Welcome to the Official World Forum on Democracy Website

The first World Forum on Democracy (WFD) took place in Warsaw, Poland in June 2000. This unprecedented international gathering of scholars, civic and religious leaders, labor and business leaders, and former government officials from more than 80 countries marked the advance of democracy over the last 25 years, culminating in a far-reaching appeal for a global alliance of democratic states.

The WFD, while non-governmental by design, convened parallel with a gathering in Warsaw of more than 100 foreign ministers from democratic and democratizing states. In a written declaration, WFD delegates appealed to the ministerial "Community of Democracies" meeting to endorse and establish a caucus of democracies at the United Nations, with "rigorous standards for membership based on the criteria of free elections, freedom of expression, and freedom of association."

The WFD allowed leaders of different religious, ethnic, cultural and political backgrounds to assess challenges created by democracy's expansion, including: globalization, humanitarian intervention, international law, transitions to open and free societies, promotion of minority rights, and the rule of law. The next Community of Democracies gathering is scheduled to take place in October 2002 in Seoul, Korea. The WFD plans to meet again at that time under the aegis of a group of non-governmental organizations, including Freedom House and the Stefan Batory Foundation.