Liberal International

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Liberal International
AbbreviationLibintern
FormationApril 1947, constituted with the Oxford Manifesto
TypePolitical international
PurposeWorld federation of liberal political parties and organisations
HeadquartersNational Liberal Club
Location
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
90 political parties and 21 international organizations (as of May 2022)
President
Hakima El Haite
Main organ
Congress of Liberal International
Websiteliberal-international.org

Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberal political parties - a political international. It was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties, aiming to strengthen 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. LI is currently made up of 111 parties and organizations.

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, America, 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 of Liberal International is elected every 18 months by the delegates of the congress.[2]

The 14th president of Liberal International is Hakima el Haite of the Mouvement Populaire (Morocco), is a former 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, John, Lord 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.

The secretary-general of Liberal International is Gordon Mackay, a former Member of the National Assembly of South Africa. 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 (United Kingdom). There are two elected treasurers, Judith Pallares MP (Andorra) and Minister Omar Youm (Senegal).

Awards

Liberal International awards prizes to individuals in the areas 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 of liberal conviction who has made outstanding efforts for the defence of freedom and human rights, recipients include Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela, Senator Leila de Lima of the Philippines, Raif Badawi of Saudi Arabia, Waris Dirie of Somalia and Vaclav Havel of Czechoslovakia and the 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 of Ivory Coast, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg, President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe leader Sir Graham Watson of the 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[citation needed] and is regarded as one of the defining political documents of the 20 century.[citation needed]

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

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Country Presidency Membership
1 Salvador de Madariaga.JPG Salvador de Madariaga
(1886–1978)
 United Kingdom
 Spain (exiled)
20 April 1948 18 April 1952 Association
Mont Pelerin Society
2 Belgium politic personality icon.svg Roger Motz
(1904–1964)
 Belgium 18 April 1952 20 April 1958 Liberal Party
3 Giovanni Malagodi (IX).jpg Giovanni Malagodi
(1904–1991)
 Italy 20 April 1958 15 April 1966 Italian Liberal Party
4 Toxopeus, E.H. - SFA008007403.jpg Edzo Toxopeus
(1918–2009)
 Netherlands 15 April 1966 25 April 1970 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
5 Gaston Thorn (1984).jpg Gaston Thorn
(1928–2007)
 Luxembourg 25 April 1970 18 April 1982 Democratic Party
(3) Giovanni Malagodi (IX).jpg Giovanni Malagodi
(1904–1991)
 Italy 18 April 1982 26 April 1989 Italian Liberal Party
6 Adolfo Suárez 1979 (cropped).jpg Adolfo Suárez
(1932–2014)
 Spain 26 April 1989 22 April 1992 Democratic and Social Centre
7 Otto Graf Lambsdorff (1990).jpg Otto Graf Lambsdorff
(1926–2009)
 Germany 22 April 1992 25 April 1994 Free Democratic Party
8 DavidSteel1987 cropped.jpg David Steel
(1938–)
 United Kingdom 25 April 1994 15 April 1996 Liberal Democrats
9 Frits Bolkestein 1984 (1).jpg Frits Bolkestein
(1933–)
 Netherlands 15 April 1996 18 April 2000 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
10 Annemie Neyts bij het VVD seminar democratisering (5212184305) cropped.jpg Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck
(1944–)
 Belgium 18 April 2000 25 April 2005 Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten
11 Lord Alderdice.jpg John Alderdice
(1955–)
 United Kingdom 25 April 2005 20 April 2009 Liberal Democrats
and
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
12 Johannes Cornelis van Baalen MEP 1 - Diliff.jpg Hans van Baalen
(1960–2021)
 Netherlands 20 April 2009 26 April 2014 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
13 Juli Minoves Triquell, 2008.jpg Juli Minoves
(1969–)
 Andorra 26 April 2014 30 November 2018 Liberal Party of Andorra
14 Hakima El Haite (cropped).jpg Hakima El Haite
(1963–)
 Morocco 30 November 2018 Incumbent Popular Movement

Members

Incumbent heads of state and government

Full members

LI has 90 political parties.

