CDI Dialogue with International Visitors

2009
	CDI Meeting with Canada's Minister of State (Democratic Reform) On 18 August 2009, CDI deputy director Mr Quinton Clements met with Canada's Minister of State (Democratic Reform), the Honourable Steven Fletcher, P.C., M.P. at the Canadian High Commission in Canberra. Minister Fletcher initiated this meeting with CDI to discuss our work program and structure, as Canada moves forward with the creation of their own Democracy Promotion Agency.
	PNG's Parliamentary Librarian Visits the ANU Mr Elesallah Matatier, Parliamentary Librarian, National Parliament of Papua New Guinea, visited CDI on 5 August 2009. Mr Matatier is on a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) sponsored study visit to parliamentary libraries in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane. During his visit to the ANU in Canberra, CDI arranged for Mr Matatier to meet with the Crawford School's Outreach team to learn about their production of the Pacific Economic Bulletin, in particular their management of electronic files, an area Mr Matatier is looking to improve in the parliamentary library in Port Moresby in relation to Hansard records.
	CDI and the Asia Pacific Democracy Partnership On 3 July 2009, CDI hosted a visit from Mr Chris Camponovo, Special Advisor at the US Department of State, to discuss the Asia Pacific Democracy Partnership (APDP), a US initiative aimed at building a coalition of democracies in the Asia-Pacific region. The APDP has sponsored election observation missions in the region and aims to build capacity with like minded organisations such as the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) and the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF), which CDI is also supporting. Discussions focussed on the potential for CDI to play a role in future APDP activities in the region.
	CDI hosts National Endowment for Democracy CDI was delighted to host a visit from Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy, the key US grant-making institution with the mission to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts. CDI has contributed to a number of NED initiatives, including the quarterly Journal of Democracy, the International Forum for Democratic Studies, and the World Movement for Democracy, a global network of democracy practitioners and scholars.
	International IDEA Lena Hjelm-Wallen, Chair of the Board of  the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), and Andrew Ellis, Director of IDEA's Asia-Pacific program, visited CDI in February to discuss ongoing areas of cooperation. CDI and IDEA have worked together on a number of projects, most recently the joint project on Political Parties in Conflict-Prone Societies.
	Cambodian Senate Officials visit to Canberra A delegation of senior officials from the Cambodian Senate led by Secretary General, Mr Oum Sarith, met with CDI Deputy Director, Quinton Clements, at Parliament House on 3 February 2009. They discussed CDI's parliamentary strengthening work, the participation of Cambodian parliamentarians and parliamentary officials in CDI programs, and possible future CDI support for both the Cambodian National Assembly and Senate.
2008
	Foreign & Commonwealth Office Odell Prior from the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office visited CDI on 13 October to discuss political developments in PNG and Fiji.
	Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma Visits Canberra Enroute to the Pacific Forum in Niue, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma came to Canberra in August for talks with Commonwealth Government ministers and officials. On this vist Mr Sharma also hosted a function for representatives of the Commonwealth Round Table in Australia (CRTA) and others which was attended by CDI Director Ben Reilly. You can find more detail on Mr Sharma's visit at the CRTA website: Commonwealth Round Table in Australia < Pictured (l to r): Professor Ben Reilly | Former President of the Senate Senator Margaret Reid | Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma | Mr Paul O'Callaghan Executive Director, Australian Council for International Development
	Paul Bengo & Sir Kina Bona Paul Bengo, Chairman of the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission and Registrar of Political Parties in Papua New Guinea, visited CDI in July. Mr Bengo was accompanied by Sir Kina Bona, who will be taking up the position of Chairman in early August. CDI has an active program of cooperation with the PNG Party Registrar's Office, and has trained a number of staff members over recent years. While at ANU, Mr Bengo also gave a talk on the effects of the Organic Law on Political Parties and Candidates on national politics in Papua New Guinea. < Pictured (l to r): CDI Deputy Director Mr Quinton Clements | Sir Kina Bona | Mr Paul Bengo | CDI Director Prof Ben Reilly.
	Peceli Kinivuwai Peceli Kinivuwai from Fiji's Soqosoqo Duavata Ni Lewennanua (SDL) party visited CDI in June to discuss recent political developments in Fiji. Peceli was a participant in CDI's 2007 Political Party Development course.
	Jim Della-Giacoma Jim Della-Giacoma from the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum, a program of the Social Science Research Council in New York, visited CDI in May to discuss areas of common interest, particularly in regards to the South Pacific. The Forum acts as a bridge between UN policymakers and knowledgeable people in the non-governmental world, including academia, think tanks, NGOs, and the media.
	New Zealand Mr Bede Corry, Head of the Australia Division in the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ms Heather Riddell, New Zealand's Deputy High Commissioner in Canberra, visited CDI on 28 April to discuss cooperation in the South Pacific.
	Andrew Ellis Andrew Ellis, Director of Operations at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, visited CDI in April to discuss ongoing areas of cooperation. CDI and IDEA work together on a number of projects, including the forthcoming book Political Parties in Conflict-Prone Societies.
	Professor Reg Austin CDI Director Ben Reilly with Prof Reg Austin, who visited CDI in February 2008. Prof Austin  worked at a senior level with the Electoral Commission to UNTAC in Cambodia, UNOMS in South Africa, UNAMA in Afghanistan, and with the Commonwealth Secretariat. Prof Austin was also coordinator of the Independent Electoral Certification Scheme in Timor-Leste, appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General.
	HE Gabor Csaba Hungary's Ambassador to Australia, HE Gabor Csaba, visited CDI on 19 March to discuss issues of mutual interest, including possible cooperation between CDI and Hungary's International Centre for Democratic Transitions.
	The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, the Hon Dr David Derek Sikua MP