Asia Young Leaders for Democracy Program

Transcription

1 Asia Young Leaders for Democracy Program I. Purpose and Goal A politically active civil society is critical to the sustainability of any democracy. Democracy underpins global stability, human rights and international security. An informed and active citizenry is the driving force behind a genuine and competitive political process. It also helps build confidence in the system, and public acceptance of election results. Because democratic transitions are rooted in people and movements, sustainable democracy programs cannot be delivered in a top-down, one-off, and short-term manner. To achieve sustainable change, democracy promotion must be a long-range exercise. To underscore the importance of a strong civil society, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) is proposing to establish an annual Asia Young Leaders for Democracy (AYLD) program in Taipei, Taiwan. The goal is to encourage committed young democrats and NGO activists in the promotion of democracy to be proactively involved in public affairs; to recognize the core values of human rights, democracy, good governance; to recognize the challenges and opportunities for strengthening the culture of democracy; and to share their own experiences during the program. It is estimated that 20 young leaders dedicated to the enhancement of Asian democracy and human rights will be invited. The AYLD program aims to provide a common platform for young democrats and NGO activists to share experiences and practices in promoting democracy and human rights in their home countries, to gain a broader understanding of Asia s role in the world, and also to begin networking with their counterparts. II. Eligibility This program is aimed at practitioners and democrats working actively to promote democracy and human rights in Asia. Applicants can be working as policymakers, academics, legal professionals, and leaders of civil society organizations (such as representatives of legal 1

2 political parties, congressional assistants, nongovernmental organizations, the media). Applicants must be between the ages of 25 to 35; have at least 3 years of fulltime working experience and are fluent in English (having a solid command of written and spoken English will allow the participant to fully benefit from participation in the program). Applicants must enclose two references from organizations or individuals in the field of democracy or human rights. III. Funding TFD will pay for travel, accommodation, meals, and visa costs for the duration of the 15-day program for all applicants. Where possible, applicants are encouraged to seek supplementary funding from their current employers or other non-governmental organizations. IV. Date and Venue The AYLD Program will be held for a period of 15 days long at TFD headquarters in Taipei. The program will start from August 10 th to August 24 th, V. Program Courses There will be lectures, seminars, discussions, and field studies (visits) in the AYLD program. In the morning, there will be lectures on different subjects, to be followed by seminars and discussions in the afternoon. Field studies (visits) to various organizations will be arranged during the program. Lectures and seminars will relate to the following topics: 1. Social, Economic, and Political Development 2. Building Networks of Democracy 3. Promoting the Integrity of Elections 4. Protecting Human Rights 5. Enhancing Democratic Governance 2

3 Field Studies: 1. Political parties & government bodies 2. Civil society organizations 3. Influential business enterprises 4. Historical/ cultural sites VI. Operational Procedure Applications will be open from November, 2013, and the deadline will be at the end of March, The list of successful applicants will be finalized before the end of May. VII. TFD s Commitment TFD is the first democracy assistance foundation in Asia, and is devoted to strengthening democracy and human rights both in Taiwan and abroad. Its primary mission is to further consolidate Taiwan s democratic system, promote democracy in Asia, and actively participate in the global democratic network. TFD puts its ideals into practice through farsighted, transparent and nonpartisan management. Building on the strength of both political parties and civil society, the TFD will enable Taiwan to positively contribute to the worldwide movement for democracy. We also believe that cooperation is essential in order to meaningfully contribute to offering solutions to the world s problems. TFD is an active member of the international community in strengthening democracy around the globe and expanding Taiwan s participation in international activities. The TFD strives to elevate Taiwan s democracy and further consolidate her democratic development by promoting education in democracy and international exchanges among academic circles, think tanks, parliaments, and political parties from the world over. The TFD will use its resources and connections to consolidate the AYLD program and maintain contact with the selected young leaders to keep them in the loop with the latest projects and achievements of TFD. We believe that the 3

4 AYLD program will not only be beneficial for future leaders but also for the TFD itself to fortify Taiwan s relationship with related organizations in Asia. 4

