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	People around the world believe in democracy by Dr Seema Shah, Natalie Samarasinghe International IDEA, Open Society Foundations   Nov. 2023   The Global State of Democracy in 2023, by Dr Seema Shah. (International IDEA)   The fifth edition of International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy report closes out an eventful year. Multiple crises have battered the world, but inspirational wins in gender equality, indigenous communities’ rights, the fight against corruption, and enforcement of the rule of law are important flags marking the path forward.   Our latest data show that virtually half the countries in our dataset have suffered a notable decline in at least one factor of democratic performance over the last five years. What may be worse is that this is the sixth consecutive year in which countries with net declines outnumbers those with net advances, the longest such pattern in our dataset.   Declines have occurred in the very foundations of democracy, revealing weaknesses in the credibility of electoral processes, the ability of legislatures to act as checks on executive overreach and in people’s equal access to the institutions of justice.   This institutional weakness is compounded by continuing declines in core democratic rights, including freedom of expression, freedom of association and assembly and freedom of the press. Such deterioration has touched every region of the world and a broad array of countries with varying levels of democratic performance.   But all is not lost. A diverse range of formal and informal institutions and even public movements – known as countervailing institutions – work to protect and strengthen democracy, even in the most challenging contexts.   Countervailing institutions are the set of governmental and non-governmental institutions that balance the distribution of power between the branches of government and ensure that popular priorities regularly and consistently feature in decision making.   They encompass what are traditionally understood as ‘checks and balances’ within the formal structures of government (between the executive, legislative and judicial branches), but they go beyond this in important ways, focusing more on the balance of power between the people and the government than on power-sharing within government.   They also include myriad organizations, institutions and popular movements that act to protect equal access to and public control of decision making, such as civil society and other political institutions (e.g., ombuds offices, anti-corruption commissions, electoral management bodies or EMBs, ethics bodies, etc). When they are independent and when they act together, democracies are poised to advance.   Cross-institutional collaboration has resulted in several wins in recent years. In Ecuador, for example, civil society, experts, the courts and voters worked together to pass the banning of new oilwells in a part of the Amazon rainforest, making Ecuador the first country in the world to decide the limits of resource extraction via referendum. The vote is seen as a milestone victory not just for climate action but for indigenous rights and hopefully for greater social group equality in the years to come.   In countries as diverse as India, Spain, Mexico and Portugal, civil society, parliaments and the media have worked together to win advances in a range of sexual and gender equality rights.   Countervailing institutions have proven to be pivotal in the area of public participation as well. Our latest data reveal that people’s enthusiasm for public engagement is thriving, even in seriously challenging contexts.   Civil society’s work to mobilize people, represent public concerns in advocacy campaigns and through public interest litigation, as well as the public’s own advocacy efforts reveal an abiding demand for democracy.   In today’s global context, marked by war, climate change, economic inequality and a thousand other threats, it would be easy to miss these and many other important successes.   It is worth pausing to reflect on these examples of the ways in which the people themselves have reformed and reenergized governing institutions. They provide reasons to be hopeful about the future of democracy.   http://www.idea.int/gsod/2023/ http://www.idea.int/blog/global-state-democracy-2023-new-set-checks-and-balances-paves-way-ahead http://www.idea.int/news/bedrocks-democracy-under-threat-across-globe http://www.democracy-reporting.org/en/office/global/news/introducing-disinfo-radar   Sep. 2023   People around the world believe in democracy and human rights, by Natalie Samarasinghe. (Open Society Foundations)   The 2023 Open Society Barometer bears good news: people around the world believe in democracy and human rights. Our Barometer surveyed over 36,000 people in 30 countries, representing a wide spectrum of regions, political systems, and income levels—painting a picture of the attitudes, concerns, and hopes of 5.5 billion people.   We asked about democracy in a number of ways, and however we framed the question, the results held. Strong majorities want to live in a democratic state, believe that democracies contribute more to global cooperation, and do not think that authoritarian states can more effectively deliver what they most need.   But the survey also revealed a troubling lack of faith in democracy among young people compared with older respondents surveyed, underscoring the need for democracy to better deliver to improve people’s lives.   People also showed their compassion and belief in universal human rights. They identify personally with these values and believe that human rights have been a force for good in the world. An overwhelming 95 percent said governments should respect the rights of those who look different from themselves—with similarly high numbers for refugees, LGBT people and minorities.   