Declaration of the Nobel Women’s Initiative Conference on
Women Redefining Democracy
Antigua, Guatemala, May 10-12, 2009
We call upon all states and multilateral institutions to recognize that
the democratization process is incomplete, and does not end with
elections. No country or society can claim to be democratic when the
women who form half its citizens are denied their right to life, to
their human rights and entitlements, and to safety and security.
Despite this, we women have made extraordinary efforts to democratize
the institutions of society that frame our lives and the well-being of
all humanity – the family, the community, clan, tribe, ethnic or
religious group, political, legal, economic, social and cultural
structures, and the media and communications systems. But our search
for justice is continually overwhelmed by the violence perpetrated upon
us, by the exploitation and colonization of our bodies, our labor, and
our lands; by militarization, war and civil conflict; by persistent and
increasing poverty; and by environmental degradation. All of these
forces affect us, and our children, far more severely and in unique
ways. We know that democracy that comes from the heart is not the rule
of the majority, but safeguards dissent and difference with equal
rights, and fosters a culture of peace. We are in search of democracy
that transforms not just our lives, but all society – and we will not
be silenced until it is achieved in every part of the world.
First published on the Nobel Women's Initiative website.
