Westminster Foundation for Democracy
AbbreviationWFD
FormationFebruary 26, 1992 (1992-02-26)
Founded atLondon, United Kingdom
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
Location
  • Worldwide
Chair of the Board
Richard Graham
CEO
Anthony Smith
Rushanara Ali, Maria Miller, Harriet Harman, Christine Jardine, Brendan O'Hara, Sue Inglish, Thomas M. Hughes, Simon Walker, Mark Babington
Staff (2021)
142
Websitewfd.org

The Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) is a United Kingdom non-departmental public body set up to support democratic institutions overseas.[1][2][3][4] It was established on 26 February 1992 and registered as a company limited by guarantee in the UK.[5] It receives funding from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID), which were merged into the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) in September 2020.

Gloucester MP Richard Graham is the organisation's current chair of the board[6] while former UK diplomat Anthony Smith serves as CEO since August 2014.[7][8]

History

Established on 26 February 1992, not long after the fall of the Berlin wall, WFD initially focused on providing support to political parties in Eastern European countries as they transition to democracy.[9] By the 2000s, WFD became well known as an organisation with specialty in strengthening parliamentary capacity through their programmes.[9]

Objectives

WFD works to achieve sustainable political change in emerging democracies. Working with and through partner organisations, WFD seeks to strengthen the institutions of democracy through capacity building initiatives, technical support, and research projects that involve principally political parties (through the work of the UK political parties), parliaments, and the range of institutions that make up civil society, which includes non-governmental organisations (NGOs), trade unions, and the free press, among others.[10][2]

Funding

In 2016, WFD had a budget of about £7 million, of which about £2.5 million was spent through the major UK political parties. WFD accounts are presented to the UK parliament annually.[11][12] In 2021, its budget had doubled to over £14 million which included funds received from the FCDO, the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), the European Union (EU), and others.[13]

Offices

WFD is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. As of September 2021, WFD operates in 25 countries grouped into several regional groupings: Asia, Europe & Central Asia, Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America.[14]

Asia-Pacific (8)

Europe & Central Asia (7)

Middle East & North Africa (5)

Sub-Saharan Africa (5)

Latin America (1)

The following are countries where the WFD had previously established a programme and/or a country office but had since been closed down:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Westminster Foundation for Democracy". GOV.UK. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Westminster Foundation for Democracy". European Partnership for Democracy (EPD). Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  3. ↑ "Tailored Review of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy:Written statement - HLWS920". UK Parliament. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  4. ↑ Scott, James M. (1 September 1999). "Transnationalizing democracy promotion: The role of Western political foundations and think‐tanks". Democratization. 6 (3): 146–170. doi:10.1080/13510349908403625. ISSN 1351-0347.
  5. ↑ "THE WESTMINSTER FOUNDATION FOR DEMOCRACY LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  6. ↑ "About Richard". Richard Graham. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  7. ↑ "Strengthening democracy around the world - Civil Service Quarterly". quarterly.blog.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  8. ↑ "Management". Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD). Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Westminster Foundation for Democracy". European Partnership for Democracy (EPD). Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "Our approach". Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD). Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  11. ↑ "It depends who's counting". The Economist. 11 January 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  12. ↑ Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2017 (PDF) (Report). Westminster Foundation for Democracy. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  13. ↑ WFD (July 2021). "Strengthening Democracy around the World: The Westminster Foundation for Democracy Limited Annual Report and Accounts 2020–21" (PDF). Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "Where we work". Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD). Retrieved 8 September 2021.


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