IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 9 ENGLISH | Page 57

Resonance of the fifth meeting
This meeting of the Working Group on
Deliberative Democracy Cuban and
Constitutional Design focused on the
topic with a well-deserved public
resonance.
Consequently,
the
recognition should be for all its
organizers: the Cuban Integration
Platform, the NGO Public Agenda, the
Program for Deliberative Democracy at
the University Carnegie Mellon, and the
Cuban organizations Constitutional
Consensus and Project New Country.
They had the support of the FIU
College of Law and the invaluable
sponsorship of the magazine Identities.
Its Chief Editor, Dr. Juan Antonio

Alvarado, has always stood out as the
most consistent and dynamic organizer
of these events inside and outside Cuba.
The list of supporting entities and
individuals is much larger, because this
ambitious program demands all types of
cooperation for implementing it well
under the complex circumstances in
Cuba. At the opening of the meeting,
for example, Dr. Alvarado distinguished
the support of the Miami entity Rodes
Printing and delivered a diploma of
recognition to its representative, while
Cuesta
Morúa
appreciated
the
contribution
of
the
Everyday
Democracy Project (Paul J. Aicher
Foundation).

Rodes Printing’s representative receives a diploma of recognition from Dr. Alvarado.

The night before, a preliminary evening
took place at the headquarters of the
Cuban Integration Platform for allowing
the representatives of the Cuban civil
society participants to meet and to
exchange their first impressions with
Cuban activists in exile and other
collaborators and partners abroad.
It was certainly a good idea. It opened
the channel for the flow of two long and
arduous work sessions. Dr. Alvarado
welcomed everybody and stated: "I am

very happy to have received the
delegation coming from Cuba. This is a
night among friends".
The Cuban delegates stamped a special
mark on the event. They are the
protagonists of the whole story, who
daily risk their necks by bringing the
teachings of Deliberative Democracy to
the people in humbler neighborhoods
and towns. And they came to the States
to share their experiences and enrich
them through the exchange.

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