Mr. President:

I have the honor to take the floor on behalf of the members of the convening group of the Community of Democracies. Composed of the Czech Republic, India, the Republic of Korea, Mali, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, and the United States of America, as well as Chile.

Italy, Peru and Romania have also joined this statement.

The Community of Democracies was launched at a Ministerial Conference in Warsaw, Poland in June 2000, where more than 100 countries pledged to uphold democratic principles outlined in the Warsaw Declaration.

At its recent Ministerial Meeting, held during the UN General Assembly, on September 26, 2003, the convening group stressed the adherence of the Community of Democracies to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Fundamental Principles of International Law.

They also emphasized the interdependence between peace and development, human rights and democracy and reiterated the commitment of the Community of Democracies to the continuous development of democracy and the national, regional and global levels.

Furthermore, the members of the convening group recalled the Warsaw Declaration commitment that the Community of Democracies will collaborate on democracy-related issues in existing international regional institutions.

It is on the basis of the aforementioned that the convening group of the Caucus of Democracies has decided [sic] supported Doc. A/58/ L.15 “Support of the UN System of the Efforts of Governments to Promote and Consolidate New and Restored Democracies” as an important contribution to our common purposes.

We look forward to collaborating with the all interested states that share our values and dedication to the promotion of democracy and with the secretariat in the implementation of this resolution.