New European organisation for world-wide democracy support launched: the DIPD
On the
occassion of the establishment of a new European entity for democracy
support : DIPD
26 May 2011, Copenhagen - A new chapter has been
added to vast book of European organizations supporting democracy around the
world: By the opening ceremonies in the Danish Parliament, the Danish Institute
for Parties and Democracy (DIPD) officially saw the light.
DIPD was
established by an act of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) on 26 May 2010. A
Board representing all the political parties in the Parliament, different parts
of Danish civil society and the international community started to work in
September 2010. A Director and staff were recruited in January 2011.
Now
the Institute is ready to deliver on the mandate it has been given by the
Parliament; it presented its Strategy for 2011-13: "Political Parties in a
Democratic Culture"
The vision of
the DIPD is to contribute to the development of effective political parties and
well-functioning multiparty systems as key elements in a democratic culture,
thus ensuring citizens in developing countries the freedom and human
development to which they have a right. As an independent institution, the DIPD
is to contribute to Denmark's democratisation efforts by actively involving
Danish political parties, other Danish stakeholders and international partners
in the support for political parties and multiparty systems in a number of
selected developing countries.
The opening
ceremony was furthermore addressed by Mr. Søren Pind, Danish Minister for
Development Cooperation. The DIPD
website was launched and the Chairman of the Board of DIPD, Mr. Henrik Bach
Mortensen announced the first upcoming activities of the Institute in Nepal and
Egypt.
The work
involving party support is a specialised field within the overall democracy
assistance. Traditionally, the field has been dominated by a small number of
bilateral donors along with organisations with ties to Western political
parties. In the last couple of decades, the picture has changed somewhat, and
the range of institutions working with political parties as a part of their
overall democracy profile has grown. The Institute will work closely together
with a number of these organisations.
DIPD has
recognized natural cooperation partners in the International Institute for Democracy
and Electoral Assistance, which has its headquarters in Stockholm and is
represented on the Institute's Board of Directors. This also applies to the UN organisation
United Nations Development Programme, which has a presence in around 140
countries. Additionally, there is the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy,
which is led by a coalition of political parties and is thus similar to the DIPD
in a number of ways. The same is also true for the Finnish institute DEMO
Finland.
During the
festive opening ceremonies DIPD was welcomed by Mr. Vidar Helgesen,
Secretary-General, International IDEA and member of the Board of DIPD and Mr.
Ivan Doherty, Director of Political Party Programs, National Democratic
Institute for International Affairs, NDI Mr. Hans Bruning, Executive Director,
Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, NIMD, in the family of
international democracy support organizations.