Friends of the Democratic Charter

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The Friends of the Democratic Charter group is composed of former presidents, prime ministers, and Cabinet ministers from the Western Hemisphere who seek to increase the visibility of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and to prevent democratic tensions from erupting into crises. The friends visit countries to assess democratic tensions, encourage citizens and governments to make use of international resources to defend their democracies and resolve constitutional conflicts, and recommend ways for the OAS to apply the Charter in a constructive and preventative manner.  The Carter Center serves as secretariat for the Friends.

Formed in 2004, the friends have conducted assessment missions to Nicaragua in 2005 during its constitutional crisis, Paraguay in 2008, Ecuador in 2009, Venezuela in 2008 during its constitutional referendum, Costa Rica in 2009 to meet President Oscar Arias on the Honduras crises, El Salvador twice in 2009 for the presidential elections, and Honduras in 2009 after the coup. The friends have provided private assessments to the OAS secretary general and other hemispheric officials, recommendations to the OAS General Assembly on the use of the Charter and engagement of civil society with the OAS, and public statements/recommendations on such issues as Nicaragua's controversial 2008 elections, the 2009 debate over the lifting of Cuba's suspension from the OAS, and the international community's response to the Honduran coup in 2009. Finally, the friends conducted eight workshops for civil society groups around the hemisphere in 2005-2007 to increase awareness of the Democratic Charter and international tools available to help strengthen democracies.

Members

Diego Abente Brun, former Minister of Justice and Labor of Paraguay
Mariclaire Acosta, former Undersecretary of Foreign Relations for Human Rights and Democracy of Mexico
Nicolás Ardito Barletta, former President of Panama
Carlos Ayala Corao, former President Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Patricio Aylwin, former President of Chile
Cecilia Blondet, former Minister for the Advancement of Women and Human Development of Peru
Humberto de la Calle, former Vice President of Colombia
Dante Caputo, former Foreign Minister of Argentina
Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former President of Brazil
Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States of America
Jorge Castañeda, former minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico
Joe Clark, former Prime Minister of Canada
Peter DeShazo, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, United States
Alejandro Foxley, former minister of foreign affairs of Chile
Diego García-Sayán, former Foreign Minister of Peru
César Gaviria, former President of Colombia
John Graham, Chair Emeritus, Canadian Foundation for the Americas
Osvaldo Hurtado, former President of Ecuador
Torquato Jardim, former Justice of the Superior Electoral Tribunal of Brazil
Luis Alberto Lacalle, former President of Uruguay
John Maisto, former U.S. Ambassador to the OAS
John Manley, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada
Barbara McDougall, former Minister of External Affairs of Canada
Pedro Nikken, former President Inter-American Court for Human Rights, Venezuela
Robert Pastor, former Director of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, National Security Council, United States
Andrés Pastrana, former President of Colombia
Sonia Picado, chair of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights
Sergio Ramirez, former Vice President of Nicaragua
Arthur Robinson, former President of Trinidad and Tobago
Sir Ronald Sanders, member of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group 2010-2011
Lloyd Erskine Sandiford, former Prime Minister of Barbados
Eduardo Stein, former Vice President of Guatemala
Alejandro Toledo, former President of Peru
Martín Torrijos, former President of Panama
Fernando Tuesta Soldevilla, former Director, National Office of Electoral Processes, Peru
Joaquín Villalobos, Founder of the Farabundo Marti Nacional Liberation Front (FMLN), signatory of the Peace Agreements of El Salvador in 1992
Jennifer McCoy, Director, Americas Program, Carter Center; Executive Secretary, Friends of the Charter
Marcelo Varela-Erasheva, Associate Director, Americas Program, Carter Center; Deputy Secretary, Friends of the Charter

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Read More About the Friends' Work:

Jan. 6, 2012
Former Hemispheric Leaders Call for Reform of Nicaragua Electoral System (En español y en inglés)
The Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, a group of former leaders and eminent persons in the western hemisphere, today called for "serious review and reform" of Nicaragua's electoral system.

Jan. 6, 2012
The November 2011 Elections in Nicaragua Study Mission Report (PDF) (En Español)
On November 6, 2011 Nicaragua held general elections for president and vice president, national and departmental deputies to the National Assembly, and members of the Central American Parliament. Fraudulent local elections in 2008, a questionable Supreme Court decision in October 2009 to permit the candidacy of incumbent President Daniel Ortega, and a presidential decree in January 2010 extending the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) magistrates in office after their terms expired provided the context for a deeply flawed election process.

Dec. 1, 2011
Testimony Before the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on Nicaragua, Dec 1, 2011, by Jennifer McCoy
I appreciate the invitation from Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen and Ranking Member Berman to testify at the hearing of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Nicaragua.

