PROMOTION OF DEMOCRACY IN THE UNITED NATIONS
CONTEXT
ROMANIAN INITIATIVES
Contents:
- A start outside the United Nations
- A new profile for the world
organization
- Democracy, but no
models
- A "Code of Democratic
Conduct"?
- Promoting and consolidating
democracy
- Perspectives
 1. A start outside the United Nations
The history of democracy is a long one, but not in the
United Nations context. When the victors in WWII drafted
the Charter, they could not lay down in it anything like
democracy as such, although the issue of human rights was
central in the whole construction of the post-war era. As
the United Nations system developed simultaneously with
its use as an arena for the Cold War type of ideological
confrontation, there was no way to bring democracy on its
agenda, implicitly or explicitly. That is why a clear
movement in the promotion of democratic values started
outside the United Nations.
The first step in this direction was the International
Conference of Newly Restored Democracies that took place
in the Philippines in 1988, with the participation of 16
countries, mostly from Latin America. We would never
overstate the importance of that Conference despite the
modest participation. Its great merit is that it brought
to the fore a new sort of international missionarism in
favour of democracy. Subsequently, the seed planted in
Manila has gradually produced fruit.
The Second International Conference of New or Restored
Democracies held in Managua, Nicaragua, in 1994, led to
the endorsement by the 54 participants of a comprehensive
Plan of Action for democracy. A very important result was
that their message to the international community was so
strong that the United Nations General Assembly included
on its agenda at the 49th session a permanent item that
has to do with democracy. For the first time in the
history of the organization, the General Assembly
examined an item intitled "Support by the United Nations
system of the efforts of governments to promote and
consolidate new or restored democracies". A series of
relevant resolutions has followed , which actually
consecrated a role that the United Nations has to play in
this realm.
2. A new profile for the world organization
Certainly, while welcoming this development, the
Secretary General in his first report on the new item, in
1995, felt compelled to say cautiously that "the United
Nations system, in assisting and supporting the efforts
of Governments to promote and consolidate new or restored
democracies does not endorse or promote any specific form
of government". Nevertheless, subsequent developments
have proved that this emerging trend was encouraged and
supported by many countries. The interest of Member
States has overcome some understandable inertia.
The new trend was reinforced by the third
International Conference of New or Restored Democracies
that was hosted by Romania in 1997 (2-4 September).
Almost eighty countries were represented as well as
numerous non-governmental organizations. The political
document adopted to which both governments and NGOs
contributed made disapear the political hesitation still
present in some UN bodies at that time. It pointed out
that there is "an almost universal recognition that a
democratic system of government is the best model to
ensure a framework of liberties for lasting solutions to
the political, economic and social problems that our
societies face".
3. Democracy, but no models
Yet, the word "model" is not very agreeable to many,
precisely because it implies an existing paradigm, which
is automatically associated, in turn, with the Western
type of democracy. As a matter of fact the UN
Secretary-General in his report of 1995, already quoted,
says "Democracy is not a model to be copied from certain
States, but a goal to be attained by all peoples and
assimilated by all cultures. It may take many forms,
depending on the characteristics and circumstances of
societies". Which is true. Yet, no one can deny that
beyond any possible variety of expressions of the notion
of democracy, there should be some basics.
It was Romania the country that tried to acquire
acceptance by the international community, in its
capacity as Chair of the third International Conference
of New or Restored Democracies, for a set of such basics.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations in his report
to the 52nd General Assembly welcomed the guidelines,
principles and recommendations adopted by the Bucharest
Conference and acknowledged "the gradual new thinking "
emerging from it.
Among other recommendations one aimed at establishing
a follow-up mechanism. The United Nations system was
ready to form a part of it. Moreover, on 21 November
1997, the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in
this respect, the resolution 52/18 by consensus and with
the support of eighty co-sponsors, representing new or
traditional democracies from all continents. The General
Assembly invited the Secretary-General, Member States,
the relevant specialized agencies and bodies of the UN
system, as well as other intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations to contribute actively to
the follow-up process. Indeed, pursuing a very innovative
and participatory scheme, a follow-up mechanism was set
up in New York, with the representation of Governments,
United Nations bodies, academic and non-governmental
organizations.
