Democracy under Strain: Solutions for a Changing World
Democracy is much talked about in political system. Democracy or democratic government is in most part of the world. In simple understanding democracy is nothing but rule by the people means no king or no dictator. The term is derived from the Greek démokratiã, which was coined from démos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”). In India, we need talk much about democracy as we are aware of it though some where true spirit of democracy in missing due to few individuals or organisations.
The values of freedom, respect for human rights and the principle of holding periodic and genuine elections by universal suffrage are essential elements of democracy. In turn, democracy provides the natural environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights. These values are embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and further developed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which enshrines a host of political rights and civil liberties underpinning meaningful democracies.
One of the important aspects of democracy is to have human rights. The link between democracy and human rights is captured in article 21(3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: “The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.”
Like many other days, international day of democracy provides us an opportunity to look at the functioning of democracy or democratic system. The ‘International Day of Democracy’ (IDD) provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world. Democracy is as much a process as a goal, and only with the full participation of and support by the international community, national governing bodies, civil society and individuals, can the ideal of democracy be made into a reality to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere. The theme for this is “Democracy under Strain: Solutions for a Changing World” .
This year’s IDD is an opportunity to look for ways to invigorate democracy and seek answers to the systemic challenges it faces. This includes tackling economic and political inequalities, making democracies more inclusive by bringing the young and marginalized into the political system, and making democracies more innovative and responsive to emerging challenges such as migration and climate change.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development addresses democracy in Sustainable Development Goal 16 recognizing the indivisible links between peaceful societies and effective, accountable and inclusive institutions. The rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and subsequent human rights instruments covering group rights (e.g. indigenous peoples, minorities, people with disabilities) are equally essential for democracy as they ensure an equitable distribution of wealth, and equality and equity in respect of access to civil and political rights.
On his message Secretary-General of United Nations mentioned that “democracy is showing greater strain than at any time in decades. That is why this International Day should make us look for ways to invigorate democracy and seek answers for the systemic challenges it faces. This means tackling inequality, both economic and political. It means making our democracies more inclusive, by bringing the young and marginalized into the political system. It means making democracies more innovative and responsive to emerging challenges.”
He also added that “working for a future that leaves no one behind requires us to consider essential pressing questions. For example, what impact will migration or climate change have on democracy in the next generation? How do we best harness the potential of new technologies while avoiding the dangers? How do build better governance so that democracy delivers better lives and fully meets the public’s aspirations?”
Different nations would have different issues and more especially when we look at Indian context and its neighbours we can see how our democratic system is still working well in spite of having disturbances in the neighbourhood. Government are stable in India which is not same in some of the neighbouring nations. On this day, let us commit to joining forces for the future of democracy and make sure that future would a vibrant democracy. India can show the world the power of democracy being the largest democracy in the world for which it is important for all of us to be united and work towards positive change and building a vibrant democracy.