"The Labour Party, through its Westminster Foundation for Democracy funds, has continued to support social democratic parties in new and emerging democracies over the last year. In Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and elsewhere, the work of the Labour Party has shown that without real and effective political parties it is not possible for a functioning democracy to exist.
"I wish the Westminster Foundation for Democracy future success as it works to strengthen not just political parties, but also Parliaments and the institutions of local government."
Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party.
September 2007
Annual conference
The Labour party annually invites representatives from sister parties across the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East to attend annual conference. This year 20 participants from 16 different countries attended Conference. For the first time we were pleased to welcome participants from Morocco and Kazakhstan to the UK.
The study programme provided a stimulating programme of workshops and speeches designed to introduce our sister parties to the Labour party’s policy-making process and to stimulate debate among the participants, often cutting across ethnic divides.
The programme began in London at the Labour Party head office where the delegates were introduced to the Labour party’s policy-making process. Whilst at conference the visitors attended a variety of international events including the sister party lunch and an international question and answer session with Cabinet Ministers. They also had the opportunity to meet with various members of Labour’s National Executive Committee.
August 2007
Kenya
Sally Keeble MP took part in a fact-finding mission to Kenya where she met with senior political figures from various parties.
This allowed the Labour Party to develop a greater understanding of the political situation in Kenya prior to the general elections due to be held at the end of this year. The visit was part of a longer term project designed to encourage good governance and parliamentary accountability in Kenya.
July 2007
Mongolia
The Labour party organised a 5 day study visit for 10 female members of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party. As part of the Millennium Development goals Mongolia is required to increase the representation of women in parliament from 6.6% to 30%.
This visit introduced the women representatives to the ongoing work that the Labour party has done to increase the representation of women in politics. The group undertook a varied programme of visits meeting female MPs, party officials, trade union representatives and visiting parliament. The group also visited a local council to obtain an insight into the regeneration work that Labour has carried out.The participants gained valuable insights from this visit which will help them strive to increase the representation of women in politics in Mongolia.
Sierra Leone
In a ground-breaking initiative the Labour party has been working on a cross-party basis in Sierra Leone to foster democracy in a country which was torn apart by a ten year civil war. The latest phase of this project was carried out in July when two Labour Party press officers, along with representatives from the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, organised ‘Voter Forums’ prior to the General Elections. The forums were modeled on the UK ‘Question Time’ programme and allowed members of the public to question parliamentary candidates about their vision for the future of Sierra Leone.
June 2007
Africa group
A series of workshops focusing on the ‘New Partnership for Africa’s Development’ (NEPAD) have been planned as part of a long term project in Africa. The second workshop focusing on ‘Promoting Participatory Decision Making’ was held in Botswana. Representatives were invited from 8 political parties from 7 different countries across Africa.
Three Labour Party representatives, including members of the National Executive Committee, were also present. The workshop brought the participants together to enable them to share experiences about party development and to learn about the Labour party’s innovative policy making process.
Kosovo
As part of the Labour party’s long-term commitment to working in Kosovo a workshop was organised for young representatives of Social Democratic Parties from Serb and Albanian communities. The workshop discussed social democratic principles and helped bridge the ethnic divides. Representatives from the Labour party facilitated this workshop which also focused on Labour’s policy-making process and how to lead an effective election campaign.
May 2007
EU/Africa development platform
The Labour Party, together with the International Union of Socialist Youth and the African National Congress (ANC), organised a workshop to develop dialogue between the EU and Africa.
Participants were represented from our contact and sister parties across Africa and the EU at the meeting in Johannesburg. The workshop provided a forum for the participants to discuss joint strategies to foster stronger policies and action on common concerns prior to the EU/Africa summit.
September 2006
The Labour Party organised a study programme around Annual Conference in Manchester. Participants were invited from our sister and contact parties in Africa and the Western Balkans.
The programme was split into two parts. The first part consisted of a day at the London Head Office where Labour's policy making process was explained. The participants were then given the opportunity to visit City Hall.
The remainder of the programme was held in Manchester alongside Annual Conference. The participants were able to observe the workings of conference and attend fringe events, receptions and other meetings.
August 2006
The Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP, Minister Without Portfolio and Party Chair, visited South Africa in August. Meetings with senior ANC officials and MP's were organised to consolidate party relationships. It was an opportunity to discuss similar challenges faced by progressive parties who wish to renew and re-energise their political parties whilst in government.
During the visit, Hazel Blears MP addressed an audience at the 'Centre for the Book' on 'Tolerance, Freedom and Respect'. This focused on the challenges we face today to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to live in a society which is inclusive, transparent and accountable to its citizens.
The Party Chair also took the opportunity to visit women's and children's projects in South Africa.
The Chair visited 'the Kids Haven' which is a residential shelter for abused and abandoned children who had been living on the streets. This was followed by a visit to 'Gauteng Women in Construction'. This is an organisation created by women to encourage women into construction and development projects. The Chair was shown some of the construction work that was underway in Soweto.
July 2006
Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Labour Party ran a series of projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina in preparation for the elections in October. The projects looked to demonstrate how to run a campaign, how to tackle voter complacency and how to organise volunteers.
Palestinian Territories
Shahid Malik MP and Mike Griffiths from the Labour Party's National Executive Committee visited Palestine in July. The purpose of their visit was to look at ways in which tangible links could be created between the Labour Party and Fatah. The visit was organised to assess the political situation post the January legislative elections.