Country/Region Name Government
 Andorra Liberal Party of Andorra[6] Junior party in government coalition
 Belgium Reform Movement[6] In government coalition
Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats[6] In government coalition
 Bulgaria Movement for Rights and Freedoms In opposition
 Burkina Faso Alliance for Democracy and Federation – African Democratic Rally In opposition
 Burundi Alliance démocratique pour le renouveau [fr] In opposition
 Cambodia Cambodia National Rescue Movement Extraparliamentary opposition
 Canada Liberal Party of Canada[7][8] In government
 Chile Liberal Party of Chile In government
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Alliance pour le renouveau au Congo [fr] In opposition
 Côte d'Ivoire Rally of the Republicans In government
 Croatia Istrian Democratic Assembly In opposition
 Cuba Cuban Liberal Union In exile
Democratic Solidarity Party In opposition
National Liberal Party In opposition
 Denmark Danish Social Liberal Party Support party to government
Liberal Party In opposition
 Estonia Estonian Reform Party Senior party in government coalition
 EU ALDE Group
ALDE Party
 Finland Centre Party Junior party in government coalition
Swedish People's Party Junior party in government coalition
 Georgia Republican Party of Georgia In opposition
 Germany German Group of the LI
Free Democratic Party Junior party in government coalition
 Gibraltar Liberal Party[6] Junior party in government coalition
 Guinea Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea In opposition
Union of Republican Forces In opposition
 Honduras Liberal Party In opposition
 Iceland Progressive Party Junior party in government coalition
 Ireland Fianna Fáil[6] Senior party in government coalition
 Israel Yesh Atid[9] Senior party in government coalition
 Kenya Orange Democratic Movement In opposition
 Kosovo Independent Liberal Party In opposition
 Lebanon Future Movement Senior party in government coalition
 Luxembourg Democratic Party Senior party in government coalition
 Madagascar Movement for the Progress of Madagascar In opposition
 Mexico New Alliance Party In opposition
 Mongolia Civil Will-Green Party Extraparliamentary opposition
 Montenegro Liberal Party of Montenegro Junior party in government coalition
 Morocco Constitutional Union In opposition
Popular Movement In opposition
 Netherlands Democrats 66 Junior party in government coalition
Dutch Group of LI
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy[10] Senior party in government coalition
 Nicaragua Ciudadanos por la Libertad In opposition
 North Macedonia Liberal Democratic Party Junior party in government coalition
 Norway Liberal Party In opposition
 Paraguay Authentic Radical Liberal Party In opposition
 Philippines Liberal Party In opposition
 Portugal Iniciativa Liberal In opposition
 Russia Yabloko Extraparliamentary opposition
 Senegal Alliance pour la République In government
Rewmi Junior party in government coalition
Senegalese Democratic Party In opposition
 Slovenia Concretely Extraparliamentary opposition
 Somalia CAHDI Party In opposition
 South Africa Democratic Alliance In opposition
 Spain Democràcia i Llibertat
 Sweden Liberals In opposition
Centre Party Support party to government
 Switzerland FDP.The Liberals In government coalition
 Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party In government
 Tanzania Civic United Front In opposition / in coalition in autonomous region of Zanzibar
 Thailand Democrat Party In government coalition
 United Kingdom Alliance Party of Northern Ireland In coalition government in Northern Irish Assembly, in opposition at national level
Liberal International British Group
Liberal Democrats In opposition
Worldwide International Federation of Liberal Youth
International Network of Liberal Women

Observer parties

Country/Region Name Government
 Austria NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum In opposition
 Brazil New Party In opposition
 Burkina Faso Union pour le Progrès et le Changement In opposition
 Chile Evópoli[11] In opposition
 Comoros Alliance Nationale pour les Comores Extraparliamentary opposition
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Union pour la reconstruction du Congo [fr] In opposition
 Republic of the Congo Union des Democrates Humanistes (UDH-YUKI)
 Cyprus United Democrats Extraparliamentary opposition
 Ghana Progressive People's Party In opposition
 Hungary Momentum Movement In opposition
 Italy Italian Group of Liberal International
 Madagascar Arche de la Nation In opposition
 Malaysia Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia In government
People's Justice Party In opposition
 Mali Citizens' Party for the Renewal of Mali Extraparliamentary opposition
Union pour la République et la Démocratie (URD)
 Mauritania Rally for Mauritania In opposition
 Moldova Liberal Reformist Party Extraparliamentary opposition
 Singapore Singapore Democratic Party Extraparliamentary opposition

Individual member

Country Name Government
 Hong Kong Mr Martin Lee – founding chairman of Democratic Party Extraparliamentary 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. LI has 12 cooperating organizations.

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
Fondazione Libro Aperto
Fondazione Luigi Einaudi
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Swedish International Liberal Centre
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 10 organisations:

Organization Country
Centre Jean Gol Belgium
Fondazione Luigi Einaudi Italy
Fondazione Critica Liberale
Liberal Institute Germany
Teldersstichting Netherlands
The Bertil Ohlin Institute Sweden
Education Policy Institute United Kingdom
European Liberal Forum Europe
Livres (movement)[12] Brazil

See also

References

  1. ^ "Constitution – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  2. ^ "Bureau Members". Liberal International. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Oxford Manifesto 1947 – Manifesto – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  4. ^ "Oxford Manifesto 1997 – Manifesto – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. 30 November 1997. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  5. ^ "Andorra Liberal Manifesto - 2017". Liberal International. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Europe - Liberal International". Liberal International. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "North America - Liberal International". Liberal International. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  9. ^ Hoffman, Gil (3 October 2021). "Yesh Atid joins Liberal International". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  10. ^ "VVD is a member of LI". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011.
  11. ^ @liberalinternat (3 October 2021). "📣 Felicidades!Join the global #liberal family in warmly welcoming @evopoli & their president @andresmolinam on of…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "Livres se torna única organização brasileira na Liberal Internacional • LIVRES".

External links