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The role of the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders in supporting democracy and the efforts to confront the challenges it faces was at the center of a debate on April 18 during the inauguration of a seminar at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) that included a panel with OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza; the Ambassadors of Chile and Italy to the United States, Arturo Fermandois y Giulio Terzi; and the Minister of the Embassy of Lithuania, Rolandas Kacinskas. Speaking at the seminar, Kacinskas said his country’s example shows that “democracy and freedom cannot be taken for granted, but require hard work on a daily basis,” and that the experiences of Eastern Europe and other regions of the world indicate that the democratic process “is not irreversible,” since established democracies may be overthrown by authoritarian regimes.

Kacinaks recalled that “the lesson from my country is that democracy needs assistance, it needs help,” and that it “must be supported by relevant instruments, and this has been one of the original tasks of the Community of Democracies. As Chair, Lithuania has been trying to engage all layers of society, government, members of parliament, youth leaders, non-governmental organizations, women and businesses. Businesses can and must play an important role. Therefore, we invite the business community to take an active part in this meeting.”

The event, titled, “Corporate Democracy Seminar: The Role of the Private Sector and Other Actors in Supporting Democracy,” was held in the framework of the commemorative activities of the tenth anniversary of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and was co-chaired by the missions of Italy and Chile, and co-organized with the Working Group on Poverty, Development and Democracy of the Community of Democracies. The inauguration also included a pre-recorded video message from the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.