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We believe that there is still a great potential to be
explored with a view to enhancing the profile of the United
Nations in promoting democracy. As a matter of fact, a clear
assumption of a specific role by the UN is historically very
recent. Actually, it started in 1994, when a consensus General
Assembly resolution indicated the UN should support new or
restored democracies.
Encouraging normative framework should be indeed a
priority - to start, compilations of existing codes, guidelines,
various good practices and experiences, lessons learned in the field
can be very useful; these compilation might become valuable source of
norms already tested in the confrontation with the reality;
Adding arguments in favour of the universal relevance of
democratic values and principles is very important, in a similar
manner as the universality of human rights is supported; as we
stated before, the myth of the UN neutrality with respect to
qualifying the nature of political regimes has expired;
Working for better coherence in the UN systems as to
make sure that all activities which catalyse democratisation
processes in a way or another are meant to contribute to the
promotion of goals of perennial rather than circumstantial value
for the beneficiary countries; A way to generalize interest to
promote democracy is indeed to include in the mission statements
or terms of reference of various UN bodies, treaty bodies,
special procedures of human rights, objectives related to
observing institutions of democracy and assist countries in
making them working better;
There is also the interaction between the UN Secretary
General and regional organizations ; The UN should take a more
proactive position in promoting universal respect for democratic
values, without challenging cultural values and specificities,
but also by making sure that diversity and local specificity does
not serve as pretext for the absence of genuine democracy; in this
respect, it is very encouraging that important initiatives as
NEPAD, or new organizations as the African Union, contain in their
constitutional language commitments for the promotion of
democracy;
Finally, the UN has to include more of democratisation
oriented action in its peace-making, peacekeeping and post-conflict
peace building, as to provide more sustainability to the objectives
pursued in the fragile conflict torn societies. That is the best promise
of peace since it can move the struggle for power from the battlefields
to the voting booths.
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