ICDT
Encyclopedia
International Centre for Democratic Transition (ICDT)
About the ICDT
The ICDT is a non-profit organizationNon-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
based in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
which collects the experiences of recent democratic transitions and shares them with those who are determined to follow that same path. Instead of promoting democracy in general,
the ICDT sets more concrete and pragmatic goals. The Centre strives to show how dozens of young democracies have made and are making the transition, so that those who set off on this difficult journey from dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
to democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in the future may learn from the successes as well as from the failures.
Mission statement
Because the International Centre for Democratic Transition was founded in Central EuropeCentral Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
, we are acutely aware of the complexity of democratic transition as a process. We ourselves have recently undergone this process and know full well the fragility of new democracies. We firmly believe that a transition can only be judged to be successful when the benefits of democracy are shared by the whole of society. The ICDT’s mission is to facilitate the smooth and peaceful process of democratic transition on the basis of participatory principles; the political, economic, legal, cultural, and civil societal aspects of transformation; and the socio-cultural context of regions and countries where the process takes place.
History
The idea to establish an institute to collect and share the experiences of past democratic transitions originated from former US Ambassador Mark PalmerMark Palmer
Robie Marcus Hooker Palmer is a former United States Ambassador to Hungary . He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Committee on the Present Danger, Vice Chairman of Freedom House and the Council for a Community of Democracies. He is also the co-founder of the National...
, Vice President of the Council for a Community of Democracies
Council for a Community of Democracies
Council for a Community of Democracies is a Washington, D.C. based NGO which was established in order to promote global interest in and support for the Community of Democracies, improved relationships among democracies, and democratic transitions in general...
(CCD). His proposal was followed by a meeting between the Hungarian Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
László Kovács and the US Secretary of State in June 2004. At a conference in Budapest in March 2005 civil society and governmental leaders from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and the USA, as well as representatives of a number of international organizations approved the concept paper on the new Centre. Subsequently, the idea was presented by the Hungarian Foreign Minister at the Third Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies in Santiago de Chile. Once again, the idea was well received and endorsed by the participating Foreign Ministers, representing more than 100 democratic governments of the world. Finally, in September 2005, the President of Hungary announced at the World Summit of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
that “an International Centre for Democratic Transition (ICDT) has been set up in Budapest.”
Operational Method
The ICDT:- facilitates the process of democratic transition by using the knowledge pool of transitional experiences and by sharing best practices;
- convenes the most important indigenous stakeholders to play key roles in the transition process;
- provides an adaptable toolbox and appropriate models for the creation and consolidation of democratic institutions;
- mediates between cultures and regions by generating dialogue.
Key Achievements
- Pursued 23 distinct projects to promote democratic transition and share best practices and lessons learned;
- Established a strong presence in Moldova with a series of high-profile projects;
- Celebrated the 20th anniversary of the 1989 democratic changes in a dignified way, with a number of conferences and high-level events;
- Reached out to over a thousand members of civil society, government officials, and media representatives;
- Earned the trust of new donors including the Governments of Estonia, Switzerland, and Luxembourg;
- Established a long-term partnership with the Helen Bader Foundation;
- Achieved broad international recognition with the publication of A European Alternative for Belarus: Report of the Belarus Task Force;
- Published an Open Letter to the Obama Administration, which attracted international attention and debate;
- Enlisted Paula J. Dobriansky, April H. Foley, Nabila Hamza, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Aleksandr Kwasniewski, Dr. Péter Medgyessy, George E. Pataki, George Soros, and Dr. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga as new international board members.
Program Areas
Interregional CooperationPromoting interregional cooperation between governments and civil societies of neighboring countries to enable democratic transition and to ensure regional stability.
Toolbox for Democracy
Providing technical assistance and learning opportunities to new and fragile democracies, concentrating on particular and practical elements of democracy such as elections and freedom of speech.
Sustainable Democracy
Strengthening the involvement of marginalized groups such as minorities, women and other unprotected social groups in both the transition process and the functioning of democracy.
Research & Analysis
Understanding and explaining the complex process of democratic transitions in order to forecast future trends and give recommendations for projects in the Centre’s three program areas.
International Board
The International Board of Directors of the Centre consists of prominent personalities from the areas of international politics, economics, the arts and the sciences.Chairperson
- H.E. Janusz OnyszkiewiczJanusz OnyszkiewiczJanusz Adam Onyszkiewicz is a Polish mathematician, alpinist, politician and was a vice-president of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee from January 2007 until mid-2009.-Biographical note:...
, Vice-President of the European Parliament, former Minister of Defense, Poland
Members
- H.E. Madeleine AlbrightMadeleine AlbrightMadeleine Korbelová Albright is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0...
