Today’s meeting – organised as part of Poland’s 6-month presidency of the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies  –  gathered representatives of 23 countries of the Governing Council, as well as representatives of ten countries invited as observers, in the Belwedere Palace. Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Ghana Charles Owiredu, attended the meeting as a honorary guest and shared with its participants his country’s experience in building democratic institutions and developing a civil society. 

Deputy Foreign Minister Konrad Szymański opened the 30th session of the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies by addressing the difficulties and challenges facing countries for whom democratic values and respect for human rights are important. He stressed that Poland is prepared to share its experiences gained during the process of peaceful political and economic transformation, and continually supports democratisation processes in other parts of the world. The deputy head of the MFA also pointed out the benefits Poland gained when it introduced the democratic system  of governing and institutions operating pursuant to the principles of the rule of law, transparency and democratic state based on the rule of law and stressed that the democratic agenda is fully consistent with the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015.

The debate concerned inter alia the key role of the private sector in implementing the UN 2030 Agenda, the need to socially and politically mobilise young people, to educate the civil society on the secure use of new media and digital technologies, as well as the relation between sustainable development and democracy. The countries that are on the Governing Council presented their contributions to promoting the values and principles enshrined in the Warsaw Declaration adopted in 2000 when the Community was established, while observers shared their countries’ experiences and successes in building modern and sustainable democracies.

Moreover, during the meeting a joint declaration “On Democracy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” was adopted. It demonstrated the co-dependence between a democratic political order, economic growth and social development. The declaration also stresses the consistency of values enshrined in the 2000 Warsaw Declaration and the need for cooperation between the private sector and the civil society (including as part of the Civil Society Pillar of the Community of Democracies) in implementing the 16th and 17th Sustainable Development Goals.

The Community of Democracies (CoD) is an international coalition of states with a global reach whose main goal is to promote democratic principles and norms globally. The CoD was established during a Ministerial Conference “Towards the Community of Democracies,” convened in June 2000 in Warsaw on the initiative of the Polish Foreign Minister Professor Bronisław Geremek and US Secretary of State  Madeleine Albright. 

 

MFA Press Office

Fot. Tymon Markowski/MFA