Int’l Democracy Day being observed today

On November 8, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution through consensus – establishing International Day of Democracy.

Every year, the day is celebrated on September 15 and the day owes its existence to the Universal Declaration on Democracy, which was adopted in 1997 by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to commemorate the adoption.

The IPU is an international organisation of national parliaments.

International Day of Democracy provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world.

One of the main aims of this day is to encourage governments to strengthen and consolidate democracy. This day plays an important role in highlighting the important role of parliaments, and to celebrate their capacity and mandate to deliver on justice, peace, development and human rights.

Meanwhile, on the occasion the UN Secretary General António Guterres, in his message said that the world struggles to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating consequences, we must learn from the lessons of the past 18 months to strengthen democratic resilience in the face of future crises.

Democracy is essential for the protection and effective realization of human rights.

The first International Day of Democracy was observed by 46 national parliaments on 15 September 2008.