economic reforms in countries such as North Korea and Myanmar while using Mongolia's democratic reform and consolidation as a model. In the summer of 2012 the foundation hosted several delegation from Kyrgyzstan, North Korea and Myanmar to study from Mongolia's experience of judicial reform and mineral legislation. To encourage the adoption of democratic governance in Asian countries, Elbegdorj, along with Korean President Lee Myung Bak, started the Asian Partnership for Democracy initiative in 2011 as an arm of the Community of Democracies with a particular focus on the region in which Mongolia is one of the longest standing democracies. Elbegdorj condemned the violence in Syria and called on world leaders to unify to end the bloodshed. He criticized the attack on the US Embassy in Libya by saying "The mission of diplomacy is peaceful. Attacking diplomatic compounds are violation of both the letter and spirit of international law," in his address to the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly on 27 September 2012. The U.S. Foreign Policy Association and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) awarded Elbegdorj with New York Democracy Forum's Presidential Medal on 22 September 2011. The award recognized "the vital role Elbegdorj played in Mongolia's historic democratic revolution in 1989, the country's successful democratic transition, the consolidation of its new democratic institutions and his solidarity with other democrats in Asia, the Middle East and other regions." In 2000 Elbegdorj founded Mongolia's Liberty Center, a non-governmental organization advocating human rights, freedom of expression and education. Elbegdorj spoke at many democracy conferences including "Re-founding America" conference sponsored by the International Society for Individual Liberty in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States in 2007 prior to his presidency. Direct democracy and civic participation In 2008, Elbegdorj opened the Citizens' Hall – a public hearing forum which encourages the participation of Mongolian citizens in the parliament's decision making. In each proceeding, citizens are given time to speak and express their opinion on pending legislation. The hall is open to any of Mongolia's 2.9 million people and is located in Ulaanbaatar; some additional halls have been opened in other provinces. They are designed to encourage civil participation to have consensus between legislators and citizens before any open issue becomes law. Elbegdorj emphasized "Democracy is about empowering the people and not bestowing power to someone," "The time has come to transfer to the discretion of the people, to the business and professional communities