15 September - International Day of Democracy
Democracy arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal. -Aristotle-
Today,15th September is the International Day of Democracy which was announced by the United Nations. According to their guidance note, democracy based on the rule of law is ultimately a means to achieve international peace and security, economic and social progress and development, and respect for human rights.
International Day of Democracy that was established through a resolution by the UN General Assembly in 2007, is celebrated every year in parliaments throughout the world. Annually for that day, they are focusing on an appropriate and timely theme. For the year 2021, their theme is to strengthen democratic resilience in the face of future crises. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic situation, they have been tempted to pay more attention to such situations that we will have to face in the future as well.
All over the world, on 15th September, there are various kinds of events that are held with the support of international communities and civil societies. Some of them are conferences, discussions and debates with regard to the annual theme, publicity campaigns, distribution of leaflets and many more. The United Nations highly appreciates the value of protecting human rights and they are trying to emphasize the value of working together with each other. Democracy is one of the major parts of their principles. By introducing such a day, they are expecting to raise the awareness of democracy while giving a day to share their opinions and ideas.
The UN Democracy fund empowers civil society and encourages democracy while contributing financially to civil organizations. This year, due to the crisis that we are facing, they have planned to talk about some common facts like developing media literacy for a better online working system, overcoming economic and social pressures, helping to face challenges of inequality and weak service.
To protect human rights, the UN has presented some values through the Universal Declaration of Human rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Their task is to reach sustainability from equality and equity and make this world a beautiful place with peace and unity.
We also have a responsibility to add value for this day. Therefore, Let’s get together and protect human rights through democracy for a better future while facing this situation successfully.
