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FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9566
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0105
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2325
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 1171
RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE PRIORITY 0032
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0271
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1030
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 1991
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 2289
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 2394
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1088
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE PRIORITY 0170
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON PRIORITY 0458
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM PRIORITY 2069
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 3508
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 0143
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0561
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1333

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 OTTAWA 000468 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAN AND DRL 
USAID FOR DCHA/DG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KDEM KWMN AORC EAID CA
SUBJECT: CANADA'S DEMOCRACY PROMOTION COMMUNITY ACTIVE 
AROUND THE WORLD 
 
REF: OTTAWA 281 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary and comment.  Several government-funded 
Canadian organizations are active around the world in 
promoting human rights and good governance, whose work the 
government's proposed creation of a new Canadian democracy 
promotion agency focused on political party development would 
complement.  Canadian-funded projects include constitutional 
development efforts in Iraq, women's rights in Afghanistan, 
human rights defenders in Zimbabwe, the "Panties for Peace" 
campaign for Burma, and judicial reform in Russia and China. 
The Canadian Democracy Council serves as a coordinating body 
for the country's democracy promotion organizations.  The 
range of institutions in Canada and programs around the world 
devoted to these goals is a welcome reminder of the extent of 
U.S.-Canada global partnership on human rights-related 
issues.  End summary and comment. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  In addition to the government's proposed 
establishment of a new Canadian democracy promotion agency 
focused on political party strengthening (reftel) as well as 
ongoing human rights projects by the Department of Foreign 
Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) and the Canadian 
International Development Agency (CIDA), other Canadian 
organizations have long been involved in other areas of 
democratic development and human rights, most with at least 
some funding from the Canadian government.  In 2005, the 
government established the Canadian Democracy Council to 
bring together Canada's democracy promotion community. 
Co-chaired by DFAIT and CIDA, the Democracy Council includes 
Elections Canada, Rights & Democracy, the International 
Development Research Center (IDRC), the Forum of Federations, 
the National Judicial Institute, and the Parliamentary 
Center.  The Parliamentary Center also serves as the 
secretariat to both the Global Organization for 
Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) and the 
Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA), networks 
devoted to fighting corruption and building parliamentary 
cooperation in the Americas.  While not as well known as 
American counterparts, these organizations are also active in 
encouraging democratic development and respect for human 
rights around the world. 
 
Rights & Democracy 
------------------ 
 
¶3.  (U)  The Canadian Parliament established the 
International Center for Human Rights and Democratic 
Development -- better known as "Rights & Democracy" -- in 
1988 as a non-partisan, independent institution to promote 
democratic development and human rights.  In 2008, the 
government provided Rights & Democracy with funding of 
approximately C$10 million (US$9.3 million).  Based in 
Qapproximately C$10 million (US$9.3 million).  Based in 
Montreal, Rights & Democracy has project offices in Kabul and 
Port-au-Prince (both staffed entirely by local employees), 
and a European office in Geneva to monitor the UN Human 
Rights Council and for liaison with the Office of the UN High 
Commissioner for Human Rights.  In Afghanistan, Rights & 
Democracy has increased women's participation in public life 
through legal aid services, women's rights training, and 
family law reform.  Rights & Democracy's Port-au-Prince 
office has trained hundreds of civil society activists around 
Haiti and helped establish Haiti's Office for the Protection 
of Human Rights. 
 
¶4.  (U)  Rights & Democracy claims to be among the first 
organizations to support the Burmese government-in-exile.  In 
May 2008, Rights & Democracy's Student Network together with 
 
OTTAWA 00000468  002 OF 005 
 
 
the Quebec Women's Federation launched the Canadian "Panties 
for Peace" campaign to draw attention to human rights abuses 
and violence against women in Burma.  (Note: This campaign 
was first established by the Lanna Action for Burma in 
October 2007, following the crackdown on the Buddhist 
monks-led pro-democracy uprising.  End note.)  The campaign 
plays on the military junta's fears that touching women's 
underpants rob men of their strength.  Rights & Democracy's 
Student Network comprises 25 Canadian universities, linked to 
institutions in Morocco, Burma, Colombia, Jordan, and Burkina 
Faso. 
 
