radwan A. Masmoudi, Executive Director, the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy; Civil society activist, Tunisia
Hikmet Çetin, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation; Former NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, Turkey
Yakin Ertürk, Former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Turkey
Arthur Larok, Director, Federation Development, ActionAid International, Uganda
Livingstone Sewanyana, Executive Director, the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative; UN Independent Expert on Promoting a Democratic and Equitable International Order, Uganda
Nicholas Opiyo, Excutive Director, Chapter Four, Uganda
Borys Gudziak, President, the Ukrainian Catholic University, Ukraine
Borys Tarasyuk, Director, Institute for EuroAtlantic Cooperation, Ukraine
Mustafa Nayyem, Former Member of Parliament, Ukraine
Mykola Riabchuk, Honorary President, Ukrainian PEN Center, Ukraine
Myroslav Marynovych, Vice-rector, the Ukrainian Catholic University, Ukraine
Svitlana Zalishchuk, Former Member of Parliament and Former Advisor to Prime Minister, Ukraine
Yevgeniy Zakharov, Founder, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Ukraine
Lord George Robertson, Former Secretary-General, NATO; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation, United Kingdom
Lynda Chalker, Former Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Founding Member, the Global Leadership Foundation; Founder and President, Africa Matters Limited, United Kingdom
Michael Pinto-Duschinsky, Founder Governor, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, United Kingdom
Pippa Norris, Paul F. McGuire Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, United Kingdom
Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, United Kingdom
Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies, Oxford University and Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, United Kingdom
Adolfo Garcé, Professor, the Political Science Institute, Universidad de la República in Montevideo, Uruguay
Luis Almagro, Secretary-General, Organization of American States, Uruguay
Andrew Card, Chairman, the National Endowment for Democracy, USA
Andrew Natsios, Director, Scowcroft Institute of international affairs, Bush School of Government, Texas A&M University, USA
Arch Puddington, Former Editor, Survey of Freedom in the World, Freedom House, USA
Barbara Mikulski, Former United States Senator, USA
Benjamin Rhodes, President, National Security Action; Former Deputy National Security Advisor, USA
Bill Richardson, Former Governor of New Mexico; Former Ambassador to the United Nations, USA
Brian Atwood, Former USAID Administrator, USA
Carol Bellamy, Former Executive Director, UNICEF, USA
Catherine Marshall, Director, the Agora Research Center, CY Cergy Paris University, USA
Charles Davidson, Co-founder, The American Interest, USA
Chester A. Crocker, Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs; Member, the Global Leadership Foundation, USA
Chris Fussner, Assistant Chairman, International Democratic Union, USA
Cindy McCain, Chair, Board of Trustees of the McCain Institute for International Leadership, USA
Claudio Lodici, Coordinator, Biennial Conference on the State of Democracy, Loyola University Chicago, USA
Cliff May, President, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, USA
Constance Newman, Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, USA
David E. Price, Member of the United States House of Representatives for North Carolina, USA
David J. Kramer, Former United States Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Senior Fellow, Vaclav Havel Program on Human Rights and Diplomacy, Florida International University, USA
David Skaggs, Former Congressman; ViceChair, the National Endowment for Democracy, USA
Dennis Cutler Blair, Admiral; Former United States Director of National Intelligence, USA
Dov S. Zakheim, Former Under Secretary of Defense, USA
Eileen Donahoe, Executive Director, Stanford Global Digital Policy Incubator, USA
Eric Edelman, Former United States Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, USA
Francis Fukuyama, Professor, Stanford University, USA
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Founding Member, the International Republican Institute; Co-chair, the Commission on the Presidential Debates, USA
Fred Redmond, Vice President, United Steelworkers Union, USA
Gaddi Vasquez, Former Ambassador and Former Permanent Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, USA
Gary Hart,F ormer United States Senator, USA
George Weigel, William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, USA
George Will, Writer and Columnist, USA
Goran Miletic, Director for Europe, Civil Rights Defenders, USA
Greg Lebedev, Chairman, the Center for International Private Enterprise, USA
Herbert Raymond McMaster, Former United States National Security Advisor; Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Member of Board of Directors, the Atlantic Council, USA
Howard Dean, Former Governor of Vermont; Chair, DNC, USA
Jeb Bush, Former Governor of Florida, USA
Jeffrey Feltman, Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, USA
Jeffrey Gedmin, Editor-in-Chief and CEO, The American Interest, USA
