It was established through a resolution passed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2007, encouraging governments to strengthen and consolidate democracy.
Democracy in Context of Pandemic:
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged governments to be transparents, responsive and accountable in the COVID-19 response.
The UN listed out the concerns facing democracy in many countries in context of the pandemic:
- Measures to control the flow of information & crackdown on Freedom of Expression and Press Freedom in an existing background of shrinking civic space.
- Arrest, detention, prosecution or persecution of political opponents, journalists, doctors and healthcare workers, activists and others for spreading “Fake News”.
- Aggressive cyber-policing and increased online surveillance.
- Postponement of elections, which is a serious constitutional issue and leads to rising tensions.
Ways to counteract the threat to Democracy:
The UN’s Call to Action addresses and provides various ways to counteract the COVID-19 crisis, which may impair democracy and increase authoritarianism.
- Developing Media Literacy and Digital Safety.
- Fighting Misinformation, Disinformation, and hate speech.
- Training Journalists to report the pandemic in a safe, in-depth & fact-checking manner.
- Empowering Women against Domestic Violence, which has surged during the Pandemic.
- Helping to highlight the challenges of inequality, with focus on needs and rights of women, youth & minorities and other marginalized populations.
Recent Related News:
i.On January 22, 2020, According to the 12th edition of the ‘Democracy Index 2019: A year of democratic setbacks and popular protest’, released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), India has been ranked at the 51st spot.
ii.In accordance with the “Sustainable Development Report 2020- The Sustainable Development Goals and Covid- 19”, comprising SDG index 2020, India has been ranked at 117th position with a score of 61.92.
About United Nations General Assembly:
President – Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (Nigeria)
Headquarters – New York, United States of America (USA)