Overall, there was little evidence of the “clash of values” that populists put forward. Instead, we found that people everywhere are worried their governments cannot deliver on bread-and-butter issues. Over half of the respondents think their country is headed in the wrong direction, and they’re feeling the impact.   A shocking 49 percent said they had struggled to feed themselves within the last year—a number that holds true in countries as different as Bangladesh and the U.S.   Even greater numbers (58 percent) fear political unrest will lead to violence in the coming year, and nearly three-quarters think climate change will affect them personally. Politicians were the group they least trusted to work in their interest.   Perhaps the most alarming finding is that young people hold the least faith in democracy: just 57 percent believe democracy is preferable to any form of government, compared to 71 percent of older respondents. Younger respondents were the demographic most likely to believe authoritarian states can deliver on priorities, or that doing away with checks and balances from elections or legislatures is a good way for strong leaders to govern. As a generation facing compounding global crises, it is understandable that young people are questioning democracy’s ability to deliver. But deliver it must.   People support democracy and human rights. They care deeply about climate change and worry about their safety and livelihoods. And they support progressive solutions, from tackling the debt burden faced by low-income states to boosting aid and climate finance and increasing safe legal routes for migrants.   Most of all, after years of uncertainty and strife, people want politicians to rise to their expectations.   http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/focus/open-society-barometer http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/publications/barometer-in-context-strengthening-the-human-rights-system http://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2024/02/you-cant-eat-democracy http://www.ipsnews.net/2023/11/autocracy-rise-warn-civil-society-groups-seeking-un-expert-democracy/ Visit the related web page
	We need to stand firm on the promise of human rights by Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights   United Nations Human Rights Council opens its 54th Regular Session, hears global update by Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Extract):   People everywhere want and have a right to a decent standard of living. Food on the table, and access to affordable medical care when they need it. Education and equal opportunities for themselves and their children. Good economic prospects, with a fair share of resources. A clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The freedom to make their own choices. Objective information, not propaganda. Justice and police systems that uphold their rights.   And to ensure all of this, they want active and meaningful participation in decisions, and governments that serve their needs – not elites whose needs they have to serve.   But time and again, I see people deprived of these rights, and crushed by development that is neither respectful nor fair. Injustice, poverty, exploitation and repression are the cause of grievances that drive tensions, conflicts, displacement and further misery – on and on.   Last month, in Iraq, the cradle of so many civilisations, I witnessed a small piece of the environmental horror that is our global planetary crisis. In Basra – where 30 years ago, date palms lined lush canals – drought, searing heat, extreme pollution and fast-depleting supplies of fresh water are creating barren landscapes of rubble and dust.   This spiralling damage is a human rights emergency for Iraq – and many other countries. Climate change is pushing millions of people into famine. It is destroying hopes, opportunities, homes and lives. In recent months, urgent warnings have become lethal realities again and again all around the world.   We do not need more warnings. The dystopian future is already here. We need urgent action, now. And we know what to do. The real question is: what stops us.   Instead of unity of purpose, and decisive, cooperative leadership, we’re seeing the politics of division and distraction – for instance, through the fabrication of artificial disputes over gender, migration or imagining a "clash" of civilisations.   We're also seeing the politics of indifference, the numbing of our mind and soul – an effort to deflect our innermost feature, compassion, by simply negating the humanity of victims and people vulnerable to harm.   I am shocked by the nonchalance that becomes apparent in the face of more than 2,300 people reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean this year, including the loss of more than 600 lives in a single shipwreck off Greece in June. It is evident that far more migrants and refugees are dying, unnoticed, in the seas around Europe, including the Channel; in the Bay of Bengal, and in the Caribbean, where people seeking protection are constantly pushed back and deported to situations of grave danger; or along the US-Mexican border, where deportations and expedited removal processes raise serious issues; or at the border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where my Office is seeking urgent clarification about allegations of killings and mistreatment.   We're seeing the politics of deception, of throwing sand in people's eyes. Helped by new technologies, lies and disinformation are mass-produced to sow chaos, to confuse, and ultimately to deny reality and ensure no action will be taken that could endanger entrenched elites. The most apparent case of this is climate change.   And we're seeing the old, blunt, brutal politics of repression. We so badly need constructive views to build better policies and systems, but what we increasingly get are military coups, authoritarianism and the crushing of dissent.   