Before long, some follow-up measures were brainstormed
and proposed in this mechanism. On 22 September 1998, a
Ministerial Meeting of the New or Restored Democracies
took place in New York. On that occasion, the Romanian
Foreign Minister, as Chairman, was in a position to
report that some of the proposals took shape (a
questionnaire on the needs and lessons learned in the
area of democratization, a database inventory covering
entities that were undertaking projects or activities
related to the same field, a website dedicated
exclusively to democratization and governance, the start
of a permanent and informal framework for dialogue on the
democratic process called "Democracy Forum". He also
announced the intention of presenting, during the
following year, a draft "Code of Democratic Conduct".
4. A "Code of Democratic Conduct"?
That was no easy thing to do. As a matter of fact, very
few participants sincerely believed that indeed a UN body
would ever endorse a Code of Democratic Conduct.
However, in less than one year, Romania came up with a
first draft of a Code of Democratic Conduct. In July
1999, the draft was presented to all UN Members with the
clearly stated intention to present it for approval to
the General Assembly, at its 54th session. The aim of the
document was briefly characterized by Romania as
"recommending a basic set of norms of democratic conduct
for Governments in the exercise of power (free, fair and
competitive elections, separation of powers, respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms, strengthening the
rule of law and appliance of practices of good
governance, increasing participation of civil society in
the development of democracy and enhancing social
cohesion and solidarity)" .
The ambition of the text was therefore to go beyond
repetition of human rights norms, and to give a more
complete description of a democratic conduct, with all
organic interconnections among crucial dimensions of the
social and political life in a sustainable democratic
society. After some negotiation exercise the draft
resolution rapidly attracted the support of sixty states
as co-sponsors. The excellent start made the co-sponsors
believe that consensus was possible. However, the idea of
"codifying" democratic behaviour and giving it the high
authority of the General Assembly did not work at the
beginning. Since for Romania and the co-sponsors the aim
was a consunsus resolution, they withdrew voluntarily the
draft resolution, waiting for the idea to come of
age.
5. Promoting and consolidating democracy
Not for long, since very soon after the end of the
regular session, Romania and other countries felt that
completing the initiative could greatly contribute to the
confirmation of a genuine trend in the world in favour of
democracy. Romania presented a draft resolution in the
Commission on Human Rights in its April 2000 session. It
used an excellent way paved by a breakthrough resolution
on promotion of right to democracy adopted the previous
year . The resolution was entitled: "Promoting and
consolidating democracy".
Although the Commission on Human Rights has less
members that the UN General Assembly, the new resolution
was co-sponsored by sixty countries. This time the
co-sponsors firmly went to vote. Resolution 2000/47 was
adopted by 45 votes in favour, zero against and 8
abstentions. Beside this expression of clear support, an
unusual fact happened.
Based on this new impetus, Romania presented a similar
text to the third Committee of the General Assembly, at
its 55th session. On 4th December 2000, the General
Assembly adopted, by an overwhelming majority, a
resolution also entitled "Promoting and consolidating
democracy" , as result of extensive negotiations based on
the text previously adopted in Geneva. Hopefully, the
resolution will become a point of reference for future
assessments of the genuine nature of the democratic
transformation of the governance throughout the
world.
6. Perspectives
Romania believes it is worth continuing international
inter-action around the issue of promoting democracy
within the framework of the United Nations which has
legitimacy and competence to contribute through its means
to democratization in its Member States.
It is very important to note that the approach which
led to the adoption of resolution "Promoting and
Consolidating Democracy" has the great comparative
advantage of emerging from the young democracies
themselves, although traditional democracies also
participated in the whole exercise as observers to the
conferences and in the negotiation of the resolution.
From this perspective, the arguments about the "model"
imposed lose relevance;
In the context of the United Nations one of the merits
that add value to the resolution "Promoting and
consolidating democracy" is that the entire new thinking
on the issue of democracy has gone beyond the traditional
lines of the North-South differences in the United
Nations and it is based on shared values.
There is room to move forward by developing subjects
of common interest for both young and consolidated
democracies. While it is obvious that the needs and means
of the two groups differ very much, their perception of
fighting for the same goal of strengthening a functioning
and effective democracy is, politically, very important.
If this aspiration is sincerely pursued in a concerted
manner, the democracy will turn into a common good of
global relevance.
The developments that have taken place and have given
more concrete shape to the commitments of Governments to
preach and practice democracy are meaningful and
encouraging. Above all, this trend is explainable not
only in terms of geopolitical changes but also, and
perhaps more, in terms of the genuine will of societies.
This assertion implies that the new place democracy has
now among other priorities of the United Nations should
be constantly and systematically enhanced.
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