A WEB

  The presentation from Director General Kim Jeong-Gon on May 27^thwas largely focused on introducing Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB)generally. Mr. Kim started out by briefing on A-WEB’s main objectives andvision. After sharing the mission statement, the Director General went on topresent the structure of the A-WEB and its member organizations along with the partneringorganizations including some prominent names such as United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP) and International Institute for Democracy and ElectoralAssistance (International IDEA).

Majority of thepresentation was focused on the history of A-WEB’s establishment. Mr. Kimdescribed in detail the procedures and meetings that preceded the officialestablishment of the international organization from the working group meetingsto the Inaugural Assembly. Mr. Kim closed with A-WEB’s plans for upcomingyears.

The invitedstudents from Taiwan seemed highly interested in the democracy-fosteringorganization. Although there was an official Q&A session at the end of thepresentation, the students did not hesitate to raise their hands and ? withconsent from the presenter ? ask questions in between slides. Their questionsranged widely from general questions regarding democracy itself toemployment/internship opportunities. Some of the questions were not evengrounded on the content of the presentation, but on the organization ingeneral, reflecting genuine interest and curiosity about A-WEB.

Many of thequestions specifically targeted Taiwan and Mainland China, and possible waysfor A-WEB and other democratic enthusiasts to positively influence theirgovernments. A student asked directly what is most needed to safeguard andfoster democracy in their country, to which Mr. Kim replied with confidence, “educationof the future generations.” True democracy cannot blossom without the people’sawareness.