Prime Minister Announces Australian Support for Regional Democracy -
CDI & the Bali Democracy Forum
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| ^ (l to r) Mr John Davidson, Assistant Director General, AusAID; Prof Benjamin Reilly - CDI Director; Prof I Made Bakta - Rector, Udayana University; Mr Umar Hadi - Director for Public Diplomacy, Indonesian Mininstry of Foreign Affairs; and two Indonesian officials at Udayana University, Bali. |
In December 2008 Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a range of assistance from CDI and the Australian government to the Bali Democracy Forum and the Institute for Peace and Democracy in Indonesia.
The Forum and the new Institute at the University of Udayana in Bali are aimed at fostering democracy in the Asia Pacific.
It is intended that the Forum will be open to all countries from across the region and will meet regularly at a ministerial level. It will be supported by the new Institute which will organise workshops and research on democratic processes, such as electoral systems, the role of civil society and the media, the judiciary and the role of the military.
Prime Minister Rudd noted that "It is in Australia’s own national interests to support an initiative aimed at strengthening democratic process and good governance in the Asia Pacific. It is fitting that this initiative has been launched by President Yudhoyono, in Indonesia, which has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years to become the world’s third largest democracy."
The Prime Minister announced that Australian assistance to the Bali Democracy Forum will provide support for a partnership between the Institute and CDI; as well as start-up financing and “democracy scholarships.
CDI has already held discussions with Indonesian authorities about the partnership between CDI and IPD, most notably, Director Ben Reilly participated in the preparatory expert group meeting in Bali on 10-11 November.
Click on this link to all the details on our CDI & the Bali Institute of Democracy Homepage:
