More than 200 experts on terrorism from around the world will participate in the international summit on democracy, terrorism and security

• Debates will be held in four thematic areas: the underlying causes of terrorism, how to confront the problem of terrorism, democratic answers to terrorism, and the role of civil society.
• Conclusions reached at the Summit will be incorporated into the Agenda of Madrid, which will be published on the 11th of March.

Madrid, February 2005. The International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security, that takes place in Madrid, from the 8th to the 11th of March, will host more than 200 academics and expert practitioners from around the world who specialize in terrorism and security. These experts, after months of group work, will submit the results of their investigations at the Summit, with the objective of achieving a common framework of international action to fight terrorism and to reinforces the democratic values and principles.

Former and current political leaders, as well as heads of state and of Government will debate the conclusions of the experts during the Summit. These debates will be available on the web at: www.safe-democracy.org

The conclusions of these debates will be incorporated into the “Agenda of Madrid”, that will consist of a series of guidelines and recommendations which can be used as a guide for governments seeking a democratic response to terrorism.

On the 8th and 9th of March, the experts will present their arguments in groups divided into four thematic areas. These thematic areas make up sixteen working parties. They are as follows:

1. Causes and underlying factors of terrorism.- Groups: Cultural, Religious, Economic, Political, and Individual causes.
Thematic area Coordinator: Louise Richardson (Ireland), Dean of the Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
2. How to confront terrorism.- How to face the terrorist threat.- Groups: police measures, intelligence services, the role of military agencies and financing.
Thematic area Coordinator: Ray Kendall (United Kingdom), former secretary general of INTERPOL.
3. Democratic answers to terrorism.- Groups: legislation, human rights, good government, and international institutions.
Thematic area Coordinator: Phil Bobbitt (US), University of Texas, author of “The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History”
4. The role of Civil Society. - Groups: promotion of democracy, marginalising the extremists, dealing with violence.
Thematic area Coordinator: Mary Kaldor (United Kingdom), London School of Economics; and Miguel Darcy (Brazil), director of Civicus and Comunitas.

Working group members facts and figures:

• 200 Experts
• Of which, 40 are women
• 52 countries represented (Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palestina, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Serbia and Motenegro, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Zimbabwe)

For more detailed information, please contact the press office or consult this document [PDF, 135KB]

Additional Information

About the Conference: The International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism, and Security is a non-partisan and independent initiative that intends to initiate debate between academic, professional experts and political actors who are seeking to combat terrorism. Since the terrorist threat is now perceived as a global phenomenon, it requires a global response. The goal of this conference is to create an international forum in which new ideas are debated, and where dialogue and practical action are stimulated by through learning and interaction. The organisers of this Summit are the Club of Madrid and the Varsavsky Foundation, and has been endorsed by His Majesty The King, and financed by the Spanish Government, the Community of Madrid, and City Hall, among others.

About the Club of Madrid: The Club of Madrid was created as a result of the Conference on Transition and Democratic Consolidation of 2001, organized by The Foundation for International Relations and Exterior Dialogue (FRIDE), and the Gorbachev Foundation for North America. Currently, the club consists of 44 former heads of state and Government from democratic countries. Their objective is to effectively contribute to the development of democracy around the world. The President of the Club of Madrid is Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former President of Brazil. The Secretary General is Kim Campbell, former prime Minister of Canada. www.clubmadrid.org

For more information:
www.safe.democracy.org

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