Come to Safe Democracy’s International Conference on March 10th!

The Safe Democracy Foundation, co-organizer of the International Summit on Terrorism, Democracy and Security in March of 2005 and host of the Atocha Workshop 11-M, (founded by Martin Varsavsky and managed by Joaquin Mirkin) have brought together a diverse group of academics and experts from all over the world to meet Saturday, March 10th, in Madrid. Guests will debate and work in 9 parallel groups towards solutions to the main challenges facing different regions of the world.

The Safe Democracy Foundation invites the general public (including you) to participate in the Plenary Session, open to the public at 15:30 on Saturday, March 10th at Madrid’s Teatro Lara: 15 Corredera Baja de San Pablo,

where a representative-rapporteur from each of the 9 work groups will present the conclusions reached throughout the summit. This year the event will be in Spanish, focusing on the Foundation’s community of academics and experts living in Latin America, where 400 million people speak Spanish…

The first conference, held in March of 2005 and co-hosted by the foundation along with the Club of Madrid, was a huge success. World leaders such as the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan and numerous Heads of State came together in Madrid to analyze how Democratic nations should fight against terrorism in an efficient manner, while still upholding the Democratic spirit. The results of the summit are published on the Safe Democracy website under the title Madrid Agenda.

Safe Democracy’s upcoming International Conference will provide the opportunity for further discussion not only on the phenomenon of terrorism, but also on the various regional inequalities that directly affect democracy and global security. At Safe Democracy, democracy is defined as more than just electoral politics, but as a much broader idea: a political and social system that promises security to its citizens (physical, as well as economic and social) and that places emphasis on education, healthcare, job opportunities, the freedom of expression, and diversity- openly supporting innovation and respecting the cultures and equal rights of minorities.

The conference will analyze themes spanning from how to fight terrorism in Spain and Europe three years after March 11th to sustaining development in Asia. The participants will also discuss the question of immigration and its affect on Europe’s future and deal with governance, poverty and growth in Latin America. There will be two tables of experts dedicated to the question of how to avoid a regional mega-crisis in the Middle East and how to reinitiate the Palestine-Israel peace process. The challenges of poverty and aid to Africa and the resurgence of Russia as an international power will also be analyzed.

As part of Safe Democracy’s many functions geared towards strengthening democracy as a pillar of global development, this is an opportunity to analyze public issues under the dynamic of work groups aimed at exchanging ideas, proposals and reflections between respected experts such as Rafael Calduch Cervera, chair of International Relations at Complutense University in Madrid; Esteban Ibarra, president of the Movement against Intolerance; Pablo Mieres, president of the Independent Party of Uruguay; José Luis Gómez Garavito, expert lawyer in Internacional Law; Mbuji Kabunda, professor and expert in African issues and member of the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg; Mario Sznajder, professor and chair of the Leon Blum Political Science Department at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and associate investigator at the Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace; George E. Irani, director of the Africa and Middle East program at the Toledo International Center for Peace in Madrid; Fernando Delage, director of the Asia-Madrid House and Carlos Taibo, professor of political science at the Autónoma University in Madrid and one of the leading experts on Russia and Eastern Europe.

The Foundation’s objective is to reinforce its independent yet multi-faceted community of experts on international issues, promoting pragmatic solutions, and allowing for the public to express their opinions via the Internet.

If you are interested in coming, please confirm attendance to the Plenary Session by sending an e-mail to Joaquin Mirkin (10m@safe-democracy.org). Space is limited. I hope to see you there!