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International Day of Democracy

By S Mukhtar. Dated: 9/16/2017 1:34:57 PM

"Good Uncle."
"Yes dear."
"15 September: International Day of Democracy. Up with the Day all say!"
"Yes dear…now eleventh such Day."
"Uncle, say how come the Day and date?"
"Yes. A resolution entitled 'Support by the United Nations system of efforts of Governments to promote and consolidate new or restored democracies,' Qatar leading in drafting it, was by consensus adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 8 November 2007, and thereby comes the observance of the Day; 15 September, being date of the Universal Declaration on Democracy, was chosen at the suggestion of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) as the date of the Day."
"Uncle, please, objectives of the observance of the Day?"
"Dear, the fundamental objective is to provide an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world."
"Great Uncle, democracy…that important really?"
"Dear, yes; Democracy is both a goal and a process. This goal for everyone everywhere can be reached only by the process of active participation of international community, civil society, national governing bodies, and individuals one and all. Our world's democracies, evolved over centuries, sharing many common features though, cannot be reduced to a single model. But, as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and further in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, every democracy has to be a model of freedom, hold periodic and genuine elections by universal adult suffrage, respect human rights, provide the natural environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights, and to truly allow everyone to have his own beliefs and to say and write what he thinks. And very rightly the observation of the Day is the annual opportunity to review the state of democracy."
"Uncle, please, themes of the Day?"
"Yes dear, year-wise. 2017: Democracy and Conflict Prevention; 2016: Democracy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 2015: Space for Civil Society; 2014: Engaging youth on democracy; 2013: Strengthening Voices for Democracy."
"Uncle, so much for democracy! Yet our some teachers talk sourly about it. Not good teachers?"
"No, not that…many eminent men have spoken much against democracy."
"Uncle, please, some quotes?"
"Yes listen: 'The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter' - Winston Churchill; 'Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy' - Benito Mussolini; 'The ship of democracy, which has weathered all storms, may sink through the mutiny of those on board' - Grover Cleveland; 'Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure' - Ronald Reagan; 'I like the noise of democracy' - James Buchanan."
"Great Uncle, I too like the noise (only) of democracy. Yes, Democracy: Up with! Up with!"