Inter-Regional Experts Meeting on Democracy and Peacebuilding in the Framework of SDG 16+

International IDEA and the Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies, in collaboration with the Organization of American States (OAS) will hold the Inter-Regional Experts Meeting on “Democracy and Peacebuilding in the Framework of SDG 16+”, on Thursday, 20 June 2019, in Bogotá, Colombia.

The purpose of the Inter-Regional Experts Meeting is to gather global and regional organizations, as well as key stakeholders including: Member States, civil society organizations, experts and practitioners, to analyze the role of global and regional organizations in the consolidation of Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, as key elements of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and more specifically of SDG 16, identifying synergies, as well as channels of cooperation and coordination. This Meeting will have an international approach to discussing SDG 16+ with a specific focus on democratic sustainability and peacebuilding, touching on key issues such as women in peacebuilding, the role of global and regional organizations in advancing the sustainable development in transitioning countries and tracking progress through high-quality disaggregated data.

The Inter-Regional Experts Meeting will take place prior to the 49th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), where the Americas will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Organization. Hosting this meeting in Colombia will also enable an exchange of experiences from global and regional organizations in support of their Membership on matters related to democracy and peace, while drawing from the Colombian government’s efforts to build, sustain and consolidate peace and democratic institutions, after facing a 60-year internal conflict. 

The Inter-Regional Experts Meeting takes place once a year and is one of the activities of the Inter-Regional Dialogue on Democracy (IRDD), a unique global platform that facilitates a space for global and regional organizations, as well as other key stakeholders, to have an open conversation on the main issues related to democracy, enabling channels of collaboration and coordination among key global actors. The partner organizations of the IRDD include the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the League of Arab States, the Organization of American States, the Pacific Islands Forum, and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, with International IDEA as the facilitator. The UN and the Community of Democracies are key partners and are always represented in IRDD meetings.