¶5.  (U)  In Zimbabwe, Rights & Democracy has supported 
investigations to document ongoing human rights violations 
and case submissions to the African Commission for Human and 
People's Rights.  Working closely with the South Africa-based 
Zimbabwean Exiles Forum (ZEF), Rights & Democracy has also 
supported advocacy efforts with the South African government 
to end human rights abuses against exiled Zimbabweans.  In 
December 2008, Rights & Democracy awarded its annual John 
Humphrey Freedom Award to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human 
Rights (ZLHR) for commitment to seeking justice for victims 
of human rights abuse.  Following the award, the ZLHR 
conducted public outreach activities around Canada. 
 
¶6.  (U)  Rights & Democracy has also worked to advance 
indigenous people's rights and political participation in 
Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru, 
especially targeting "double discrimination" against 
indigenous women.  It has supported election monitoring 
efforts in East Timor, Eritrea, and Togo, as well as security 
sector reform in Indonesia.  It has supported development of 
the South Sudan Human Rights Commission, and has worked with 
women's rights organizations to fight sexual violence in the 
Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, and Rwanda.  Its 
human rights impact assessments includes a study of how 
Nortel's supply of a digital wireless communications network 
to China's Ministry of Railways for the Gormo-Lhasa railway 
may have had the negative effect of improving the Chinese 
government's regional surveillance capabilities in Tibet. 
Rights & Democracy has also conducted civil society 
strengthening programs in Burundi, Ivory Coast, El Salvador, 
Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, 
Pakistan, Palestinian Authority, Tanzania, and Thailand. 
 
International Development Research Center (IDRC) 
--------------------- -------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (U)  Founded by the Canadian Parliament in 1970, the 
Ottawa-based International Development Research Center (IDRC) 
serves as a "knowledge bridge" by collaborating with 
Qserves as a "knowledge bridge" by collaborating with 
researchers from the developing world to promote healthier, 
more equitable, and prosperous societies.  In 2007-08, the 
Canadian government provided funding of almost C$150 million 
(US$140.7 million).  The IDRC has regional offices in Cairo, 
Dakar, Montevideo, Nairobi, New Delhi, and Singapore.  It has 
funded thousands of research projects in Asia, Africa, and 
Latin America/Caribbean on human rights, gender equity, 
health, economic development, and the environment. 
 
¶8.  (U)  IDRC links regional networks of researchers with 
Canadian experts to tackle "cutting edge" development issues. 
 In Afghanistan IDRC has supported the development of a 
Hindu-Kush-Himalayan University Consortium, including 
university partners in India and China, to share best 
practices on the environment and economic development.  IDRC 
also supported peace conferences in Srinagar to build 
relations among women divided by the Jammu-Kashmir line of 
 
OTTAWA 00000468  003 OF 005 
 
 
control.  IDRC partnered with Microsoft and the Swiss Agency 
for Development and Cooperation to support information 
technology and communication development in the Middle East 
and North Africa through social investment in grassroots 
"telecenters."  IDRC has also supported research on 
Indonesian female migrant labor flows to the UAE as well as 
the workers' legal rights.  In cooperation with the 
Inter-American Development Bank, IDRC supported the 
development of e-government systems in several Latin American 
states.  IDRC has funded collaborative research between 
Ontario's York University and Sudanese universities on 
sustainable development in Southern Sudan.  IDRC also 
supported the Egyptian government's efforts at encouraging 
the growth in small and medium-sized enterprises by improving 
their regulatory and tax environment. 
 
Forum of Federations 
-------------------- 
 
¶9.  (U)  The Forum of Federations (Forum) is an independent 
Ottawa-based organization focused on federalism's 
contributions to the maintenance of democratic societies and 
governments.  In 2007-08, the government gave the Forum C$4.4 
million (US$4.1 million) in core funding.  The Forum helps 
countries with federal systems to learn from similar systems 
and practices elsewhere, thereby contributing to improved 
governance.  Partner governments contribute financially to 
the Forum and are represented on the Forum's Board of 
Directors and Strategic Council.  The Forum's current partner 
national governments include Australia, Brazil, Canada, 
Ethiopia, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, and Switzerland. 
 