, former Secretary of State, Chair, The Albright Group, USA - Mr. Daniel Bader, Director, Helen Bader Foundation, USA
- H.E. Donald Blinken, former Ambassador of the United States of America to Budapest, USA
- The Right Hon. Kim CampbellKim CampbellAvril Phædra Douglas "Kim" Campbell, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, university professor, diplomat, and writer. She served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993...
, former Prime Minister, Canada - Mr. Gustavo A. Cisneros, Chairperson and CEO of the Cisneros Group of Companies, Venezuela
- Prof. Emil ConstantinescuEmil ConstantinescuEmil Constantinescu was President of Romania from 1996 to 2000.He graduated from the law school of the University of Bucharest, and subsequently started a career as a geologist...
, former President of Romania 1996-2000 - Mr. Joel H. Cowan, President of Habersham & Cowan. Inc, USA
- H.E. Jayantha DhanapalaJayantha DhanapalaProfessor Jayantha Dhanapala is a member of the Board of Sponsors of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and a governing board member of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Dr. Dhanapala was Sri Lanka's official candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations,...
, former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, Honorary President of the International Peace Bureau, Sri Lanka - Ms. Paula J. Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, USA
- † H.E. Prof. Bronislaw GeremekBronislaw GeremekProfessor Bronisław Geremek , was a Polish social historian and politician.- Early life and education :...
, MEP, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Solidarity Member, Poland - Mr. MS Gill, former Chief of The Election Commission of India, Member, Rajya Sabha, India
- H.E. György Habsburg, Archduke Georg of Austria, Ambassador, Hungary
- Ms. Nabila Hamza; President of the Foundation for the Future, Jordan
- Mr. Andrey IllarionovAndrey IllarionovAndrey Nikolayevich Illarionov is a Russian libertarian economist and former economic policy advisor to the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin...
, former Economic Policy Advisor to the President of Russia, Director of the Institute of Economic Analysis in Moscow, Russia - H.E. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Former President, Sri Lanka
- H.E. President Ricardo LagosRicardo LagosRicardo Froilán Lagos Escobar is a lawyer, economist and social democrat politician, who served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. He won the 1999-2000 presidential election by a narrow margin in a runoff over Independent Democrat Union candidate Joaquín Lavín...
, Former President of the Republic of Chile, Chile - Ms. Sonja LichtSonja LichtSonja Licht is a sociologist and political activist. Currently, she is president of the Foreign Policy Council at the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs....
, President, Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence, Serbia - H.E. János MartonyiJános MartonyiJános Martonyi is a Hungarian politician and Foreign Minister of Hungary. He is a member of the Fidesz party, and was also Foreign Minister between 1998 and 2002...
, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hungary - Mr. Markus MeckelMarkus MeckelMarkus Meckel is a German theologian and politician. He was the penultimate foreign minister of the GDR and is a member of the German Bundestag.-Early life:...
, last Minister of Foreign Affairs of the GDR, Deputy Foreign Policy Speaker of the SPD, Germany - Dr. Péter MedgyessyPéter MedgyessyPéter Medgyessy is a Hungarian politician and was the fifth Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary from May 27, 2002 until September 29, 2004...
, Former Prime Minister, Hungary - Prof. Anatoli Mikhailov, President of EHU-International, Lithuania
- H.E. Mark PalmerMark PalmerRobie Marcus Hooker Palmer is a former United States Ambassador to Hungary . He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Committee on the Present Danger, Vice Chairman of Freedom House and the Council for a Community of Democracies. He is also the co-founder of the National...
, former Ambassador of the United States of America to Hungary, USA - Governor George E. Pataki, Former Governor of New York; Co-Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations Independent Task Force on Climate Change Issues, USA
- Mr. Thomas S. Rooney, Former CEO of Insituform Technologies, USA
- Dr. Sima SamarSima SamarDr. Sima Samar OC is a politician in Afghanistan, who served as Minister of Women's Affairs of Afghanistan from December 2001 to 2003...
, Chairperson, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Afghanistan - H.E. Narcís Serra, former Vice-President of the Spanish Government, President of CIDOB Foundation, Spain
- HRH Prince Hassan bin Al Talal, President, Club of Rome, Jordan
- Mr. Borys TarasyukBorys TarasyukBorys Ivanovych Tarasyuk is a Ukrainian politician. He has twice served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. He is from Zhytomyr Oblast. Tarasyuk studied international relations and international law at National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, and graduated in 1975...
, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine - Mr. Maximilian Teleki, President, Hungarian-American Coalition, USA
- Dr. Vaira Vīķe-FreibergaVaira Vike-FreibergaVaira Vīķe-Freiberga was the sixth President of Latvia, the first female President of Latvia and the first female leader in eastern Europe. She was elected President of Latvia in 1999 and re-elected in 2003.Dr...
