1) What is the ICDT?
The International Centre for Democratic Transition (ICDT) aims to collect the experience of past democratic transitions and to share it with those who are determined to follow that path.. Our activity is based on the premise that, first of all, democracies make safer, more stable and reliable neighbors; and, secondly, that democratic governance is beneficial to a country's own population. Our primary purpose is to provide guidance on the difficult journey from dictatorship to democracy.
2) What makes the ICDT unique?
Rather than aiming to promote democracy in general, the ICDT sets more limited, but also more concrete and pragmatic goals for itself. We concentrate on democratic transition as a process. As we have seen in both historical and contemporary examples, this lengthy process is vastly difficult and has many potential pitfalls. Rather than giving ready-made recipes on how democracy should be built, we want to show how others experienced their own transition – so that those who plan to embark on this difficult path in the future may learn from their successes as well as their failures. For this, the ICDT plans to build upon first-hand experience stemming from countries that recently experienced their own transition, such as those of Central and Eastern Europe.
3) What are the origins of the ICDT?
In March 2005, an international conference was held in Budapest at which a plan for a Centre was developed and approved. Within a few short weeks, the plan was presented and endorsed by the Third Community of Democracies Biennial Ministerial Conference, convened in Santiago, Chile in April the same year. During this conference it was announced that the Hungarian government would be providing the Centre with funds and office space to begin its valuable work.
4) Why is the Centre located in Budapest?
Hungary attaches such great importance to making the experience of democratic transitions available to other countries of the world. Hungary’s parliamentary parties unanimously supported the creation of the Centre and continue to actively support its activities. While the Government of Hungary has taken the lead in establishing the centre, it has been helped by the support of many other governments, particularly member countries of the Community of Democracies. As such, the Government of Hungary is seen as one of the supporters of the ICDT.
5) Is the ICDT a research institute?
Not primarily. It is an organization that executes projects on the ground in cooperation with others, marshalling the top level political support of governments, in order to actively contribute to democratic transitions worldwide. Some of the ICDT’s projects are research projects aiming to collect the experience of democratic transitions by conducting primary source and applied research.
6) Is the ICDT a funding institution?
The ICDT is not a grantmaking organization.
7) What regions are in the ICDT’s primary focus?
The primary expertise of the ICDT lies in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. But the ICDT’s focus is not restricted to any one region or area. Instead, we think that the experience of democratic transition should be available to all countries of the world, wherever the demand arises.
8) What is the thematic focus of the ICDT?
The ICDT’s areas of expertise are ombudsman institutions, regional cooperation, strengthening of marginalized groups, capacity building, and democracy education.
9) How does the ICDT conduct its projects?
The ICDT’s projects are conducted in strategic partnerships with local organizations and individuals. They are always supported by experts and occasionally external project managers. Besides the ICDT forges strategic institutional partnerships with organizations and individuals that have accumulated in-depth knowledge, developed functional skills and gained valuable experience in the particular fields of democracy promotion.
10) How does the ICDT measure its impact?
It is difficult to measure the immediate impact because not all the project outcomes are quantifiable in the short-term. The ICDT generates meaningful changes in society, but therefore time and much money is needed in the form multi-year programs with an aggregate impact.
The ICDT uses project-specific measurable indicators of success depending on the goal of the project. Such indicators are laws adopted/amended, networks created, campaigns conducted, number of beneficiaries reached, website visitors registered and publications released.
After each project the ICDT asks the participants' assessment of success expressed via evaluation sheets and discussion forums, etc.
For some projects the ICDT employs independent organizations to monitor the achievements of a project and to provide the Centre with regular feedback.
11) Where do we get our money from and how do we spend it?
The ICDT aspires to build up a stable donor base. Currently most of our donors are governments, international organizations and foundations as well as some individuals. The funding is used for the Centre’s various projects.
12) Why is the ICDT's website rather simple?
The ICDT works with several countries and many people for which a fast internet connection is not necessarily available. To ensure that everyone has the opportunity to read about the Centre's activities and view the website without difficulties, the ICDT has decided to abandon newest technologies and gimmicks in favor of accessibility.