¶10.  (U)  The Forum worked with the U.S.' National Democratic 
Institute and the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) from 
2004 until this year to provide constitutional advice and 
training on federal governance to Iraqi officials, 
parliamentarians, academics, and media.  With CIDA funding, 
the Forum organized a conference in Erbil formally to launch 
the Iraqi Center for Federal Studies (ICFS), which will 
provide federalism training to the Iraqi Government, 
Kurdistan Regional Government, and academics.  With funding 
from DFAIT, Forum staff contributed to the implementation of 
federalism-related aspects of Sudan's Comprehensive Peace 
Agreement, working with the central government and Government 
of South Sudan.  Forum staff are also collaborating with 
Ethiopian academics to create a new Institute of Federalism 
at Addis Ababa University.  The Forum has also organized a 
range of governance workshops including on Mexican 
intergovernmental cooperation, fiscal federalism in Argentina 
and Brazil, decentralized health care delivery in India, and 
Qand Brazil, decentralized health care delivery in India, and 
federalist education in Sri Lanka. 
 
National Judicial Institute (NJI) 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (U)  The NJI is an Ottawa-based independent non-profit 
institution established in 1988 to provide judicial education 
and better justice.  NJI's International Cooperation Group 
promotes cooperation among Canadian and international judges 
and judicial educators.  NJI manages international judicial 
reform projects, hosts international study visits, and 
promotes the development of an international judicial 
network.  Through a five-year CIDA-funded legal reform 
project, NJI set up over a dozen model courts in the 
Philippines as blueprints for testing alternative dispute 
resolution.  Another five-year CIDA-funded project fostered 
exchanges between higher courts in China and Canada to 
promote systemic legal reform.  NJI has also implemented 
 
OTTAWA 00000468  004 OF 005 
 
 
judicial education projects in Ghana, Russia, Ukraine, 
Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Africa, Slovakia, Pakistan, and 
Chile.  NJI is currently exploring ways to help Mexico as it 
changes to an adversarial trial system. 
 
Parliamentary Center 
-------------------- 
 
¶12.  (U)  Founded in 1968, the Ottawa-based Parliamentary 
Center is a non-partisan organization devoted to improving 
the effectiveness of representative assemblies around the 
world.  The Center is a global leader in parliamentary 
development and good governance.  The Center is working to 
build the capacity of national legislatures in Cambodia and 
China to improve their citizen engagement and legislative 
drafting skills.  It is also implementing a four-year C$5 
million CIDA-funded project to increase the capacity of 
Haiti's legislature and to train Haitian parliamentarians on 
key committees such as budget, justice, health, and poverty 
reduction.  In 2001, the Center launched a program to 
strengthen parliamentary oversight in Russia.  It has 
provided staff training for the Russian Federal Assembly and 
hosted exchange visits for Russian legislators to learn about 
Canadian policy on federalist and aboriginal issues in the 
northern regions.  The Center has also supported 
parliamentary strengthening efforts in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, 
Serbia and Bosnia.  In the Middle East, the Center has 
implemented a CIDA-funded project to strengthen relations 
between the Lebanese Parliament and Lebanese NGOs. 
 
Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption 
(GOPAC) 
------------- --------------------------- 
------------------------ 
 
¶13.  (U)  GOPAC is an international network of 
parliamentarians dedicated to good governance and combating 
corruption.  Although the GOPAC secretariat is located in 
Ottawa's Parliamentary Center, it is an independent financial 
entity.  Founded in 2002, GOPAC has hundreds of members 
around the world organized into regional and national 
chapters.  GOPAC has developed a code of conduct for 
parliamentarians and a handbook on preventing corruption. 
GOPAC provides peer support for its members, educational 
resources on legislative oversight, and tools for measuring 
accountability and results in countering corruption.  GOPAC's 
third global conference took place in Kuwait in November 2008 
in partnership with GOPAC's Arab Regional Chapter.  In 
February 2009, parliamentarians in Azerbaijan and Georgia 
formed the South Caucasus Parliamentarian's Network Against 
Corruption.  CIDA, USAID, the State Department's Middle East 
Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the World Bank, and the 
private sector provide funding for GOPAC. 
 
Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) 
QInter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) 
--------------------- -------------------------- 
 
¶14.  (U)  The Parliamentary Center, CIDA, and DFAIT provide 
funding for FIPA, an independent network made up of the 
national legislatures of the OAS member states.  The FIPA 
secretariat is located within Ottawa's Parliamentary Center. 
FIPA was formed at the 2001 inaugural meeting hosted by 
Parliament in Ottawa.  FIPA members are committed to 
promoting parliamentary participation and dialogue in the 
inter-American system.  FIPA encourages the sharing of best 
practices amongst its members and holds annual plenary 
meetings to discuss hemispheric issues. 
 
 
OTTAWA 00000468  005 OF 005 
 
 
Visit Canada,s North American partnership community at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
 
BREESE