Liberal International

Liberal International is a political international for liberal parties. Its headquarters are located at 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD within the National Liberal Club. 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. The Oxford Manifesto describes the basic political principles of the 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 multiparty-democracy, social justice, tolerance, social market economics, 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.

Officers

The president of Liberal International is Lord Alderdice, a British Liberal Democrat peer who was leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. The deputy president is Hans van Baalen, spokesperson on foreign affairs, Europe and defence for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament. The secretary general is Emil Kirjas, a former president of the International Federation of Liberal Youth.

Publications

Liberal International has two main publications. The first, "LI-news" [http://www.liberal-international.org/liNewsSubscribe.asp?ia_id=1114] is a weekly dossier of news items that are relevant to the organization's member parties or cooperating organizations. The second, "Liberal Matters", is a magazine published several times a year highlighting a particular liberal theme.

Members

Ruling parties in bold.

Full members

* AND - Liberal Party of Andorra
* AGO - Liberal Democratic Party
* AUT - Liberal Forum
* BEL
**Mouvement Réformateur
**Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten
* BGR -
**Movement for Rights and Freedoms
**National Movement for Simeon II
* CAN - Liberal Party
* CRI - Partido Movimiento Libertario
* CIV - Rassemblement des Republicains
* CRO - Hrvatska Socijalno Liberalna Stranka
* CUB -
**Partido Liberal de Cuba
**Partido Solidaridad Democrática
**Unión Liberal Cubana
* DNK -
**Det Radikale Venstre
**Venstre
* EQG - National Democratic Union of Equatorial Guinea
* EST - Eesti Reformierakond
* FIN -
**Keskusta
**Svenska Folkpartiet
* DEU -
**Deutsche Gruppe der LI
**Freie Demokratische Partei
* GIB - Liberal Party
* GRE - Liberal Alliance
* HND - Partido Liberal
* HUN - Szabad Demokraták Szövetsége
* ISL - Framsóknarflokkurinn
* ISR -
**Shinui
**Israeli Liberal Group
* LVA - Latvias Cels
* LTU - Liberal Union of Lithuania
* LUX - Demokratesch Partei
* MKD - Liberalnо Demokratska Partija
* MWI - United Democratic Front (Malawi)
* MDA - Partidul Social-Liberal
* MNE - Liberal Party of Montenegro
* MAR -
**Union Constitutionnelle
**Mouvement Populaire
* NLD -
**Democraten 66
**Nederlandse Groep
**Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie
* NOR - Venstre
* PRY - Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico
* PHL - Liberal Party
* ROU - Partidul Naţional Liberal
* RUS - Yabloko
* SEN - Parti Démocratique Sénégalais
* SRB - Liberals of Serbia
* SVK - Alliance of New Citizens
* SVN - Liberalna Demokracija Slovenije
* ZAF - Democratic Alliance
* ESP -
**Llibertat i Democracia Social
**Unió Mallorquina
* LKA - Liberal Party
* SWE -
** Liberal People's Party
** Centre Party
* CHE -
**Freisinnig Demokratische Partei
**Parti Libéral Suisse
* TWN - Democratic Progressive Party
* TZA - Chama Cha Wananchi
* UK -
**Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
**Liberal International British Group
**Liberal Democrats

Observer parties

* ARG - Recreate for Growth
* BRA - Brazilian Group of Liberal International
* COD - Alliance Nationale des Démocrates pour la Reconstruction (ANADER)
* CRI - Partido Movimiento Libertario - (President: Otto Guevara; Harvard, LL.M. '87), (PML)
* CRO - Croatian People's Party (HNS)
* GEO - Republican Party of Georgia
* GTM - Movimiento Reformador (MR)
* IRL - Progressive Democrats
* ITA -
**Italian Radicals
**Italian Liberal Group
**Federation of Italian Liberals
* KEN - Liberal Democratic Party of Kenya
* flag|Kosovo - Partia Liberale e Kosoves
* LTU - New Union/Social Liberals
* MEX - Nueva Alianza
* SRB - Liberal Democratic Party
* SLO - Zares
* SYC - Seychelles National Party
* TUN - Parti Social Libéral
* ZMB - United Party for National Development

Cooperating organisations

*Africa Liberal Network
*Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
*Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats
*European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
*Friedrich Naumann Stiftung
*Dr. Y. Foerder Foundation
*Fondazione Luigi Einaudi
*International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY)
*International Network of Liberal Women
*Liberal Democrat Group of the Council of Europe (LDR)
*Liberal, Democratic and Reformers' Group (Council of Europe)
*Swedish International Liberal Centre
*Neue Zürcher Zeitung
*National Democratic Institute, an organization with ties to the Democratic Party (United States)
*Red Liberal de América Latina

Liberal think tanks and foundations

The International is also in a loose association with the following organizations:
*Liberales Institut (Switzerland)
*Dr. Y. Foerder Liberal Institute (Israel)
*Fondazione Luigi Einaudi (Italy)
*Teldersstichting (Netherlands)
*The Bertil Ohlin Institute (Sweden)
*CentreForum (UK)

ee also

*Prize For Freedom
*Liberalism worldwide

References

External links

* [http://www.liberal-international.org/ Liberal International] official site
* [http://www.liberal-international.org/editorial.asp?ia_id=537 The Liberal Agenda for the 21st Century]