With these meetings, the three leaders seek to support the reconciliation of the North African country’s democratic transition its experience in the transitional processes. The role of political parties and democracy’s importance to civil society, the rule of law and political participation, as well as social reconciliation and transitional justice will be central elements of the debates, which will take place at the Club de Madrid headquarters.
This activity in Spain is organized in the framework of Project SUDEL (Support of Democracy in Libya http://www.sudel.ly/index.php/en/) by the Club de Madrid, the European Center for Electoral Support (ECES), the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), and the European Alliance for Democracy (EPD). The initiative’s objective is the exchange of experiences about how political actors can promote reconciliation in the context of the strengthening of democracy and the establishment of strong networks and connections between local leaders of the transitional process in Libya. Additionally, the sessions will provide insight into how certain European countries such as Spain and Ireland have managed the democratic transitional process through the development of politics, programs, and institutions.
Furthermore, the sessions have the confirmed participation of the following experts: Mohamed Alfageeh Saleh, the Libyan ambassador in Madrid; Inés Alberdi, former Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women; Soledad Becerril, Defensor del Pueblo; Fernando Vallespín, Professor of Political Science at the Autonomous University of Madrid.
The project began its implementation phases in the second half of 2012 with activities that were fundamentally focused on national and local elections, along with two missions to Libya. The first mission took place in June 2012 with the participation of Club de Madrid President Wim Kok and Secretary General Carlos Westendorp. The second took place in February 2013, led by Club de Madrid member and former President of Poland and the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek. The objective of both trips was to contribute to the promotion of dialogue and participation of different Libyan actors and of civil society in the transition process.
