More than sixty (60) representatives of civil societies in Asia, Middle East and Mongolia called on their governments to fulfill commitments made in the Ulaanbaatar Plan of Action (UPA). The call was made in the Asian Civil Society Forum for Democracy's (ACSFD) statement issued by the follow up session organised by the International Civil Society Forum for Democracy (ICSFD) interim secretariat in Ulaanbatar, from 28-30 June 2006. FORUM-ASIA's Niza Concepcion attended the event.
More than sixty (60) representatives of civil societies in Asia, Middle East and Mongolia called on their governments to fulfill commitments made in the Ulaanbaatar Plan of Action (UPA).
The call was made in the Asian Civil Society Forum for Democracy’s (ACSFD) statement issued by the follow up session organised by the International Civil Society Forum for Democracy (ICSFD) interim secretariat in Ulaanbatar, from 28-30 June 2006.
The UPA, which affirmed the need to further work towards consolidation of democracy in countries, came about at the 5th International Conference of New or Restored Democracies (ICNRD) in 2003, held also in Ulaanbataar.
It states, among other things, an adoption of “a regional democracy declaration or charter, to create a regional monitoring mechanism on human rights, to develop assistance programs for countries undergoing democratic transitions and to promote regional cooperation against corruption.”
Graced by Mongolian President N. Enkhbayar, and two former presidents – Korean’s Kim Young-Sam and Mongolia’s P. Ochirbat – one of the objectives of the meeting was to prepare for the upcoming ICSFD meeting in Doha, Qatar in October this year.
The ICSFD will coincide with the 6th International Conference of New and Restored Democracies (ICNRD), which will include a tripartite event between governments, parliamentarians and civil society, after which it is expected to issue a joint document.
The ACSFD hopes that follow up mechanisms would be strengthened in order for countries to effectively implement the anticipated Doha Plan of Action.
First convened in Manila in 1988, and then in Managua in 1994, Bucharest 1997, Cotonou 2000 and Ulaanbaatar 2003, the ICNRD in Ulaanbaatar saw the first parallel civil society event that is later to become the International Civil Society Forum for Democracy (ICSFD).
FORUM-ASIA sits as one of the members of the ICSFD’s International Steering Committee.