, Former President, Latvia - H.E. George Herbert WalkerGeorge Herbert WalkerGeorge Herbert Walker was a wealthy American banker and businessman. His daughter Dorothy married Prescott Bush, making him a grandfather of former President George H. W. Bush and a great-grandfather of former President George W. Bush.-Life and career:Born in St...
, former Ambassador of the United States of America to Hungary, USA - Mr. Sundeep Waslekar, President, Strategic Foresight GroupStrategic Foresight GroupStrategic Foresight Group is a think tank based in India that works on issues of global importance and relevance. It was established in 2002 to create new forms of intellectual capital. It identifies emerging trends across sectors at regional and global levels and enables policy-makers to respond...
, India - H.E. John C. WhiteheadJohn C. WhiteheadJohn Cunningham Whitehead is an American banker and civil servant, currently a board member of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and, until his resignation in May 2006, chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.-Biography:He was born in Evanston, Illinois...
, Former Deputy Secretary of State, USA
Honorary Members
- H.E. Michel BarnierMichel BarnierMichel Barnier is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement and Vice President of the European People's Party . He is the current European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services...
, Minister of Agriculture, President, Nouvelle République, France - The Hon. Judge Alexander Boraine, formerly Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Africa
- H.E. Nancy BrinkerNancy BrinkerNancy Goodman Brinker is the founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an organization named after her only sister, Susan, who died from breast cancer in 1980 at age 36. Brinker was also United States Ambassador to Hungary from 2001 to 2003 and Chief of Protocol of the United States from...
, White House Chief of Protocol, former Ambassador of the United States of America to Budapest, USA - H.E. Toomas Hendrik IlvesToomas Hendrik IlvesToomas Hendrik Ilves is the fourth and current President of Estonia. He is a former diplomat and journalist, was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the 1990s and later a member of the European Parliament...
, President, Estonia - Mr. George SorosGeorge SorosGeorge Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
, Chairperson of Soros Fund Management, LLC and Founder of The Open Society Institute, USA
Executive committee
The Executive Committee of the ICDT consists of five internationally recognized figures from the scientific and public arenas, elected for a term of three years by the International Board.Chairperson
- Mrs. Sonja LichtSonja LichtSonja Licht is a sociologist and political activist. Currently, she is president of the Foreign Policy Council at the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs....
, President and Founder of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence
Members
- Mr. Iván Bába, former State Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Editor-at-Large, Budapest Analyses
- Mr. Daniel Bader, Director, Helen Bader Foundation, USA
- Mr. Richard C. Rowson, President, Council for a Community of DemocraciesCouncil for a Community of DemocraciesCouncil for a Community of Democracies is a Washington, D.C. based NGO which was established in order to promote global interest in and support for the Community of Democracies, improved relationships among democracies, and democratic transitions in general...
- H.E. András SimonyiAndrás Simonyih.e. Mr. András Simonyi was the Hungarian ambassador to the United States between 2002 and 2007. He was succeeded by Ferenc Somogyi....
, former Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary to the United States of America
Governmental Advisory Board
The members of the GAB represent their governments. This body serves as an organized form of communication with the democratic governments of the world. So far over 40 democracies have delegated a representative to the ICDT’s Governmental Advisory Board, which advises and appraises the work of the Centre and makes proposals for specific projects.External links
- The International Centre for Democratic Transition (ICDT) ICDT Homepage
- Promoting Democratic Transition Worldwide in 2008 ICDT Brochure 2008
ICDT Publications
- Minorities in Transition in South, Central, and Eastern Europe ICDT Papers No. 1.
- Democratic Change and Gender: The 'Foremother Exercise http://www.icdt.hu/admin/download/a151ICDT_Democratic_Change_and_Gender.pdf
- A European Alternative for Belarus - Report of the Belarus Task Force http://www.icdt.hu/admin/download/a220ICDT_belarustaskforce.pdf; in Russian: http://www.icdt.hu/admin/download/a254ICDT_ReportoftheBelarusTaskForce_RUS.pdf; in Belarusian: http://www.icdt.hu/admin/download/a255ICDT_ReportoftheBelarusTaskForce_BEL.pdf
ICDT Newsletters
- ICDT Newsletter April 2008: http://www.icdt.hu/admin/download/a217ICDT_Newsletter_April_2008.pdf
- ICDT Newsletter June 2008: http://www.icdt.hu/admin/download/a216ICDT_Newsletter_June_2008.pdf
- ICDT Newsletter September 2008: http://www.icdt.hu/admin/download/a196ICDT_Newsletter_September_2008.pdf
- ICDT Newsletter December 2008: http://www.icdt.hu/admin/download/a260ICDT_Newsletter_December_2008.pdf
- ICDT Newsletter February 2009: http://www.icdt.hu/admin/download/a317ICDT_Newsletter_February_2009.pdf
- ICDT Newsletter April 2009: http://www.icdt.hu/admin/download/a332ICDT_Newsletter6_April_2009.pdf