14 de noviembre 2011
Entrevista con el Dr. Eduardo Stein
Transmitido en octubre de 2011 por Univision.
El ex vicepresidente de Guatemala habló sobre la vigencia y aplicación de la Carta Democrática Interamericana.

Nov. 9, 2011
Carter Center Expert Group Statement on the Nicaragua Elections (En Español)
We acknowledge the strong electoral support given to President Ortega in Sunday's election.  Nevertheless, we are troubled by the reports of significant deficiencies in the 2011 electoral process in Nicaragua and their implications for democratic governance. It is perplexing that a country that is showing social and economic improvement has at the same time permitted an erosion of democratic institutions.

Oct. 3, 2011
Friends Celebrate 10th Anniversary of the Inter-American Democratic Charter
A group of former leaders and human rights experts serve as a watchdog to threats against democratic stability in the Americas and as a voice to strengthen, promote, and protect democracy and human rights. The group aims to bolster the effectiveness of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, approved on Sept. 11, 2001, by all 34 members of the OAS to address new kinds of democratic threats beyond the traditional military coup.

July 5, 2010
Mission to Nicaragua May 2010 (PDF)
The concerns of the Friends relate primarily to the Inter-American Democratic Charter – its use, neglect or abuse – and the general condition of democratic governance in the Americas. However, in Nicaragua as in other countries, the issues of democracy are shaped and coloured by their national context. For this reason we have set the democratic challenges within a broad, albeit brief and inadequate portrait of the country as a whole. The mission (May 10-14) comprised Friends of the Charter Torquato Jardim and John Graham and was joined by Marcelo Varela, Associate Director of the Americas Program at the Carter Center and by Shelley McConnell, a scholar on Nicaragua and Marcelo's predecessor at the Center.

July 13, 2009
Constitutional Crisis in Honduras:  An Expert Q&A by Dr. Jennifer McCoy, Director, Americas Program
Dr. Jennifer McCoy, Director, Americas Program, answers questions about the constitutional crisis in Honduras.

Dec. 4, 2009
Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter Submit Letter to OAS on Honduras
This letter was distributed today from The Carter Center and The Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter to the Permanent Representatives of the OAS prior to their planned discussion on Honduras.

Oct. 24, 2009
Statement by The Carter Center and Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter in Honduras
Upon completing two days of interviews with a range of political actors and representatives of Honduran society, the delegation from The Carter Center and the Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter group share their findings and initial insights in the statement below, and they reiterate their commitment to the promotion of democracy and to effective international support and vigilance.

June 30, 2009
Statement by the Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter on the Honduran Coup, Sunday, June 28, 2009 (English and Spanish versions)
Faced with the occurrence of the coup d'état in the Republic of Honduras, Sunday, June 28, We, the Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, express our great concern for the rupture of the constitutional order in the Republic of Honduras that took place on June 28, 2009.

May 19, 2009
Cuba: Letter by The Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter to Organization of American States Secretary General Insulza
Knowing the special importance that the relations with Cuba hold on the hemispheric agenda, we address you in our capacity as Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Our purpose is to share some reflections that we believe are fundamental to the analysis and development of an institutional strategy underpinning a gradual rapprochement between the Organization of American States (OAS) and Cuba.

April 3, 2009
Statement on El Salvador by The Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter
The Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter have followed the recent Presidential elections in El Salvador with particular interest.  We congratulate president-elect Mauricio Funes and his FMLN party, as well as Rodrigo Avila for his rapid and unhesitating acceptance of the verdict of the Salvadoran people as announced by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

Oct. 23, 2008
Statement on the Status of Democracy in Nicaragua by the Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter
We, the undersigned Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, committed to the promotion and defense of the values and principles in the Charter and attentive to democratic development in the Western hemisphere, express our deep concern for the recent events and acts in Nicaragua.


Nov. 27, 2007
The Venezuelan´s Dilemma
This open letter to Venezuelan citizens about the scheduled Dec. 2 referendum was written and signed by recognized Latin American democrats and former leaders.

April 27, 2006
Friends of Inter-American Democratic Charter Bolster Mandate
Select former government officials with expert perspectives on democracy and stability in the Western Hemisphere gathered at The Carter Center April 25-26 to bolster their mandate as Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

May 2, 2005
Miami Herald Op-Ed: Friends of Democratic Charter Urge Early Intervention, Disclosure of Violations
This op-ed was published in the May 2, 2005, edition of The Miami Herald. More than a dozen presidents in the hemisphere in the past 20 years have failed to complete their term.