CommGAP co-sponsored a roundtable discussion entitled "Oxygen or Oxymoron? UN Support for Demand Driven Democratization"; with the World Bank’s Demand for Good Governance and Peer Learning Network (DFGG)and the World Bank Institute, in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2009.

This roundtable discussion was the third in the series on “Securing Good Governance through Citizen Participation”, which is intended to promote discussion about lessons of experience with effective citizen engagement in promoting better governance and greater accountability around the world.

This Roundtable showcased the efforts of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) to support civil society projects that, ultimately, demand democratization. UNDEF was established by the Secretary-General in July 2005 to promote democratization around the world. It supports projects that strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes. The large majority of UNDEF funds go to local civil society organizations. In this way, UNDEF plays a new and distinct role in complementing the UN's work with governments to strengthen democratic governance around the world.

Mr. Roland Rich discussed some examples from transition democracies and pre-transition situations and the dilemmas associated with these efforts, and highlighted the demand-side innovation of UNDEF’s work.

Presenter: Roland Rich, Executive Head, United Nations Democracy Fund.

Chair: Andrew. P. Norton, Acting Sector Manager and Lead Social Development Specialist, Social Development Department, the World Bank.

To view the presentation, please click here (265KB).