Poor children who live and sleep on the open pavements in India’s capital New Delhi. Photo: Rakesh Raman / RMN News Service (Representational Image)
Global Campaign Calls for a UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy
The democracy rapporteur would be mandated to investigate the state of democracy from a broader perspective.
As the UN celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 2023, a global campaign demands the appointment of a dedicated staffer to report on the state of democracy around the world.
The campaign was launched on 20 November 2023 by the Berlin (Germany)-based global network of civil society organizations Democracy Without Borders (DWB). It calls on the United Nations (UN) to appoint a special rapporteur on democracy.
According to DWB, since democracy is threatened and authoritarianism is on the rise, there is a need to strengthen human rights and democracy. The statement signed by a number of human rights and civil society groups expects the UN Human Rights Council to create the position of democracy rapporteur who would investigate the state of democracy in all parts of the world.
The DWB statement explains that the democracy rapporteur would be mandated to investigate the state of democracy from a broader perspective and would supplement the ongoing UN efforts to ensure various aspects of democracy.
These include the democratic rights such as freedom of opinion and expression; peaceful assembly and association; independence of judges and lawyers; freedom of religion or belief; minority issues; as well as human rights defenders.
If appointed, the rapporteur – assisted by an independent advisory board – will collect information from different primary and secondary sources to make strategies for the protection of democratic norms in various parts of the world.
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