Strengthening democratic resilience in the face of future crises
The International Day of Democracy is celebrated around the world on 15 September each year. It was established through a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly in 2007, encouraging governments to strengthen and consolidate democracy.
There is no doubt that the fall out of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has resulted in major social, political and legal challenges globally.
As states around the world adopt emergency measures to address the crisis, it is critical that they continue to uphold the rule of law, protect and respect international standards and basic principles of legality, and the right to access justice, remedies and due process.
UN Secretary General António Guterres has urged governments to be transparent, responsive and accountable in their COVID-19 response and ensure that any emergency measures are legal, proportionate, necessary and non-discriminatory.
He says, “The best response is one that responds proportionately to immediate threats while protecting human rights and the rule of law.”
Concerns in many countries in the context of COVID-19 include:
Measures to control the flow of information and crackdown on freedom of expression and press freedom against an existing background of shrinking civic space.
Arrest, detention, prosecution or persecution of political opponents, journalists, doctors and healthcare workers, activists and others for allegedly spreading “fake news”.
Aggressive cyber-policing and increased online surveillance.
Postponement of elections is raising serious constitutional issues in some cases and may lead to rising tensions.
The crisis raises the question how best to counter harmful speech while protecting freedom of expression.
Sweeping efforts to eliminate misinformation or disinformation can result in purposeful or unintentional censorship, which undermines trust. The most effective response is accurate, clear and evidence-based information from sources people trust.
Around the world civil society organizations have answered the UN’s call to action to address and counteract the wide range of ways the Covid-19 crisis may impair democracy and increase authoritarianism, by:
- developing media literacy and digital safety, more critical than ever as activism is forced online, so as to address the risk of suppression, interference and closing of civic space;
- fighting misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, which have mushroomed in the crisis;
- training journalists remotely to report on the impact of the pandemic with in-depth, fact-checked coverage, while staying safe on the front line;
- empowering women against gender-based violence, which has surged amid COVID-19 lockdowns, quarantines, and social and economic pressures;
- helping to highlight the challenges of inequality and weak service delivery made worse by the crisis, with specific focus on the needs and rights of women, youth, minorities and other marginalised populations, so as to help hold governments to account.
Democracy requires the participation of all citizens, albeit at various capacity levels. At a time when undemocratic governance is resurfacing in various parts of our world, this day serves as a sobering reminder that all living beings have a right – to their freedom and democracy.
