IDU Executive Meeting and Summit

The IDU’s Executive Meeting and Summit occurred on Wednesday, June 29th. IDU members gathered to report on elections and events in countries throughout the membership, and to elect the Chairman and the new IDU Board. The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper was unanimously re-elected as IDU Chairman for a further three-year term.

Chairman Harper opened the Summit meeting with a speech on why we should be optimistic about the future of democracy, so long as we all continue to actively work to preserve it. Observer parties looking to become full IDU members (Likud-Israel, Kateb- Lebanon, Chadema-Tanzania, Republican Party-Albania, Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal, Christian Democrats-Sweden, European Solidarity-Ukraine, PAS-Moldova, KANU-Kenya) were welcomed into the global family by signing the London Declaration with the Chairman, and we are very pleased to further strengthen our union by adding these like-minded organizations. 

It was particularly poignant that the IDU admitted the Ukrainian party, European Solidarity, during the current conflict. We are very pleased to have the party, led by Petro Poroshenko, in our global family, and we hope we can offer best practices and support that will help Ukraine to recover following the unprovoked Russian invasion.

The IDU’s regional groups – specifically UPLA, DUA, EPP, and ECR – updated delegates on their activities since we last met. We also heard from the newly elected Chairwoman of the International Women’s Democrat Union, Sofia Brambilla of Argentina, about her vision for the future of the IWDU. The President of the IYDU, Michael Dust, also attended the Summit meeting, highlighting the close relationship between the IDU and its youth organization.