Press Room

Doha, 5 May 2009—Latin American leaders don't often travel to this corner of the world. But, there is growing interest among civil society and political leaders in the Gulf and the other Arab states of the wider Middle East and North Africa region in hearing more about Latin America's experiences of democratic transition. So, ears perked up when Alejandro Toledo, Member of the Club of Madrid and former President of Peru, opened today’s Arab-Latin American Civil Society Meeting —held within the framework of the 9th Doha Forum on Democracy, Development and Trade— with a message of praise, and some words of advice that are particularly credible coming from a former Head of State:

“I congratulate the Government of Qatar for having the courage to hold this meeting,” he said. “And I have a message for the Government of Qatar and others in the region: Do not be afraid of civil society - work with civil society to build shared societies and ‘democracy that delivers.’”

Toledo’s words echoed the conclusions of the Club of Madrid’s Participation, Dialogue and Democratic Values in the Middle East and North Africa Project: for democracy to deliver, freedom of association and citizens’ Rights must be upheld and that starts when governments and civil society engage in direct dialogue.

In his speech at today’s session, Jorge Quiroga, former President of Bolivia and one of 20 Latin American Members of the Club of Madrid, went a step further. He reminded the audience of the need for leaders to commit to leading for shared societies and recognize that civil society is important for mobilizing for poverty reduction and for strengthening institutions. He also noted that President Obama had recently given Queen Elizabeth II an iPod.

"We in the developing world could all use a new IPOD," said the Club of Madrid’s Quiroga. "One where the 'I' stands for Integration of people, societies and trade, without protectionism; where the 'P' stands for People and investing in them through education and immigration reform; where the 'O' stands for Organizational reforms of international bodies, particularly the IMF and the World Bank, where the voting power is outdated and does not reflect current demographics and political and economic power; and where the 'D' stands for the Doha Round and the need to renew trade negotiations as ‘the best antidote to the crisis.’"

H.E. Sheikah Hessa Bint Ahmed Bint Al-Thani of Qatar, a leader on disability rights, and recently the UN's Special Rapporteur on Disability, closed the meeting and noted the importance of the Club of Madrid's work on leadership for building shared societies.