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UNITED NATIONS (AP) - A U.N. fund proposed by President Bush to promote democracy around the world was inaugurated Monday with pledges of $41 million.
Bush urged the creation of such a fund in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in 2004, saying it could help countries lay the foundations of democracy by instituting the rule of law, independent courts, a free press, political parties and trade unions.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan set up the United Nations Democracy Fund last July and world leaders endorsed it a few months later. On Monday, Annan presided at the first meeting of its 17-member advisory board, which will select projects in different countries that strengthen democratic institutions and enhance democratic government.
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