Sep 15, 2012

International Day Of Democracy 2012 – Democracy Education


UNPO shows support for “democracy education” being chosen as the focus of this years’ International Day of Democracy, celebrated on September 15th 2012.

The idea to celebrate the International Day of Democracy came in 2007 and in its Resolution 62/7 the UN General Assembly set the date for this occasion on the 15th of September, since this day corresponds to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Democracy by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 1997. The Universal Declaration of Democracy affirms the principles of democracy, the elements and practice of a democratic government as well as the importance of democracy at the international level to further international cooperation and governance. Additionally it highlights the potential of democracy to strengthen peace, accommodate diversity and increase respect for Human Rights.

 

UNPO regards the principles of Democracy as fundamental and inalienable human rights. Assisting in the development of democratic institutions and processes as well as monitoring elections and referenda is one of the aims of UNPO’s work, as outlined in the UNPO Covenant. UNPO requires all Members to adhere to the principles of democratic pluralism, respect all peoples and population groups, and to promote democracy, non-violence and the rule of law. Furthermore, Member organizations are required to have a democratic structure, be representative of their people and promote their interests.

 

The first International Day of Democracy was celebrated in 2008. Since then, every year on the 15th of September, many organizations and governing bodies hold special events for this occasion, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union, various parliaments, NGOs, groups and individuals around the world as well as several United Nations bodies, such as the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF), the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the UN Headquarters. Activities on this special day have included Inter-Parliamentary Union panel discussions, exhibitions, radio and television programs and special parliamentary and UN General Assembly sessions. A different theme is selected every year. In 2008 the focus was on current challenges facing democracy, in 2009 a global video competition was organized and the main focus of the day was democracy contributing to economic progress, international peace and respect for fundamental rights. In 2011 the International Day of Democracy highlighted the connection between strengthening democracy and achieving the Millennium Development Goals since democracy furthers development and respect for human rights.

 

The theme of this year’s Democracy Day is democracy education as citizens’ knowledge about democracy and its benefits, as well as of their rights and responsibilities as citizens of a democratic state, is crucial for democracies to function effectively and to grow strong and stable. Hence special focus is being put on countries in transition to democracy. The UN as well as various parliaments (e.g. Mongolia, Nigeria) have used this day as an opportunity to start democracy education programs.

 

UNPO is very supportive of democracy education, as reflected by our Human Rights  training programs. UNPO believes democracy to be more than just voting. Real democracy includes governments being accountable to their citizens and responsive to citizen input. Democratic education is crucial to enable individuals and NGOs to influence government policy-making.  NGOs are important channels between people and governments and help to make people’s voices heard. Since significant advocacy strategies may be necessary to influence government policies, NGOs often have to work at the international level. This is the reason why UNPO provides negotiation and diplomacy trainings alongside other forms of advocacy as part of its training programs, to ensure that the voices of unrepresented peoples do not remain unheard.