Pacific Democrat Union, 1981-1989
Dates
- Creation: 1981-1989
Language of Materials
- English
Full range of shelfmarks:
COB 7/15/1-4
Biographical / Historical
The Pacific Democrat Union was founded on 26 June 1982 in Tokyo. The previous year, delegates from conservative parties in Japan, Australia and New Zealand were invited to observe the European Democrat Union's 5th Party Leaders' Conference in Salzburg. This initiated the idea to form a parallel organisation to the EDU for countries in the Pacific.
The inaugural meeting of the PDU was attended by delegates from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the United States, Canada and Papua New Guinea. Sir John Atwill, president of the Australian Liberal Party was appointed the PDU's first chairman. The PDU's objectives were outlined as:
- Co-operation and liaison among like-minded democratic political parties in the Pacific Basin area;
- Promotion of the philosophies and principles of free enterprise and individualism;
- A counter to socialism and totalitarianism and to the activities of the Socialist International;
- Development of policies to meet problems that all or some member parties have in common and which represent an all-Pacific interest.
The creation of the PDU provided the impetus for the creation of an international body (the International Democrat Union) which would provide an umbrella organisation under which regional organisations, like the PDU and the EDU, would sit.
The PDU is recognised as a regional body of the International Democrat Union (see COB 7/11 for the IDU's papers).
Repository Details
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