International Day of Democracy is a United Nations recognized event and it is celebrated annually on 15th September worldwide and it is day which gives us an chance to appreciate and celebrate our democratic society.
The day provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy and aims at promoting and upholding the principles of democracy in the world.
As most of our world today comes under democratic governments but still large parts of our world are still run by authoritarian regimes and for a equal society with all the freedom guaranteed a democratic society is must required as only in a democracy people have the power to raise their voices and the value of human rights can be taken as a concern.
| Event | International Day of Democracy |
|---|---|
| Date | September 15, 2022 |
| Day | Thursday |
| Significance | Respects and celebrates democracy and freedom |
| Observed by | World wide |
International Day of Democracy History:
Democracy as a term is relatively a modern concept but the practice of democracy goes further back in time. As in Greek in 350 B.C. philosopher Aristotle wrote about various types of governments, including democracy, in order to compare the different systems and contemplate which was the most successful and these writings were influential to the development of modern-day democracy.
In the modern world the United States of America is described as the first democracy of the world. And later many countries got inspired by this idea and started to become democracies some by peaceful means but many through violence, revolutions, etc. After the world wars the system of democracy became even more popular as people started realizing that total control should never go into the hand of a individual as it can lead to devastating impacts like which happened in the world wars.
Even when the United Nations was formed it advocated for democracy around the world and considered it as an important component in keeping the check regarding many major issues of the world like freedom, human rights, etc.
Thus after the second world war most of the western countries and their colonies which got independence adopted democratic systems only. However democracy largely faced challenge from Communist system during the Cold War.
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a resolution in 2007 that September 15 of each year would be observed as the International Day of Democracy. Their goal for this day is to promote government’s role in maintaining open democracy among all member nations of the UN Charter and to celebrate the system of values democracy promotes, giving citizens the power to make decisions regarding all aspects of their lives.
International Day of Democracy Significance:
The essential elements of democracy include values of freedom, respect for human rights and the principle of holding genuine elections periodically. Through democracy, human rights are protected and realized efficiently which is very important for republic countries and overall human society so that everyone's voice is heard and no one is left behind.
Democracy is one of the core values and principles of the United Nations and a universally recognized ideal. Only with the help of a democracy, an environment can be created where human rights are realized and enjoyed is possible. To strengthen the democratic institutions, the UN promotes good governance, monitors elections, supports civil society, ensures self-determination in decolonized countries and assists in making new constitutions in post-conflict nations.
It is very for people in a democratic society to criticize their system and mention the flaws of democracy but they often forgets to mention the unlimited flaws under an autocratic society. And this happens because people takes their freedom for granted and they won't realize the importance of freedom and democracy until they gets to experience living in an autocratic system where people can directly suffer from any state oppression amd their voices has no value.
Even today we says that most of the world is under democratic systems but it's not entirely true as according to recent democratic surveys many countries are classified as partial democracies, flawed democracies or authoritarian regimes in the garb of democracy. So this puts that majority of people in the world doesn't enjoy full democracy still. So this day aims awareness regarding this issue to the governments and people across the world to bring change into it.
International Day of Democracy Celebrations:
Democratic governments all around the world observe the International Day of Democracy with special functions and events. These include photo competitions, workshops for children, live televised debates, tv & radio programs and meetings with civil society organizations. Any individual can participate in these events to enjoy the celebrations regarding democracy.
Many private organizations and influential people and groups too celebrate this day by organizing many different types of events like public speeches, seminars, conferences and rallies in order to raise awareness regarding democracy and its values to the common public.
Also try to get some time to learn about your local elections and candidates so that you can make an informed decision and play your part in democracy. Teach others about democracy and the right that they enjoy so that they also become an informed citizen of the society and be able to enjoy democracy and its worldwide celebration.
International Day of Democracy Theme:
The theme for past year International Day of Democracy in 2021 was "Strengthening democratic resilience in the face of future crises."
This theme means that even though the world is facing many challenges today and is gonna face even more challenges but it will be democracy only which will work eventually so in these tough times when many people strts to think that democracy isn't working but they should never lose trust in it.
For the year 2022, the theme has not been announced yet and will be done later by the UN. So in order to know that keep in touch with our website as we will update you regarding it as soon as as it is released by the UN.
Most Searched FAQs on International Day of Democracy:
1. When is International Day of Democracy is celebrated?
International Day of Democracy is celebrated annually on 15th September.
2. Who created democracy?
Ancient Greeks are credited for creating the first democracy in the world.
3. What are types of democracy?
Main types of democracies are direct democracy, constitutional democracy, representative democracy and monitory democracy.