Conflict prevention for the International Day of Democracy

When it comes to democratic values, prevention has a clear role to play in promoting peace and stability in both the online and offline world. As reflected in our 2016 celebration article, the International Day of Democracy has been celebrated annually on 15 September since 2007 when the United Nations General Assembly set this date aiming to promote and uphold the principles of democracy.

Date 2017-09-15 Author BIK Team Section awareness

Fundamental values, the respect for human rights and genuine elections in universal suffrage are intrinsic aspects of democracy, as encompassed "in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and further developed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which enshrines a host of political rights and civil liberties underpinning meaningful democracies". The 2017 theme focuses on democracy and conflict prevention, and on the critical need to strengthen democratic institutions to promote peace and stability. According to the UN, "a more integrated approach to foster resilient societies calls for effective and inclusive democratic governance with respect for human rights and the rule of law. Developing effective conflict prevention mechanisms and infrastructures provides a foundation to resolve grievances and sustain peace".

The main UN events taking place on 15 September 2017 to celebrate the day are being organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and will highlight the Union's Universal Declaration on Democracy as an international standard to guide governments, parliaments and citizens through today's many challenges to democracy around the world. It will explore the tension within various relativist notions of democracy while discussing concrete ways to support democracy as a concept that all people everywhere can appropriate as theirs.

For the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) line of work, the International Day of Democracy is aligned with its values, especially considering this year's theme of conflict prevention online. Fighting hate speech and radicalisation online has been a priority for many Safer Internet Centres (SICs) within the Insafe network and examples include:

In addition, during the recent Better Internet for Kids MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on online safety, the final module of the course looked at topical issues related to hate speech and radicalisation. A brief summary of some of the key issues including definitions, educational responses, and counter-speech approaches is available here.

Follow the International Day of Democracy celebrations on social media using the #DemocracyDay hashtag, while further background information on the International Day of Democracy can be found on the United Nations website.

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