Promoting Democracy and Peace: Marking the International day of Democracy on the 15th of September

Democracy is only as strong as the political participation of its citizens; and this must be increased for world peace, social cohesion and development. Marking the International Day of Democracy on 15th September has been followed by calls, especially from the advocacy bodies, for a major stepping up of efforts to involve the public more deeply in the formal political processes and institutions including parliaments.Parliaments are also now urged to be more open and accessible to their citizens, and be representative of the society as a whole. This is seen as a means of increasing accountability and transparency, as such, promoting peace.

“Democracy as a concept is based on the right of every individual to take part and be represented in the management of public affairs and the decisions that affect them daily,” according to most Proponents. “Although there are 190 parliaments in the world with the vast majority of parliamentarians directly elected, much more progress needs to be made on the actual practice of democracy.”

Too few women, young people, minorities and indigenous people are represented in parliament and government. According to transparency international, women account for just over 22 per cent of all parliamentarians in the world and less than 18 per cent constitute government ministers.

World Bank figures for young people’s political participation reveal an even more worrisome picture with less than 2 per cent of Members of Parliament (MPs) below 30 years. Does this have any correlation with the growing numbers of protests witnessed globally today? The Arab Spring is one example depicting democracy and peace in the world. There are growing concerns of revolutions in European nations such as  Spain, Italy and Greece; and although indigenous peoples make up 5 per cent of the global population and make up for one-third of the one billion extremely poor rural people, an Inter-Parliamentary Union survey in 2014 found that out of more than 45,000 MPs in the world, fewer than 1,000 were indigenous people.

Mechanisms such as quotas or other special measures have proved effective in many countries to increase women’s representation in parliament, particularly when the concept has been enshrined in national constitutions or set figures established in electoral laws.

A new trend that offers collective opportunities for different groups, such as women, youth and minorities, to be elected in the parliament and make it more accessible and representative is however slowly emerging. Greater take up on such an approach would provide a solid foundation for more rapid progress on the political engagement of all voices in society.

However, representation of all sectors of society in parliament is but one aspect of political participation in democracy.  With public apathy or disillusionment often undermining democracy, OWP is also calling for people to participate more actively in political decision-making and reassert their aspirations for a more democratic and peaceful world.

This includes voting in elections, petitioning, joining political groups, providing input into draft legislation or allocation of resources in national budgets, or simply being better informed in order to make reasoned political choices.

Social media and other new technologies are increasingly being used by politicians and their constituents alike to communicate with each other and on politics. The UN and International NGOs are encouraging the public, parliaments and politicians to build on these and other means, such as community outreach and consultations to strengthen political participation among the public. The use of social media can also be used in bolstering public opinion and also as a means of gathering data for public policy implementation.

There is no democracy without the voice of the people driving the political decision-making; and it is essential that people play their part in making this altruism. But it is just as essential that governments and the international community listen to and act upon the people’s decisions through parliament if their faith in democracy is not to be lost.

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