Jerry Jones, Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, ACXIOM; Advisor, the World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid, USA
Jim Kolbe, Former Congressman; Senior Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States, USA
John Shattuck, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; President Emeritus, the Central European University, USA
Johnnie Carson, Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, USA
Josh Muravchik, Author and Adjunct Professor, The Institute of World Politics, USA
Joshua Kurlantzick, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, USA
Kelly Ayotte, Former United States Senator, USA
Kenneth Wollack, Former President, the National Democratic Institute; Former Legislative Director, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), USA
Kristen Silverberg, Former Assistant Secretary of State, USA
Kurt Volker, Former United States Ambassador to NATO and Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, USA
Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Stanford University Hoover Institution & Freeman Spogli Institute, USA
Lee Feinstein, Former Ambassador to Poland, USA
Leon Wieseltier, Editor, Liberties, USA
Linda Thomas Greenfield, Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, USA
Liz Schrayer, President and CEO, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, USA
Liz Shuler, Secretary-Treasurer, the AFL-CIO, USA
Madeleine Albright, Former United States Secretary of State, USA
Marc Plattner, Coeditor Emeritus, Journal of Democracy, USA
Marco Rubio, Senior United States Senator for Florida, USA
Marcus Brauchli, Former Editor, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, USA
Mark Green, Executive Director, McCain Institute for International Leadership, USA
Mel Martinez, Former United States Senator, USA
Melanne Verveer, Former United States Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, USA
Michael Chertoff, Chairman, Freedom House; Former Second United States Secretary of Homeland Security, USA
Michael McFaul, Director, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, USA
Michael Shifter, President, the Inter-American Dialogue; Adjunct Professor of Latin American Studies, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, USA
Michele Dunne, Director, Middle East Program, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA
Mike Green, Former Senior Director, National Security Council, USA
Moises Naim, Senior Fellow, the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, USA
Niall Ferguson, Historian and Milbank Family Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, USA
Norman Eisen, Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution, USA
Peter Van Praagh, President, Halifax International Security Forum, USA
Philip Zimbardo, Founder, the Heroic Imagination Project, USA
Rachel Hoff, Policy Director, Ronald Reagan Institute, USA
Randy Scheunemann, Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, the International Republican Institute, USA
Richard Fontaine, CEO, Center for a New American Security (CNAS), USA
Richard Gephardt, Former House Majority Leader; Former Chairman, NED, USA
Richard Gere, Founder, the Gere Foundation; Chairman, The International Campaign for Tibet, USA
Rick Atkinson, Journalist, USA
Rob Berschinski, Senior Vice President for Policy, Human Rights First, USA
Robert C. Miller,P resident, the Hurford Foundation, USA
Roger Zakheim, Director, Ronald Reagan Institute; Former Commissioner, the Commission on the National Defense Strategy of the United States; Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, USA
Sam Gejdenson, Former Congressman, USA
Sean Carroll, President and CEO, Anera and Advisor, the World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid, USA
Serhii Plokhii, Professor of History, Harvard University, USA
Susan Corke, Executive Director, Transatlantic Democracy Working Group, German Marshall Fund, USA
Ted Piccone, Chief Engagement Officer, World Justice Project, USA
Thomas Carothers, Senior Fellow, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA
Thomas Daschle, Former United States Senate Majority Leader, USA
Thomas Melia, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Washington Director, PEN America, USA
Timothy Snyder, Professor of History, Yale University; Permanent Fellow, the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, USA
Tod Lindberg, Senior Fellow, the Hudson Institute, USA
Tom Bernstein, Chair, the Human Freedom Advisory Council of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, USA
Vern Buchanan, Member of the United States House of Representatives for Florida, USA
Victoria Nuland, Former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, USA
Walter Mondale, Former Vice President of the United States, USA
William A. Galston, Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution, USA
William Antholis, Director, the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, USA
William J. Burns, Former United States Deputy Secretary of State, USA
William Kristol, Director, Defending Democracy Together, USA
Hasler Iglesias, Youth Coordinator, Voluntad Popular, Venezuela
Tamara Adrian, Member of National Assembly of Venezuela, Venezuela