Tanzania
An assessment visit was organised to Tanzania in July. Meetings were organised with the Chama Cha Mapinduzi, the Labour Party's sister party in Tanzania. The CCM is led by Jakaya Kikwete, President of Tanzania. As a result of the visit the Labour Party will now look into the possibility of developing project work with the CCM.
June 2006
Balkans wide
A region wide workshop was organised for the social democratic parties in the Western Balkans. The Labour Party also participated in this workshop. Participants discussed the economic situations in their respective countries and within the region as a whole. This led to discussions on the role of social democratic parties in addressing the issues identified. The Labour Party discussed its own experiences in economic reform.
Botswana
A workshop was organised with the Botswana Congress Party (BCP).
This was the first in a series of workshops which ran as a "train the trainers" session. The workshops aim to modernise and strengthen the organisation of the BCP and to promote the participation of women and youth at all levels. The workshop received coverage in the local newspaper 'The Monitor'.
Dominica
A series of workshops were organised alongside the Dominica Labour Party�s Women�s and Youth Congress in June. These focussed on 'The Importance of Youth in Politics and how to keep young people involved in Politics' and 'Women in Politics'. The proposal for this event was presented to us by the youth organisation of the Dominica Labour Party (DLP). The DLP is led by The Hon Roosevelt Skerritt MP. He was recognised as the youngest PM, at the age of 31, by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Moldova
The Labour Party conducted an assessment visit to Moldova where meetings were held with the major centre-left political parties and various non-partisan organisations.
May 2006
In May, the Labour Party organised a study programme around the local elections in London for representatives from our sister parties in the Caribbean. Participants took part from the Barbados Labour Party, the Dominica Labour Party, the People�s National Party of Jamaica, the St Lucia Labour Party and the Unity Labour Party of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The study programme followed the last five days of the campaign trail specifically in London. Borough elections are held across London every four years. These were "all-out" elections where all seats were contested across London's 32 boroughs.
As well as visiting key battlegrounds throughout London, the participants were also given the opportunity to visit Parliament and the Greater London Assembly. They were able to question senior staff and a minister at Labour's head office and observed an election rally with Labour's Chancellor Gordon Brown and Labour's Mayor of London Ken Livingstone. The participants found the visit extremely beneficial and have given some excellent feedback.
Pakistan
The Labour Party sent representation to a series of workshops organised across Pakistan to increase dialogue between politically active youth in Pakistan and the UK. These workshops provided a forum to exchange ideas between youth representatives from the UK political parties and young Muslim leaders in Pakistan.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a project was concluded which focused on improving the organisation and structure of the youth organisation of our sister party. The project encouraged participation in youth politics and examined the impact that young people can have on the development of policy and campaign techniques. In total, 100 young people from across Bosnia and Herzegovina took part in the project. Labour Party participants facilitated the final evaluation workshop in May which took place eight months after the first workshop when Labour Party participants also attended.
April 2006
Azerbaijan
At the beginning of April, we conducted a visit to Azerbaijan to see what work we can develop to promote social democratic forces. Parliamentary elections were recently held in November 2005 which saw the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) returned to power.
Kosovo
The Labour Party carried out a visit to Kosovo. We have an established relationship with the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) which was founded after the NATO intervention in 1999. The PDK is a relatively new party and has developed into the major opposition party in Kosovo.
March 2006
European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity
The Labour Party is a member of the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity which brings together the social democratic parties and Foundations throughout the European Union. The Labour Party supports the European Forum's website which provides updates of the latest political developments in South-East Europe and the surrounding areas. The site also has in depth country profiles on all of the countries in the area and has recently expanded to provide country updates on Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco. For more information please visit http://www.europeanforum.net/
Bulgaria
Over the last year, we have been supporting a series of workshops preparing Bulgaria for EU accession in 2007. These workshops looked to explain to social democrats the history of the EU and of the values and benefits of enlargement. Women have been specifically targeted in these workshops. This project was developed following the success of a similar project which talked of the benefits of local government.
South Africa
March saw local elections in South Africa. These were the third local government elections since the end of apartheid in South Africa. Leaflets and materials were produced by the ANC to encourage voter turnout. The elections did see an improvement in support for the ANC in comparison to the 2000 local elections - polling 66.34 per cent of the vote compared to under 60 per cent.
February 2006
Sierra Leone
The Labour Party recently organised a cross-party visit to Sierra Leone. Together, the Westminster political parties offered three political parties in Sierra Leone training on campaigning, communications and engaging with the electorate to assist in the build up to elections next year.
Centenary Conference
Also in February, participants from our contact parties in the Balkans and Africa were invited to attend the Centenary Conference in Blackpool. Despite the weather, we had a very good turnout of nearly 30 participants! Highlights of the programme included a study visit to Blackpool Council, an explanation of the role of the regional office, participation in conference and the opportunity to meet various Ministers, other delegates and of course each other.
Uganda
The Labour Party has been supporting democratic forces in Uganda for many years and has increased its support in the build up to the recent multi-party elections in Uganda - the first such elections in 25 years.
January 2006
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Trafficking is a major issue, particularly in the Balkans. The Labour Party is running a project on tackling this issue particularly the trafficking of women and children in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Balkans-wide
Over the last year, we have been running workshops across Central and Eastern Europe to encourage women and young people to become involved in politics at all levels. Working with women and youth are the two priorities of our work and the workshops are having a positive impact!
Submitting a proposal
If you are interested in submitting a proposal for consideration by the Labour Party or if you would like further information on the Labour Party's WFD work, please email international@new.labour.org.uk
For general information on the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, please visit http://www.wfd.org/
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