Antidotes exist. We need to insist on evidence and truth. We need to be mindful of our interconnectedness and shared values. We need to cultivate humanity's natural reflexes of empathy, justice and compassion. We need to nourish the critical thinking and creativity that can only stem from broad, free participation and open debates. And we need to stand firm on the promise of human rights, which is a promise of solutions.   Just as injustices crash into each other and generate multiple, towering crises, so joined-up steps towards more justice, respect and inclusion will anchor resilience, and liberate the power of contributions from every member of society.   Sustainable Development Goal 16 – on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – encapsulates a way forward from the turbulence that we are experiencing. Its emphasis on this interlocking relationship between good governance and development represents the linchpin that holds the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development together.   Every development goal is grounded in equality and human dignity. They all require accountable institutions, an impartial, independent rule of law, and vibrant civil society. SDG16 makes clear that to advance development, States have the responsibility to guarantee and protect civic space and fundamental rights.   "Leaving no-one behind" is not an empty slogan. It is a human rights action plan that reaches across the whole spectrum of human rights. Freedom is both the goal of development, and its source.   Civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, the right to development and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment all build on each other. This is the meaning of the indivisibility and interdependence of human rights. Moving forward together, they can contribute to real solutions to our most pressing challenges.   The separation between two distinct sets of rights – civil and political on the one hand; economic, social and cultural on the other – is an artefact of ideologies, not borne out by reality. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes no such separation or hierarchy – and 75 years after its adoption, we badly need to return to that core. Human rights are, and must be, politically neutral. All States have accepted their responsibility to realise all rights.   The world is betraying our promise to end hunger by 2030. Despite financial resources, technological innovation and land sufficient to provide adequate food for all, we have returned to hunger levels not seen since 2005 – and to their toll of stunted children and painfully abbreviated lives.   The FAO's 2023 global report projects that almost 600 million people will be chronically undernourished at the end of this decade. Causal factors include climate change, the consequences of the pandemic, and Russia’s war on Ukraine.   A year and a half of horrific warfare has ravaged Ukraine, with heart-wrenching toll on its people, and damage to vast areas of agricultural land. The Russian Federation's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July, and attacks on grain facilities in Odesa and elsewhere, have again forced prices sky-high in many developing countries – taking the right to food far out of reach for many people.   Across 111 countries, 1.2 billion people, nearly half of them children, now live in acute, multidimensional poverty. They represent almost 20% of those countries' populations – and many millions more will be pushed into extreme poverty as a result of climate change. This is a terrible collective human rights failure.   Across the Sahel, most people struggle for daily survival, with Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger ¬among the eight least developed countries in the world. These countries are severely affected by environmental degradation and climate change – a crisis to which they have contributed almost nothing. Resources required for survival, such as fertile land and water, are diminishing, resulting in conflict between communities.   The adaptation measures that they so urgently need are far too costly – and the financial support that is regularly promised at international conferences trickles in too slowly. 2022 was the deadliest year since the beginning of the Sahel crisis a decade ago, and the constant threat of violence by armed groups is now expanding towards coastal States.   None of the challenges faced by these countries can be addressed in isolation: they are interlinked. Climate change, including related droughts and extreme weather events; failure to invest adequately in education, healthcare, sanitation, social protections, impartial justice and other human rights; decades of weak governance, and a lack of transparent and accountable decision-making are the sources that violent extremism draws from.   The unconstitutional changes in government that we have seen in the Sahel are not the solution. We need instead an urgent reversal to civilian governance, and open spaces where people can participate, influence, accompany and criticise government actions – or lack of action.   Ours is an age of massive concentration of wealth, and unprecedented inequalities. Global wealth has never been greater. But in 2021, the richest 10% owned 76% of total wealth; the poorest half owned just 2%. And nearly half the world's people live in countries where governments must spend more on debt repayment than they are able to do on education or health.   The abyss between rich and poor harms everyone. Nationally and internationally, it destroys trust and weakens efforts to find solutions. It is in the interest of every State to ensure that all international institutions and multilateral discussions reflect the needs of every participant – and that they work to close the widening inequalities between countries.   One important step must be the reform of the international financial architecture, including fairer deals on debt relief and development finance. Often, unwarranted conditionalities in investment and loan agreements have obstructed States’ fulfilment of their human rights obligations – as if the latter obligations didn't exist. Human rights are central to development impact and a just transition, and must be integrated, clearly and comprehensively, in the policies and operations of international financial institutions.   