Youth leaders from Albania, Kosovo, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia gather for an NDI anticorruption seminar in Warsaw, Poland
Background
More than ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, all of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe have democratically-elected governments and find themselves in relatively strong positions to work toward peace, political stability, and economic development. It is becoming clear that, for the countries of the region-and particularly those in southeastern Europe scarred by conflict-integration into European and transatlantic political, economic, and security structures will pave the way for the consolidation of their respective transitions to democracy. This integration process will be greatly facilitated by increased cross-border contact and cooperation among the region's emerging political leaders, particularly as there is much to be learned from transition experiences within the region.
Accordingly, NDI has set out a new initiative designed to nurture cross-border ties among emerging democratic leaders in Central and Eastern Europe. The goals of this regional initiative are to develop the democratic leadership skills of emerging political leaders throughout the region, to create professional networks among them, and to foster a shared understanding of and cooperation on political reform issues that will have an impact on their respective countries' European integration processes.
Funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, this regional initiative complements NDI's country programs by providing a regional perspective on issues and processes that are central to democratization and that overlap national boundaries. NDI aims through this program to help leaders work individually and collectively to strengthen democratic institutions and enhance political stability, both in their countries and throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Participants include up-and-coming political leaders who have a firm and abiding commitment to democratic values.
Lessons in Leadership and Cooperation
The CEE Regional Initiative's two initial leadership seminars took place in Warsaw in early 2002. Approximately fifty women and youth political leaders working with NDI in-country were selected to participate. Through both seminars NDI sought to:
Help participants build and refine their political leadership through training focused on an issue that represents a challenge to democratic development across the region;
Encourage leaders to think about broader cooperation on the focus issue with other countries in the region and with European and North American organizations/donors; and
Provide a networking opportunity for emerging leaders to build cross-border professional bonds and share lessons learned.
From January 29 to February 1, "Delivering Democracy: Strategies to Open and Honest Government" provided emerging youth activists from Albania, Kosovo, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia an opportunity to assemble within a multiparty, multinational setting and discuss strategies and tools to address corruption at the regional and national levels.
From March 1 to 4, "Delivering Democracy: Organizing Resources to Create Secure Societies" offered women politicians from Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, and Montenegro an opportunity to gather and discuss coordinated regional and national measures to combat human trafficking, while also enhancing political skills that they have developed working with in-country NDI programs.
The seminars featured anti-corruption experts from Transparency International, anti-trafficking experts from the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and high-level policy representatives of the European Union and the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe.
Following up and Moving Forward
NDI is at the beginning stages of designing new components for the Regional Initiative and implementing follow-on activities with program participants to date. However, participant requests for further information to educate their peers and their creative ideas for coordinated follow-up are initial indicators that there is indeed a group of emerging leaders who are ready to reach beyond national dividing lines to work with colleagues in the region to address the challenges of democracy. The establishment of a website and a list serve for each seminar has provided an outlet for additional exchange of ideas and information across the region.
Contact Information
For more information on NDI's Regional Initiative Program, please contact Robert Benjamin in Washington, D.C. at (202) 728-5660.
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