"We, the world's democracies -young and old, developed and developing- stand together on the frontlines of freedom. Our growing Community of Democracies truly represents the world's greatest hope."

Secretary of States Colin Powell to the Seoul Conference in November 2002.

The NGO Coalition for the Community of Democracies was initiated by The Association to Unite the Democracies in an attempt to engage a wide variety of concerned NGOs into active participation to support and encourage the work of the Community of Democracies as it is:

• Strengthen and improve democratic processes and facilities worldwide, especially in the fledgling democracies;
• Facilitate the further extension of democracy;
• Structure processes and facilities with which to protect fledgling democracies from overthrow by external aggression or by internal coup;
• Research, instruct and promulgate ways to improve and establish democratic processes;
• Evolve into an organization, possibly a federation of democracies with limited jurisdiction, capable of keeping the peace, first within the Community and eventually in the world, thus supporting the United Nations and the permanent International Criminal Court by forming with them, the "Three Pillars of Peace."

Today, the Ashburn Institute still strongly supports this initiative. For more information, click HERE or contact Menko Rose, Coordinator, NGO Coalition for the Community of Democracies, c/o The Ashburn Institute, P.O. Box 77164 , Washington , D.C. 20013-7164.