World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid (WLA – CdM), with the support of the Government of Timor Leste, organizes the Next Generation Democracy (NGD) Project Asia-Oceania Roundtable on 30-31 July 2017. This is the last of a series of six gatherings (West and Wider Europe, MENA, the Americas and Africa) that have analyzed the current state and the future of democracy region by region in the world.
During this two-day meeting in Dili, capital of Timor Leste, WLA – CdM Members President José Ramos- Horta, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Prime Ministers Jigme Yoser Thinley and Jennifer Mary Shipley, all of them democratically elected in Timor Leste, Indonesia, Buthan and New Zealand respectively, will gather with experts, youth representatives and other stakeholders to discuss existing good practices and transformative new ideas to advance democracy in the different sub regions of the Asia – Oceania region.
Timor Leste’s President, Francisco Luolo Guterres, will deliver a welcome speech on the 29th of July, while PM Rui Maria De Araujo will, along with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, close the conference in a public event addressing “The Future of Democracy in Asia & Oceania: What is at stake for youth in the region”. The meeting will also focus on how to reconcile conflict-resolution and democracy in Asia-Oceania, how to foster sustainable growth and social cohesion and best ways to strengthen access, inclusiveness in the region, as well as political participation.
The participants will analyse the most relevant challenges to democracy identified in the majority of countries from this broad region such as poor governance, weak institutions and corruption, the gender gap, the rise of populism and xenophobia, the deterioration of the freedom of the press and the increasing inequality, as it undermines social cohesion and environmental degradation.
Along with these problems, some drivers for positive change have also been identified like the good prospects for economic growth and an increasingly demanding citizenship who is asking for more efficient governance and more inclusive policies. Moreover, the raising international relevance of the region can potentially lead to greater interest in a rules-based international order.
Other important factors that will be discussed are the massive urbanization and the technological revolution, which can also entail tensions between opposing views and disproportionate exposure to the most extreme opinions.
The Roundtable will allow for participative, small group discussions, as well as for key messages from regional leaders securing the broadest representation of views from different stakeholders in the different sub-regions.
You can check here the preliminary list of participants and draft program
Download the NGD Asia-Oceania Report at www.nextgenerationdemocracy.org
The Next Generation Democracy Project is a two year, multi-stakeholder process under the coordination of the Club de Madrid. The aim is to enable democracy to meet the expectations and needs of all citizens and preserve their freedom and dignity while securing a sustainable future for generations to come.
NGD facilitates discussions on the present and future of democracy in order to formulate regional agendas and a global agenda to reverse disquieting trends. The project offers a comprehensive analysis of regional dynamics in democratic governance, a projection of relevant trends and a compilation of transformative practices and ideas.