I welcome the current international discussions on reinforcing international tax cooperation. When multinational businesses and wealthy individuals shift their profits and financial reporting to low- or no-tax jurisdictions, this undercuts the ability of countries to mobilize revenues to fulfil human rights.   The 2023 State of Tax Justice report estimates that countries will lose nearly US$5 trillion over the next ten years to tax havens. We need to combat tax avoidance, tax evasion and illicit financial flows. I commend the leadership of the African group for bringing this topic to the fore at the General Assembly, and I welcome the initiative led by Colombia, Chile and Brazil to promote progressive taxation and greater cooperation across Latin America and the Caribbean.   Taking decisive steps to end corruption and illicit financial flows is a powerful tool for raising revenue, as studies have found. Both phenomena also undermine the rule of law, taking away resources needed for public investments and the common good, and destroying public confidence. Studies indicate that up to 25% of spending on public contracts is stolen by corruption, globally. This deeply corrosive impact on sustainable development is why SDG16.5 makes a strong promise to “substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms.”   With the planetary crisis gaining pace, there is also a vital need for a shift to human rights economies that promote green solutions. I cannot emphasise too strongly the need for a rapid, equitable phase-out of fossil fuels, and effectively financed human rights-based climate action¬ – notably for adaptation, and to address loss and damage.   I am also attentive to the need to counter the impunity of people and businesses who severely plunder our environment. An international crime of ecocide has been proposed for inclusion in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court by a number of States and civil society groups. I welcome consideration of this and other measures to expand accountability for environmental damage, both at the national and international level.   The rights to affordable and quality food, water and sanitation, housing, education, healthcare and social security impose obligations on all States. Like all other human rights, they need to be embedded in law and upheld, everywhere.   But in many countries, housing, for example, is treated as a commodity for speculative investment: a plaything of financial markets, rather than a fundamental right.   A crisis of affordable housing squeezes family incomes; deepens inequalities; harms the health of children; impoverishes young people; and drives a growing crisis of homelessness. This has become especially evident across much of the industrialized world, and I am highlighting this issue because I am convinced that it goes to the heart of the social contract.   The apparent indifference of elected officials to the plight of young people and others contributes to their disillusionment – eroding their trust in political systems. In many countries, housing costs have risen far faster than incomes – putting stable, secure housing out of reach for large numbers of young people, and others with low or erratic incomes.   Ending homelessness and ensuring affordable housing are firmly embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals. They are also a human rights imperative. States need to recognize homelessness as a violation of human rights that strips people of protections essential to dignity. I encourage all countries – particularly the most developed countries – to deploy maximum available resources to fulfil these rights, as required by international law.   Across the Middle East and North Africa, people are facing unprecedented water scarcity. An estimated 83% of the region’s population is exposed to extremely high water stress, and by 2030, average per capita available water will fall below the threshold of absolute scarcity. This will have dramatic negative impact on health and food security; it will drastically intensify poverty; and it appears likely to increase conflicts, instability, and displacement.   I welcome last month's discussions by Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela towards a common vision for the Amazon rainforest, including effective participation by Indigenous Peoples. The announcement in June that Brazil will aim to end illegal deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon by 2030, comes as a breath of fresh air. I also congratulate the people of Ecuador for their votes in favour of stopping oil and mineral extraction activities in Yasuní National Park, which is also home to Indigenous Peoples, and the Andean Chocó Biosphere Reserve.   In India, my Office frequently receives information that marginalised minority communities are subjected to violence and discrimination. Muslims are often the target of such attacks, most recently in Haryana and Gurugram, in northern India. In Manipur, other communities have also been facing violence and insecurity since May. There is a clear need to redouble efforts to uphold the rights of all minorities, by dealing in a forthright manner with intolerance, hate speech, religious extremism and discrimination.   I reiterate my deep concerns regarding human rights developments in the Russian Federation. Civic space is being crushed by restrictions on fundamental rights and particularly severe oppression of the anti-war movement. The authorities continue to use the judicial system to silence critical voices, targeting human rights activists and groups for legitimate work. Allegations of torture and ill-treatment in detention facilities persist, as does the authorities’ unwillingness to investigate.   