The Community of Democracies Parliamentary Forum was set up in Vilnius, Lithuania, today. The forum is set to become an efficient instrument to promote the democratic institutions worldwide.
The declaration on the forum's foundation, called also the Vilnius Declaration, was signed by Parliament Speaker and acting President Mihai Ghimpu and MP Ion Hadarca on behalf of Moldova. The Moldovan officials attended the events marking the 20th anniversary of the restoration of Lithuania's independence, the parliament's media relations department has said.
The declaration says that the Community of Democracies Parliamentary Forum is a coalition of lawmakers whose goal is to cooperate in order to consolidate democracy and promote peace, development and human rights in the countries they are coming from, as well as worldwide.
Under the commitments assumed by the member states of the Parliamentary Forum, diverse activities will be organised to strengthen democracy, including roundtables, topic-related conferences and debates in different countries with representatives of democratic parties, youth and civil society.
"While recognizing that the democratization and good government are not goals in themselves, but they are vital for reducing poverty, ensuring sustainable development, peace and stability, the Parliamentary Forum commits not only to promote the civil and political rights, but also the social, cultural and economic rights, including solidarity," the declaration also says.
The members of the Community of Democracies Parliamentary Forum also agreed to cooperate within the European Parliament to ensure more coordinated, consistent and coherent actions.
The Parliamentary Forum will convene at least twice a year, and will approve action plans and strategies for the development of democracies worldwide. The participants in the meetings are also to put forward recommendations for the new democracies or for the states where the democracy is in danger. The permanent date of the informal meeting in Lithuania remains 11 March. The Parliamentary Forum is set to create a Committee of Donors as well.
The Community of Democracies, set up in 2000, is an inter-governmental coalition of democratic countries which comprises over 100 states, with Lithuania holding its chairmanship in 2009-2010. The Community of Democracies Parliamentary Forum is an informal structure which brings together MPs from the member states of the Community of Democracies.
Moldpres