[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 83 Referred in House (RFH)]

  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 83


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 25, 2004

          Referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas a survey conducted by Freedom House in 2003, entitled ``Freedom in the 
        World'', found that of the 192 governments of nations of the world, 121 
        (or 63 percent) of such governments have an electoral democracy form of 
        government;
Whereas the Community of Democracies, an association of democratic nations 
        committed to promoting democratic principles and practices, held its 
        First Ministerial Conference in Warsaw, Poland, in June 2000;
Whereas in a speech at that Conference, Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the 
        United Nations, stated that ``when the United Nations can truly call 
        itself a community of democracies, the [United Nations] Charter's noble 
        ideals of protecting human rights and promoting `social progress in 
        larger freedoms' will have been brought much closer'', that 
        ``democratically governed states rarely if ever make war on one 
        another'', and that ``in this era of intra-state wars, is the fact that 
        democratic governance--by protecting minorities, encouraging pluralism, 
        and upholding the rule of law--can channel internal dissent peacefully, 
        and thus help avert civil wars'';
Whereas a report by an Independent Task Force cosponsored by the Council on 
        Foreign Relations and Freedom House in 2002, entitled ``Enhancing U.S. 
        Leadership at the United Nations'', concluded that ``the United States 
        is frequently outmaneuvered and outmatched at the [United Nations]'' 
        because the 115 members of the nonaligned movement ``cooperate on 
        substantive and procedural votes, binding the organization's many 
        democratic nations to the objectives and blocking tactics of its 
        remaining tyrannies'';
Whereas at the First Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies, the 
        representatives of the participating governments agreed to ``collaborate 
        on democracy-related issues in existing international and regional 
        institutions, forming coalitions and caucuses to support resolutions and 
        other international activities aimed at the promotion of democratic 
        governance''; and
Whereas that agreement was reaffirmed at the Second Ministerial Conference of 
        the Community of Democracies in Seoul, Korea, in November 2002: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),

SECTION 1. PROMOTION OF A DEMOCRACY CAUCUS WITHIN THE UNITED NATIONS.

    Congress urges the President to instruct any representative of the 
United States to a body of the United Nations to use the voice and vote 
of the United States to seek to establish a democracy caucus within the 
United Nations as described in this Resolution.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE OF THE DEMOCRACY CAUCUS.

    The purpose of the democracy caucus referred to in section 1 should 
be to advance the interests of the United States and other nations that 
are committed to promoting democratic norms and practices by--
            (1) supporting common objectives, including bolstering 
        democracy and democratic principles, advancing human rights, 
        and fighting terrorism in accordance with the rule of law;
            (2) forging common positions on matters of concern that are 
        brought before the United Nations or any of the bodies of the 
        United Nations;
            (3) working within and across regional lines to promote the 
        positions of the democracy caucus;
            (4) encouraging democratic states to assume leadership 
        positions in the bodies of the United Nations; and
            (5) advocating that states that permit gross violations of 
        human rights, sponsor terrorist activities, or that are the 
        subject of sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security 
        Council are not elected--
                    (A) to leadership positions in the United Nations 
                General Assembly; or
                    (B) to membership or leadership positions in the 
                Commission on Human Rights, the Security Council, or 
                any other body of the United Nations.

SEC. 3. CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE DEMOCRACY CAUCUS.

    Participation in the democracy caucus referred to in section 1 
should be limited to countries that--
            (1) are qualified to participate in the Community of 
        Democracies, an association of democratic nations committed to 
        promoting democratic principles and practices; and
            (2) have demonstrated a commitment--
                    (A) to the core democratic principles and practices 
                set out in the Final Warsaw Declaration of the 
                Community of Democracies, adopted at Warsaw June 27, 
                2000; and
                    (B) to the democratic principles set forth in--
                            (i) the United Nations Charter;
                            (ii) the Universal Declaration of Human 
                        Rights; and
                            (iii) the International Covenant on Civil 
                        and Political Rights.

SEC. 4. ANNUAL MEETING.

    The members of the democracy caucus referred to in section 1 should 
hold a ministerial-level meeting at least once each year to coordinate 
policies and positions of the caucus.

            Passed the Senate June 24, 2004.

            Attest:

                                             EMILY J. REYNOLDS,

                                                             Secretary.