In Iran, a year after Mahsa Amini’s death, I am seriously concerned that a new bill currently under review imposes severe penalties on women and girls who do not obey the compulsory dress code, including travel bans and withdrawal of access to social services. It also enables the use of surveillance technology to monitor women's behaviour and dress. Reports of women facing legal action for dress code violations have multiplied, even before passage of the bill.   In this context, I flag my concern regarding renewed deployment of the morality police, a force almost exclusively aimed at controlling women and girls. Accountability for Ms. Amini’s death, and for violations in the context of subsequent protests, has been inadequate. Use of the death penalty has risen sharply, notably against the Baloch and others from minority communities.   In Pakistan, I am concerned by the use of blasphemy allegations to incite violence against minority communities and instigate communal tensions. Last month, a mob of thousands of people burned down more than a dozen churches and looted homes of Christians in an area of Faisalabad. Draft amendments to the country's already severe blasphemy laws would sharply increase penalties. Passage of this legislation would constitute a major step away from the changes urged by international human rights bodies.   In Ethiopia's Amhara region, since the start of the crisis and the declaration of a State of Emergency at the beginning of August, over 1,000 people have reportedly been arrested, and more than 200 reportedly killed, in the context of clashes between Federal forces and Amhara Fano militia. In Oromia, clashes also reportedly continue to lead to killings and other violations and abuses. In Tigray, mass arrests and forced displacement are reported, mainly in areas where Eritrean and Amhara forces are still allegedly present. All these incidents must be investigated, and those responsible held to account.   In both Libya and Tunisia, I have been alarmed by reports that authorities have been carrying out mass arrests and collective expulsions of migrants and asylum-seekers from south of the Sahara. As of 31 August, at least 28 migrants have reportedly died from heat and thirst in desert areas at the Libya-Tunisia border, after some 2,000 migrants and asylum-seekers, including women and children, were left there by Tunisian authorities – with no, or limited, access to food, water and shelter. In Tunisia, many more migrants remain at risk of expulsion. Over the past five months, security agencies in both west and east Libya have also conducted mass arrests of migrants and refugees, followed by expulsions. I urge the application of human rights guidance, which offers benefits to countries of origin, transit and destination.   In Lebanon, three years after the Beirut explosion which killed over 200 people and wounded more than 7,000 – including over 1,000 children – there has been no accountability. On the contrary: numerous concerns have been raised about interference into the investigation, against a backdrop of a severe economic and social crisis and weak governance. It may therefore be time to consider an international fact-finding mission to look into human rights violations related to this tragedy.   In Cameroon, six years of crisis in the North-West and South-West regions have claimed several thousand lives, displaced an estimated 725,000 people and left at least 1.7 million in need of humanitarian assistance. The impact on human rights and development has been massive.   In Peru, I am concerned by the opening of a parliamentary inquiry on all members of the National Justice Board, an independent institution in charge of appointing judges and prosecutors. The investigation could impact judicial independence and the separation of powers. Since January, my Office has documented 13 bills and five constitutional accusations by Congress that have raised concerns regarding interference into autonomous constitutional bodies, particularly the National Election Board and the National Justice Board. I call on Congress to abide by the UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary and to respect the balance of State powers.   More than halfway through the 2030 Agenda, we are on target for it to become a tragic monument to the failure of our generation to erase extreme poverty and realise human rights. At the SDG summit next week; at COP28, on climate change; and at the Summit of the Future, States need to pivot decisively towards fundamental changes.   The Declaration on the Right to Development sets out rights and duties on the part of States to forge development and related policies for the well-being of all. Operationalising this right is essential.   Let me stress again that the human rights cause in all its facets has the potential to unify us, at a time when we urgently need to come together to confront the existential challenges that face humanity. This is ultimately about building trust and restoring hope. All of us need to play our part.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2023/12/opening-statement-un-high-commissioner-human-rights-volker-turk http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2023/09/turk-human-rights-are-antidote-prevailing-politics-distraction-deception http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/regular-sessions/session54/list-reports http://sdg.iisd.org/commentary/guest-articles/integrated-policies-can-reduce-inequality-end-poverty-and-the-war-on-nature/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/09/human-rights-must-be-front-and-centre-sustainable-development-processes-un http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/studies/ahrc5483-inequality-social-protection-and-right-development-study-expert http://reliefweb.int/report/world/implementation-third-united-nations-decade-eradication-poverty-2018-2027-report-secretary-general-a78239-enarruzh http://www.un.org/en/conferences/SDGSummit2023 http://globalpublicinvestment.net/report-time-for-gpi/ Visit the related web page
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