COMMUNICATION

ABOUT WEBSITES

My own up to date information and knowledge about development cooperation and democracy support comes from following specialized websites, hosted by governments, organizations, institutes, think tanks and NGOs. Some focus on regions of the world, while others focus on certain themes. I will present some of the websites I find particularly informative.

WWW.BCMD.BT

During my years with the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy (DIPD), one of the very intersting partners was the Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy. BCMD was one of...

The website of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a good place to start for anyone interested in democracy support in particular. Carnegie offers a unique global network of policy research centers in Russia, China, Europe, the Middle East, India, and the United States.

WWW.BNEW.BT

The Bhutan Network for Empowering Women - BNEW - has been established as an outcome of the first-ever National consultation of elected women representatives organized in March 2012, and with support from DIPD.

WWW.IWGIA.ORG

IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs - supports indigenous peoples' struggle for human rights, self-determination, right to territory, control of land and resources, cultural integrity, and the right to development.

WWW.V-DEM.NET

For those interested in the development of democracy both in the short-term and in the much longer-term, what is called the V-Dem Institute website at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden is a must.

WWW.DIPD.DK

It will not come as a surprise that the website of the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy is one I will recommend all of you to visit frequently.

ABOUT PUBLICATIONS

We need to understand the political economy of the world as well as of countries, if we want to develop solutions for the challenges facing humanity. New academic research, critical evaluations by independent consultants, and fiction from all corners of the world can help us. I will therefore share my favorite books on development and democracy with you.

TEN YEARS OF LEARNING

DIPD - Dansk Institut for Partier og Demokrati - udsendte for nogle måneder siden et katalog over erfaringer fra instituttets første 10 leveår. Det giver jeg her - som direktør for DIPD i en stor del af denne periode - nogle kommentarer med på vejen,

DIPD REPORTING ON 2018

I am happy to be able to comment on the 2018 Annual Report published in June 2019 by the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy, the organization I helped set in motion as the first Director 2011-16.

KNOWLEDGE ABOUT GLOBAL MINORITIES

The 2018 edition of "The Indigenous World", published by the Copenhagen-based IWGIA is a 640 page publication of high quality information of the situation of indigenous people's around the world. Amazing!

NIMD ANNUAL REPORT 2017

The Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy [NIMD] has recently released the 2017 Annual Report, which offers the reader a good overview of the challenges facing democracy programmes.

SUPPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION?

For decades, the Danes have been asked about their support - or the opposite - for development cooperation. In general, a majority of the population has been supportive. In March, a selection of 1001 persons were asked their opinion about the impact of development cooperation, i.e. if people think that it works or helps?

DRUK JOURNAL: DEMOCRACY IN BHUTAN?

The Druk Journal started in 2015, as a non-partisan publication, with the purpose of serving the national interest through the development of serious conversation on issues from every possible constructive point of view. In this issue, I write about the challenges presently facing political parties globally, and what needs to be done in Bhutan to avoid ending in the same situation.

ABOUT SPEAKING

Speaking to different audiences about development and democracy has been part of my life for years, and it has been something I really enjoyed doing. This activity is still close to my heart, and I therefore intend to continue to share my experiences with different groups of people, using my combination of practical experience with the ability to tell a good story.

DEMOCRACY AND THE SDGs – IN NEPAL

During my recent visit to Nepal, I had the opportunity to meet with the Steering Committee of JOMPOPS, a platform of all the parties that today play a role in the country. In addition to their normal SC business, they had asked me to make a presentation on the way in which issues of democracy are covered by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

ON THE WELFARE STATE – IN NEPAL

A seminar organized by the Maoist Party on 6 May was more modest in numbers than the big meeting on 4 May, but actually very interesting from a substantive point of view. Local academics spoke about how to analyse class and caste developments in Nepal, and how to address the key challenges. I had been asked to contribute with a perspective on the Nordic [Danish] welfare state.

TALKING ABOUT GLOBALIZATION IN NEPAL

I was invited to speak at a conference organised by the Communist and Maoist parties in Kathmandu around the 5 May celebration of the 200 year anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx, to speak about the challenges of globalisation and global democracy.

VERDENSMÅLENE OG DEMOKRATIET

Foreningen Globale Seniorer gennemfører i foråret en række møder, hvor medlemmer præsenterer de 17 Verdensmål. Jeg har fortalt om mål nummer 16, som bl.a. handler om fred, retssikkerhed og opbygning af effektive, ansvarlige og inddragende institutioner.

NEED FOR A PARTY BLUEPRINT?

As a former practitioner inside the party-support community, I can easily see the usefullness of the thematic reflections, case studies and work sheets presented in the NDI document. However, the nature of the document also raises questions that I believe need to be asked.

DELIBERATING DEMOCRATISATION

This meeting in London brought together a mix of academics, policy makers and practitioners. It provided an opportunity to exchange ideas and new ways of working.