5 Tentative AYLD Schedule 10 th August-24 th August 2014 Saturday 9 th August 2014 Arrival of participants. TFD staff to be present to hand out useful information as well as to brief the participants on the events to take place the next day Sunday 10 th August 2014 Participants will have free time from the morning till early afternoon. Later in the evening there will be a reception at the offices of the TFD followed by dinner. After the welcome dinner participants will be briefed on the schedule of events for the coming weeks. Monday 11 th August 2014 Topic 1: Social, Economic and Political Development and Taiwan s Democratisation Lecture1: FTA and Asia integration Participants will endure the first day of classes which focus on FTAs and how these economic agreements impact on the local industries and Taiwanese society Seminar 1: Local responses from Taiwan Given the many challenges in which Taiwan face as a de facto state, this seminar will tease out several important points to highlight how Taiwan deals with such adversity in the international arena Tuesday 12 th August 2014 Topic 1: Social, Economic and Political Development and Taiwan s Democratisation Lecture2: The Role of China and its impact on Asia This topic will investigate further China s role in the Asian region specifically and more generally its global presence. How does the behemoth of a nation and its foreign policy impact on the process of democratization in other countries within Asia? Seminar2: Understanding China The seminar provides for a more balanced and nuances approach towards dealing with China. In this seminar the participants can engage with local scholars in thinking about China understanding it better from the perspective of Taiwan. Wednesday 13 th August 2014 Field Trip 1 The participants will be an off day as they are brought on a field trip to various

6 companies which are considered to be native Taiwanese enterprises such as HTC, Asus, Acer etc. This is to familiarize the participants to the business entities present within Taiwan and also to show how Taiwan is very much a global player in various industries. Thursday 14 th August 2014 Topic 2: Building Networks of Democracy Lecture 1: Social Movements and the Taiwan experience The participants here would be exposed to ideas pertaining to social movements. At this juncture participants are given generalized notions of social movements and its history but towards the end participants will given a lengthy lecture on the history of social movements in Taiwan and their role in its democratization. Seminar 1 After listening to the speakers in the main lecture, the participants here would be made to reflect on their own experiences wherever they are from. This seminar allows the participants that space so they may learn from each other and thus create a network of kindred spirits working towards the democratization of both their own respective countries and the regions where they are from. The interlinks formed here between the participants is the crux of the two-week long program. Friday 15 th August 2014 Topic 2: Building Networks of Democracy Lecture 2: Creating (cyber)space for democracy Democracy is essentially an idea but like any given idea there has to be ample space for it to grow alongside societies in which it inhabits. This lecture speaks to the participants precisely about creating this space. However given that young people are increasingly taking to cyberspace, this lecture would speak directly to the participants about how to utilize new strategies in opening up democratic space in their country. Using social media as a focal point, the lecture would delve into case studies of how mediums like twitter, facebook, instagram, weibo, instant messaging were used to foment democratic change in many places. Seminar 2: Personal voyages in cyberspace This seminar in tasked with getting the participants to think about the strengths and weaknesses of using cyberspace to further the interests of democracy. Here they would be asked also about other strategies to build up stronger civil society organisations or to close the gap between the practicalities of democracy and the expectations of the people within their own national settings. It is important at this juncture to get the participants to brainstorm possible strategies in creating a much

7 more vibrant civil society within their own national contexts. Saturday 16 th August 2014 Field Trip 2 The group will be brought to meet with several different non-governmental organizations to familiarize them with the work done by these organisations. They are the Taiwan Anti-Death Penal Coalition, Amnesty International Taiwan, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, the Taiwan Association for Truth and Reconciliation and also several immigrant rights groups. Sunday 17 th August 2014 Site Visit/Free and easy A trip would be planned into the morning to visit the Yingge Ceramics Museum in New Taipei City. This short trip should allow for the group to return fairly quickly to Taipei. This is to ensure that they have ample time to Taipei for an afternoon free of any formal activities Monday 18 th August 2014 Topic 3: Enhancing Democratic Governance Lecture 1: Democracy: Past, Present and Future This first section on the topic of Building, Maintaining and Sustaining Democracy should feature speaker Larry Diamond. Here, the speaker could engage with the participants of the workshop on issues pertaining to the development of the idea of democracy beginning from the time of Aristotle to the present day. Larry Diamond is a well-respected and distinguished scholar of both in democratic theory and democratization. Having the participants attend his lecture will enable them to interact with a foremost theorist on democracy. As such, this exposure will give attendees and participants a greater and deeper understand of the more theoretical aspects of democracy. When participants are able to appreciate its historical development and through this solidification of their understanding of democracy, can they only then truly defend it. The lecture will also provide them with the nuances of localizing democracy through case studies of countries which run the gamut less-democratic to more democratic states from Africa to Asia, Europe and of course the United States. Seminar 1: This portion of the course will take on a more intense proportion where participants will engage directly with facilitators. Different from the earlier lecture, the

