Georgia Becomes Governing Council Member of Community of Democracies

Georgia has become the 30th member of the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies (CoD) which is an intergovernmental coalition of states established in 2000.

The aim of the coalition is to bring together governments, civil society and the private sector in the pursuit of the common goal of supporting democratic rule, expanding political participation, advancing and protecting democratic freedoms, and strengthening democratic norms and institutions around the world.

The CoD reports that they welcome Georgia as a new member of its Governing Council, explaining that the accession comes as an acknowledgment of the tangible progress made by Georgia in democratic development and is based on the review of quantitative indices ranking Georgia’s progress on its democratic journey, including the state of fundamental rights, political rights and civil liberties.

CoD Secretary General Thomas Garrett stated that as a leader in democratic transformation in the region, strengthened by the commitment of the Georgian people to the values and standards of democracy, Georgia will add a valuable voice to the Community’s Governing Council.

“I am very pleased to welcome Georgia as a new Member State and look forward to working closely together within the CoD to promote, protect, and advance democracy worldwide,” he said.

Georgia’s engagement with the Community of Democracies began with the adoption of the Warsaw Declaration by Georgia at the Community’s founding meeting in 2000 and has continued over the years with Georgia’s participation as an Observer at the Community’s 2002 Ministerial Conference and as Participant in all other Ministerial Conferences.

Speaking at the Extraordinary Meeting of the CoD Governing Council held in September on the margins of the 74th UN General Assembly, Lasha Darsalia, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, underlined that Georgia, as a signatory of the Warsaw Declaration, is a strong supporter of the principles that underpin the Community of Democracies and is committed to upholding core democratic values enshrined in the Warsaw Declaration.

The objectives of the 16th Sustainable Development Goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, which is actively supported and promoted by Georgia in the international arena, responds directly to the values of the Community of Democracies and occupies a central place in its work.

The CoD was inaugurated at its first biennial ministerial conference hosted by the Government of Poland in Warsaw in June 2000. It provides a unique venue for countries that share democratic values to support each other and advocate globally on issues of mutual concern.

The CoD Governing Council comprises member states that commit to abide by the common democratic values and standards outlined in the Warsaw Declaration and make tangible contributions to strengthening the Community of Democracies. The Governing Council cooperates with civil society and other affiliated bodies of the CoD. The chairmanship of the CoD has been rotating since its establishment.

Currently, the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies has 30 member states: Argentina, USA, Guatemala, United Kingdom, El Salvador, Estonia, India, Italy, Japan, Cape Verde, Canada, Republic of Korea, Costa Rica, Lithuania, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Norway, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Hungary, Uruguay, Philippines, Finland, Sweden, Chile and Georgia.

“The membership of Georgia will add to the diversity of the Governing Council, which includes Member States from most regions of the world and at different stages of democracy, providing a potential to draw on a wide pool of experiences and information sources to spur action and facilitate democratic solidarity,” the organization stated.

By Tea Mariamidze

Photo source: shuterlock.com