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The governing council of the Community of Democracies has appointed Maria Leissner (right), Sweden’s Ambassador-at-Large for Democracy, as the group’s first Secretary-General-Designate.
‘Her appointment marks a major step in the Community’s transformation from a forum for democracies to convene into an operational hub for democracy assistance and promotion,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today.
“As chair of the CD’s reform working group and a key leader of the intergovernmental coalition’s revitalization over the last two years, Ambassador Leissner has brought together a diverse array of partners to provide concrete support for democracies in transition,” she said.
Under the CD’s auspices, the U.S. and Estonia recently launched the LEND Network (Leaders Engaged in New Democracies), to help leaders in emerging democracies.
Drawing on expertise from the Club of Madrid‘s network of democratically elected former presidents and prime ministers, and 21st century technologies developed by Google and OpenText, the network allows democratic leaders to access the experience and insights of counterparts who have successfully navigated transitions.
