was led by a collective chairmanship of the C.O.D Executive Committee. Ministerial Conferences are held towards the end of each presidency term in the capital of the presiding state, resulting in the adoption of a common declaration (plan of action) towards the following activities of the Community. The conferences were held in: Warsaw 2000 (Poland), Seoul 2002 (South Korea), Santiago 2005 (Chile), Bamako 2007 (Mali), Lisbon 2009 (Portugal), Vilnius 2011 (Lithuania), Ulaanbaatar 2013 (Mongolia), San Salvador 2015 (El Salvador) and Washington D.C. 2017 (United States of America). Permanent Secretariat Since 2009, a Permanent Secretariat of the C.O.D operates in Warsaw, providing technical, logistical, organizational and administrative support to all its bodies. The current head of the Permanent Secretariat and therefore Secretary General of the C.O.D is Thomas E. Garrett, appointed September 1, 2017. Working Groups Working Groups (WG) are action-oriented structures that drive the implementation of the strategic objectives of the Community of Democracies. WGs are composed of states, civil society representatives, and other democracy stakeholders. WG mandates are approved by the Governing Council, and they supported and coordinated by the Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies. Currently, there are six Working Groups: Working Group on Enabling and Protecting Civil Society Working Group on Women and Democracy Working Group on Democracy and Technology Working Group on C.O.D Governance and Effectiveness Affiliated bodies The C.O.D consults two external bodies on a regular basis. Academic Advisory Board (AAB) The Academic Advisory Board assists the work of the C.O.D by providing an academic perspective. Civil Society Pillar The Civil Society Pillar (also Civil Society Assembly) refers to the non-governmental process of the C.O.D, including civil society organizations, foundations, and experts devoted to promoting democracy. It is represented by the non-governmental "International Steering Committee" (ISC), which is composed of 26 leaders of civil society organizations from all regions of the world, the Chair and Vice-Chair and the organization which serves as the ISC's secretariat. In April 2018, Fundacion Multitudes was elected as the first Permanent Secretariat of the CSP and Paulina Ibarra as Chair of the ISC. The ISC advises governments on the actions needed to enable civil society to work freely to strengthen democracy, rule of law, and protection for the fundamental rights enshrined in the Warsaw Declaration. The ISC coordinates a variety of initiatives for civil society, including the civil society forum taking place in the biannual Ministerial Conferences of the