{"id":60667,"date":"2024-12-18T18:20:44","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T23:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/?p=60667"},"modified":"2024-12-18T18:25:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T23:25:42","slug":"60667","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/2024\/12\/18\/60667\/","title":{"rendered":"Dean Scott Taylor Highlights Resilience and Innovation at 12th Global Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Venezuelan activist Tamara Adrian; Dean Scott Taylor; Hassan Shire (Somalia); and Maria Ressa, Nobel Prize winner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pardee School Dean and Professor of International Relations Scott Taylor recently attended the 12th Global Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Johannesburg, South Africa. The event, themed “Revitalizing Democracy: Resilience, Reflection, and Innovation,” brought together over 500 civil society leaders, political figures, and thinkers from nearly 100 countries to address global democratic challenges and opportunities. Taking place 30 years after South Africa’s first democratic elections and 25 years since the World Movement’s founding, the assembly served as a milestone in advancing the global democratic agenda.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1999, the World Movement for Democracy fosters collaboration among activists, scholars, journalists, and funders committed to advancing democracy worldwide. In their own words: “The rule of law is being dismantled; insecurity and conflicts are on the rise; surveillance technologies and generative AI threaten to increase repression; and external state and non-state actors seek to undermine democracies. A democratic future cannot be taken for granted.”<\/p>\n

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WMD Chair Maria Ressa speaks to the opening ceremony, held at Freedom Park, Pretoria, South Africa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The assembly convened leading voices, seasoned experts, and emerging leaders to strategize and mobilize public and political support for democratic renewal. Prominent participants included Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Laureate and Chairperson of the World Movement’s Steering Committee; Moncef Marzouki, former President of Tunisia; Aisha Yesufu, co-founder of Nigeria’s #BringBackOurGirls movement; and Mbali Ntuli of South Africa’s Ground Work Collective.<\/p>\n

Dean Taylor, an expert in African political and economic reform, shared his insights as both a scholar and seasoned election observer. Reflecting on the event, he noted: “The summit provided a vibrant forum for pro-democracy activists from all over the world to share their experiences of resilience in the face of repressive governments. Long before I was aware of their connection to the World Movement for Democracy, I had the privilege of working with many of the organizations and activists attending the assembly. Their work, whether focused on women’s political participation, media freedom, or human rights law, is essential to democratic societies.”<\/p>\n

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Hurford Youth fellows Rinu Oduala and Isabelle Celine Samson led discussions on the future of democracy at the #WM12Assembly. As democracy faces global challenges, they are playing a key role in shaping the conversation and driving innovation for a democratic future. Credit: @WorldMovementDemocracy Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Taylor also highlighted the next generation of leaders as a source of inspiration: “Many of the attendees were young, and my interactions with them were particularly moving. I can easily see them leading their countries in the future!”<\/p>\n

The location of the assembly in South Africa was especially significant. The country has made remarkable progress in building a democratic society since its first democratic elections, though challenges persist in areas such as public service delivery, anti-corruption efforts, and protecting marginalized populations. Organized in partnership with institutions including the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Defend Our Democracy, and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, the event spotlighted innovative approaches to strengthening democratic institutions and processes.<\/p>\n

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The World Movement for Democracy’s Steering Committee concluded the event by presenting the 2024 Democracy Courage Tributes. This year\u2019s honorees include Ukrainian civil society, the Venezuelan pro-democracy movement, Palestinian civil society, and the Ugandan LGBTIQ+ movement. Credit: @WorldMovementDemocracy Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a landmark year for global democracy, with elections held in more than 60 countries, the assembly brought together diverse voices and perspectives to confront fundamental democracy concerns. Dean Taylor’s participation demonstrated the importance of fostering dialogue between scholars, activists, and emerging leaders to strengthen democratic movements worldwide. Dean Taylor serves on the Board of Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The Washington, DC-based NED serves as the World Movement Secretariat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dean Scott Taylor attended the 12th Global Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Johannesburg, where over 500 leaders convened to address global democratic challenges. Taylor, an expert in African politics, highlighted the resilience of pro-democracy movements and the inspiring role of young leaders in shaping the future of democracy worldwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22859,"featured_media":60668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11797],"tags":[12505,12016,12288,10431,8362,12509,12506,12514,12510,12516,8960,8593,12507,12508,12513,12512,12515,12511,11964,12504],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60667"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22859"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60667"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60676,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60667\/revisions\/60676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}