Nguyen Quang A, Chairman, the Civil Society Forum, Vietnam
Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Peace Laureate; Founder, Women Journalists Without Chains, Yemen
Glanis Changachirere, Founding Director, Institute for Young Women Development, Zimbabwe
Unterzeichnende Organisationen
African Movement for Democracy
African Network of Constitutional Lawyers (ANCL)
Alianza Universitaria Nicaraguense (AUN)
Al-Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center
Alliance of Democracies Foundation
Asia Democracy Network
Asian Network For Free Elections (ANFREL)
Association Béninoise de Droit Constitutionnel (ABDC)
Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT)
Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
Christian Democratic International Center
Coalition for Dialogue in Africa (CODA)
Colectivo Ciudadano Ecuador
Council for Global Equality
Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA)
Defend Democracy
Democracy International
Democracy Reporting International (DRI)
European Endowment for Democracy
European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP)
European Partnership for Democracy
Forum 2000
Freedom House
Fundación Nuevas Generaciones
Fundación Paraguaya de Cooperación y Desarrollo
Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social (FUSADES)
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights House Foundation
Institute for Democratic Governance
Instituto Venezolano de Estudios Sociales y Políticos (INVESP)
International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)
International IDEA
International Republican Institute
JuventudLAC
Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA)
National Democratic Institute
National Endowment for Democracy
Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD)
Olof Palme International Center
Parliamentary Center of Canada
Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA)
PAX for Peace International
PEN America
Political Parties of Finland for Democracy – Demo Finland
Prague Civil Society Centre
Program on Democratic Resilience and Development, IDC Herzliya
Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe por la Democracia (REDLAD)
Solidarity Center
Swedish International Liberal Center (SILC)
Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
The Carter Center
The Center Party’s International Foundation (CIS)
The Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA)
The Foreign Policy Centre
The George W. Bush Institute
The Inter American Institute of Human Rights (IIDH)
The International Democrat Union (IDU)
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Organization
The Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)
The McCain Institute for International Leadership
The Nadav Foundation
The Oslo Center
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida
Transparency International
Unión de Partidos Latinoamericanos (UPLA)
V-Dem Institute
West Africa Centre for Democracy and Development
West Africa Civil Society Institute
Westminster Foundation for Democracy
World Movement for Democracy
World Uyghur Congress
World Youth Movement for Democracy

DIRECTOR GLOBAL PROGRAMME IDEA International, Folie 12
Bericht über Covid-19 und Demokratie
Der folgende Text stammt (im Original: Englisch) von der Seite von IDEA und ist eine Pressemitteilung vom 15.07.2020. Da auch wir in Deutschland gerade eine Einschränkung der Demokratie erleben und auch viele von uns dies sehr beängstigend finden, wie zahlreiche Autoren ja bereits schrieben, oder Bischöfe aus aller Welt, ist es gut, dass auch die obigen Personen und andere Netzwerke sich zu Wort melden.
Als Nachschlag gibt es nun einen – für mich etwas zu allgemein gehaltenen – Bericht von IKEA. Was ich als besonders mutmachend an ihrem Bericht finde, ist, dass sie die Protestaktionen als positiv sehen, weil dadurch neue Strukturen der politischen Beteiligung geschaffen werden. Strukturen die man auch zukünftig nutzen kann, um die Demokratie zu stärken. Diese Argumentation erinnert etwas an Sartre: Die Verantwortung, die Menschen in schwierigen, demokratiefeindlichen Zeiten übernehmen, sorgt für mehr Freiheit und damit langfristig für mehr Demokratie.
Aber auch die Worte Thoreaus klingen mir da in den Ohren:
„Darf ein Bürger auch nur für einen Moment oder auch nur um ein Jota sein Gewissen dem Gesetzesgeber übereignen? Warum hat jeder Mensch dann überhaupt ein Gewissen? Ich glaube, wir sollten zuerst Menschen sein, und dann erst Untertanen.“ (Thoreau)
New report on COVID-19 and Democracy calls for urgent measures by governments and civil society
STOCKHOLM-Demokratien auf der ganzen Welt müssen neue Initiativen ergreifen, um den dauerhaften Schutz von Demokratie und bürgerlichen Freiheiten zu gewährleisten, die durch die COVID-19-Pandemie bedroht sind.
Ein neuer Bericht mit dem Titel “Globale Demokratie und COVID-19: Upgrading International Support” zeigt auf, wie einige Regierungen die Krise im Bereich der öffentlichen Gesundheit nutzen, um demokratische Aktivitäten weiter einzuschränken, und enthält Empfehlungen für politische Entscheidungsträger und die Zivilgesellschaft, um den negativen Auswirkungen von COVID-19 auf die Demokratie entgegenzuwirken.
