Liberal International
Liberal International (LI) is the political international federation for liberal political parties. It was founded in Oxford in 1947, and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties and for the strengthening of liberalism around the world. Its headquarters are at 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD within the National Liberal Club. The Oxford Manifesto describes the basic political principles of the Liberal International.
 Logo of Liberal International | |
| Abbreviation | Libintern |
|---|---|
| Formation | April 1947, constituted with the Oxford Manifesto |
| Type | Federation |
| Purpose | World federation of liberal political parties and organisations |
| Headquarters | National Liberal Club |
| Location |
|
Region served | Worldwide |
Membership | 106 (as of December 2018) |
President | Hakima El Haite |
Main organ | Congress of Liberal International |
| Website | liberal-international |
Aims
The Liberal International Constitution (2005) gives its purposes as
to win general acceptance of Liberal principles which are international in their nature throughout the world, and to foster the growth of a free society based on personal liberty, personal responsibility and social justice, and to provide the means of co-operation and interchange of information between the member organisations, and between men and women of all countries who accept these principles.
The principles that unite member parties from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe are respect for human rights, free and fair elections and multi-party democracy, social justice, tolerance, market economy, free trade, environmental sustainability and a strong sense of international solidarity.
The aims of Liberal International are also set out in a series of seven manifestos, written between 1946 and 1997, and are furthered by a variety of bodies including a near yearly conference for liberal parties and individuals from around the world.[1]
Bureau
The bureau[2] of Liberal International is elected every 18 months by the delegates of the congress.
The 14th president of Liberal International is Hakima el Haite of the Mouvement Populaire (Morocco), is former a Minister of Environment, UN climate champion, and climate scientist. Madam El Haite succeeded Dr Juli Minoves, formerly Andorra's foreign minister and representative to the United Nations.
Former Presidents include Hans Van Baalen MEP, Lord John Alderdice, Dutch politician and former European Commissioner Frits Bolkestein, German politician Otto Graf Lambsdorff, and Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after Francoist Spain, Adolfo Suárez.
Other members of the bureau include Deputy President Prof. Karl-Heinz Paque, and Vice Presidents Cellou Dalein Diallo [Guinea]; Kitty Monterrey [Nicaragua]; Abir al-Sahlani [Sweden]; Kiat Sittheamorn [Thailand]; and Robert Woodthorpe Browne MBE [United Kingdom]. There are two elected treasurers, Judith Pallares MP [Andorra] and Minister Omar Youm [Senegal]. The secretary general is Gordon Mackay, a former Member of Parliament from South Africa.
Awards
Liberal International awards prizes to worthy individuals in the fields of human rights and liberalism.
Prize for Freedom:
The Liberal International Prize for Freedom is LI's most prestigious human rights award. Conveyed annually since 1984 to an individual who of liberal conviction who has made outstanding efforts for the defence of freedom and human rights, recipients include Maria Corina Machado [Venezuela], Senator Leila de Lima [Philippines], Raif Badawi [Saudi Arabia], Waris Dirie [Somalia], and Vaclav Havel [Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic].
Medal of Liberalism:
The Liberal International Medal of Liberalism is awarded to individuals who have worked to advance liberal values on a local, national and international level. Recipients include President Alassane Ouattara [Côte d'Ivoire]; Prime Minister Xavier Bettel [Luxembourg]; President Tsai, Ing-wen [Taiwan]; Sir Graham Watson [United Kingdom].
Publications
The LI Human Rights Bulletin is published three times per year and consists of opinion articles, video interviews and digest of the work of the LI human rights committee.
Thematic publications are published online and in print on an ad hoc basis. Recent texts have offered a liberal perspective on issues ranging from freedom of belief to the responsibility to protect. ʒ
Oxford Manifesto
The Oxford Manifesto, drawn up in April 1947 at Wadham College in Oxford by representatives from 19 liberal political parties, led by Salvador de Madariaga, is a document describing the basic political principles of the Liberal International.[3]
The Oxford Manifesto was inspired by the ideas of William Beveridge and is regarded as one of the defining political documents of the 20 century.
Fifty years on, in 1997, Liberal International returned to Oxford and issued a supplement to the original manifesto, The Liberal Agenda for the 21st century, describing Liberal policies in greater detail. The second Oxford Manifesto was adopted by the 48th Congress of Liberal International, which was held on 27–30 November 1997 in the Oxford Town Hall.[4] In 2017, the global federation marked its 70th anniversary with the adoption of the Andorra Liberal Manifesto for the twenty-first century (ALM). A three-year project across numerous continents initiated by then president Juli Minoves, the ALM embodied the widest consultation of views undertaken by Liberal International in order to compile a policy document.[5]
Organisation
Presidents
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Members
Full members
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Observer parties
Individual member
| Country | Name | Government |
|---|---|---|
 |
Mr Martin Lee – founding chairman of Democratic Party | in opposition |
Cooperating organizations
Cooperating and regional organisations are groups with a recognised status in the constitution of Liberal International as bodies that share the values and objectives of LI but do not operate as a political party. Co-operating organisations have the right of representation but in no case the right to vote at statutory events.
| Organization | Region |
|---|---|
| Africa Liberal Network | Africa |
| Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats | Asia |
| Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (ALDE-PACE) | Europe |
| Friedrich Naumann Stiftung | Europe |
| Fondazione Libro Aperto | Europe |
| Fondazione Luigi Einaudi | Europe |
| Neue Zürcher Zeitung | Europe |
| Swedish International Liberal Centre | Europe |
| Red Liberal de América Latina | Latin America |
| Arab Liberal Federation | MENA |
| National Democratic Institute | North America |
Liberal think tanks and foundations
The International is also in a loose association with the following organisations:
| Organization | Country |
|---|---|
| Centre Jean Gol | Belgium |
| Friedrich Naumann Foundation | Germany |
| Fondazione Luigi Einaudi | Italy |
| Fondazione Critica Liberale | Italy |
| Friedrich Naumann Stiftung | Germany |
| Teldersstichting | Netherlands |
| The Bertil Ohlin Institute | Sweden |
| CentreForum | United Kingdom |
| European Liberal Forum | Europe |
See also
References
- "Constitution – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- "Bureau Members". Liberal International. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- "Oxford Manifesto 1947 – Manifesto – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- "Oxford Manifesto 1997 – Manifesto – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. 30 November 1997. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- "Andorra Liberal Manifesto - 2017". Liberal International. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- "Europe - Liberal International". Liberal International. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- "Liberal Party of Canada Welcomes Liberal International to 2009 Convention". Liberal Party of Canada. 6 March 2009. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- "North America - Liberal International". Liberal International. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- (in Dutch) VVD is a member of LI Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Liberal International official site
- The Liberal Agenda for the 21st century
- Former LI Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao
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