Late last year the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 September the International Day of Democracy. This decision carries special significance for the IPU as the international organization of parliaments, the very voice of democracy.

The date is of particular relevance to the IPU and its members, for the Universal Declaration on Democracy was adopted on this date a little over ten years ago. IPU will be marking 15 September with an open house and panel discussion at the House of Parliaments in Geneva, with distinguished representatives from the political sphere and diplomatic community, prestigious academics and civil society leaders. In a follow-up to its normative work and the handbook, Parliament and Democracy in the Twenty-first Century, the IPU is also finalizing a self-assessment tool for parliaments interested in determining what they can do to strengthen their institutions on the basis of the recommendations and good practices put forward in the handbook.

At the national level, parliaments are examining ways in which they can mark this day accordingly:

• day of “open doors” in Parliament, when students and interested citizens can observe the parliamentary proceedings of the day;
• special debate in parliament focusing on how to make parliament and the political process more representative, transparent, accessible, accountable and effective, that is, more democratic;
• national review of progress made in meeting international commitments in the sphere of democracy and human rights, with a focus on areas for future efforts;
• reading of the Universal Declaration on Democracy and/or adoption of a parliamentary resolution or declaration marking the International Day,
• joint session/video-conference among two or more parliaments, addressing democracy-related issues of mutual interest.

Information on all of the above can be found on a dedicated web page on the International Day of Democracy.

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