Der Bericht, der von 11 pro-demokratischen Institutionen unterstützt wird, steht im Einklang mit einem kürzlich veröffentlichten “Aufruf zur Verteidigung der Demokratie”, der von fast 100 Organisationen aus der ganzen Welt sowie von fast 500 prominenten Persönlichkeiten aus 119 Ländern, darunter 13 Nobelpreisträger und 62 ehemalige Staats- und Regierungschefs, unterzeichnet wurde. [siehe oben]
“Die Welt wird nach COVID-191 anders aussehen und neue Ideen und Ansätze erfordern, um demokratische Praktiken zu schützen und autoritäre Missbräuche zu bekämpfen”, heißt es in dem Bericht. “Diejenigen, die sich mit Demokratie befassen, müssen Regierungen, internationalen Organisationen und zivilgesellschaftlichen Reformern helfen, den Kopf aus der unmittelbaren Tragödie der Pandemie zu heben und diese längerfristigen politischen Fragen zu berücksichtigen”.
Die fünf Empfehlungen des Berichts beinhalten
- Einrichtung eines umfassenden Überwachungsmechanismus, um restriktive Notfallmaßnahmen zu verfolgen und um mögliche internationale Antworten darauf aufzuzeigen2
- Einbeziehung der Unterstützung der Demokratie in die COVID-19 Notfall- und Wiederaufbauhilfen
- Investitionen in multilaterale Zusammenarbeit zur Sicherung demokratischer Normen und Praktiken
- Unterstützung für neue Bürgerbeteiligungsinitiativen, die infolge der Pandemie entstanden sind
- Nutzung aufkommender Neuerungen bei der demokratischen Beteiligung, wie Online-Proteste, parlamentarische Digitalisierung und Schritte zur Verbesserung der Rechenschaftspflichtmechanismen für die Überwachung von Wahlen und demokratischen Institutionen
Viele Regierungen schränken unter dem Deckmantel des Kampfes gegen die Pandemie die Menschenrechte und Grundfreiheiten, wie die Versammlungs- und Bewegungsfreiheit, ein. Der Bericht zeigt auf, wie einige Regierungen Wahlen unterbrechen, gegen politische Gegner vorgehen, Minderheiten und gefährdete Gruppen diskriminieren, Medien zensieren und Desinformation und digitale Überwachung verstärken.
“Die COVID-19-Pandemie stellt die Demokratie vor beispiellose Herausforderungen. Wir haben beobachtet, wie Regierungen auf der ganzen Welt Notstandsbefugnisse zur Durchsetzung von Abriegelungen erlassen haben und wie einige diese Krise dazu genutzt haben, demokratische Stimmen weiter einzuschränken und die kritischen Stimmen in ihren Gesellschaften zum Schweigen zu bringen. Die EED3 freut sich, einer der führenden Unterstützer dieses Grundsatzpapiers zu sein, das nicht nur die Herausforderungen an die Demokratie in diesen COVID-19-Zeiten aufzeigt, sondern auch die Art und Weise, wie Demokratieaktivisten auf diese Krise reagiert haben. Wir glauben, dass die Empfehlungen einen Weg nach vorn bieten, um die Demokratie während und nach der Pandemie zu verteidigen”, sagt Jerzy Pomianowski, Exekutivdirektor der Europäischen Stiftung für Demokratie, die den Bericht geleitet hat.
Zwar lassen sich bestimmte Einschränkungen nach den demokratischen Verfassungen rechtfertigen, doch müssen sie befristet, verhältnismäßig und überwachungspflichtig sein. Es ist von größter Wichtigkeit, dass alle außerordentlichen Maßnahmen beendet werden, sobald die Krisenzeit vorbei ist.
“Die Demokratie muss mehr denn je verteidigt werden. Wenn wir uns der Herausforderung nicht stellen, riskieren wir den Verlust von Grundfreiheiten, die wir lange Zeit als selbstverständlich angesehen haben”, sagt Kevin Casas-Zamora, Generalsekretär von International IDEA.
Organisationen, die den Bericht unterstützen, sind:
- European Endowment for Democracy,
- International IDEA,
- The Carter Center,
- European Partnership for Democracy,
- European Network of Political Foundations,
- The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES),
- The International Republican Institute,
- The National Democratic Institute,
- The National Endowment for Democracy,
- The Parliamentary Centre
- The Westminster Foundation for Democracy.
Fußnoten
1Im Original: “The post-COVID environment”
2Im Original: “guide potential international responses”
3EED = European Endowment for Democracy (Europäische Stiftung für Demokratie)