8 participants will be made to work in groups to foster greater interaction and experience sharing with each other. However, the seminar is not without focus. They will be given three core questions or issues to work out among themselves after which they are to share the fruits of the group discussion with the rest of the participants. For the purposes of this seminar the questions to be thrown out to the participants will consist of these three: What is the meaning of democracy? What is the role of the citizen in defining the meaning of democracy? What is the aim of democracy? Freedom or equality? August 19 th Tuesday 2014 Topic 3/4: Enhancing Democratic Governance Lecture 2: Democracy: Learning to deal with strengths and weaknesses/ Promoting the Integrity of Elections We would expose the participants to a real worldview of democracy and its implications. Firstly how do you go about consolidating democracy whilst balancing nation building, socio-economic development with the liberal values of democracy? Secondly, how do you resolve conflicts afflicting communities post-independence while also guaranteeing that there will be rule of law? Finally how does one go about inculcating values of transparency and integrity in a nation where its national daily income is less than 1USD? These questions can also be partially answered in a specific section where participants are made to think about elections and the best ways in ensuring free and fair elections. Seminar 2: Mainstreaming democracy Here the participants must be made to think about crafting reforms which would enable democracy to be mainstreamed. This is to ensure than human rights will remain a cornerstone of their country s administration. Given that countries in Asia are rife with conflict, how then are the participants, through their own national experiences to deal with the past? One of the greatest threats to democracy is the constant presence of vengeance and of past injustices lingering the hearts of those living in these post-conflict environments. If not solid measures are taken to resolve conflict, enable reconciliation or build peace then as the colloquialism goes there is nary a chance in hell for democracy to survive. The rule of law is the bedrock of any given democracy and if past injustices are not efficaciously dealt with, there would be no point to speak of democratic governance. Wednesday August 20 th 2014 Field Trip 3

9 This day is to be set aside for a field trip to two places which would encapsulate the topic broached in seminars of the past two days. The first place of visit would be to the Legislative Yuan and to be followed by another visit to the Elections Studies Centre of the National Chengchi University. Thursday August 21 st 2014 Topic 5: Protecting Human Rights Lecture 1: The Ins and Outs of International Human Rights Law This section will be divided into two distinct sections. The first section will encompass the a lecture which is subdivided into the two major international covenants which includes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the other major covenant being the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. These two covenants are the basis for international human rights protection and it would serve the participants well to learn of them. Next the lecture the lecture may then move on to a discussion of the different regional mechanisms used in the protection of human rights. This will include a discussion of the African Charter, the Latin American Court of Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights, more importantly a discussion of the ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism. Seminar 1: Learning the Ropes The lecture would also move into a discussion of the UN periodic review system of which our participants may then learn of various methods to pressure governments into fulfilling their legal international obligations to protect human rights. Friday August 22 nd 2014 Topic 5: Protecting Human Rights Lecture 2: Protecting human rights in Asia This second part should reveal to participants the experience of human rights in Asia. How is it practised? What are the standards of human rights within the ambit of states? Why do they sign on to human rights treaties and then suddenly break them? What can make them fulfill their obligations? What is the practise of Asian activists in the protection of human rights? What are the impediments to the practise of human rights in Asia? Is Asian values still a valid point to ponder on in terms of strengthening human rights in Asia? This part of the program on human rights is a more theoretical consideration on the nature of human rights as it is practised in the region This lecture will also familiarise the participants with the various ways human rights violations are dealt with especially in Southeast Asian and pitfalls faced in the effort to promote and protect them. Specifically the cases of East Timor, Cambodia and

10 Indonesia are discussed. Films may also be shown here to raise more substantial issues which can be discussed later in the seminars. Seminar 2: Dealing with Asian Values and relativism The Seminars then should force the participants into thinking more about the dichotomy between human rights and Asian Values. Is human rights incompatible with the values systems within the region. Therefore in the seminar participants should be made to think through this issue both thinking of ways to inculcate human rights into the region as well as the possible tensions and conflicts which may arise from them. Also the participants should be made to think about how they can deal with mass human rights violations which happen on a large scale in the Asian region. What can they do about this? Finally there should also be included the tensions between religious rights and minority rights in the Asian region. Saturday August 23 nd 2014 Field Trip 4 This trip should take participants to either the various human rights monuments all over Taipei or to the Green Island Human Rights Museum. Either or would depend on weather conditions as well. Sunday August 24 th 2014 The morning should be free and easy for the participants but in the evening a ceremony should be arranged to close the program and of course to award the participants with certificates. The program should end with a dinner. Monday August 25 th 2014 Participants check out and return to their respective countries