Theme: Political Empowerment

The International Day of Democracy 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of IPU’s Universal Declaration on Democracy and the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Democracy. These two critical milestones offer an occasion to reaffirm our shared commitment to protect and promote democracy.  The International Day of Democracy is celebrated around the world on 15 September each year.  As part of this year’s IDD, the IPU has also launched a petition in support of stronger democracies.

To mark the dual milestones this year of the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Democracy on 15 September and the 20th anniversary of the adoption of IPU’s Universal Declaration on Democracy, the IPU campaign, Get engaged now, calls for people to take action to strengthen democracy. Such actions can mean voting in elections, speaking out against human rights violations, opposing restrictive laws on freedom of expression and joining a civil society organization.

From 13-17 March, BGIPU sent a parliamentary delegation to the 61st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations in New York. “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work” was the 2017 priority theme of this year’s Commission, with parliamentarians from over 150 countries convening to debate the issue.

The number of women in executive government and in parliament worldwide has stagnated, with only marginal improvements since 2015, according to the data contained in the Women in Politics 2017 Map launched today by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women. The Map, which presents global rankings for women in the executive and parliamentary branches of government as of 1 January 2017, shows slow progress towards gender equality in these areas at regional and national levels. 

More ambitious measures and stronger political commitment are needed to enhance women’s representation in parliament and keep apace with the significant progress achieved worldwide over the last decade, says the IPU.  “Women in Parliament in 2016: The year in review” released ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March calls for renewed momentum to ensure women’s voices everywhere are included in decision-making processes underscoring that women’s political empowerment cannot be taken for granted.

IPU will be marking International Day of Democracy 2016 on 15 September with the theme ‘Democracy 2030’ – an invitation and challenge to all parliaments to think about the future of democracy.  Imagining the future is fundamental for building strong democracies that contribute to achieving sustainable development. International Day of Democracy is a key opportunity to challenge ideas, allow diverse voices to be heard and engage the general public.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted on 25th July by consensus a resolution on Interaction between the UN, national parliaments and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. IPU President Saber Chowdhury welcomed the adoption saying the UNGA decision “recognizes the key role of parliaments and of IPU in helping build political will to tackle the world’s many challenges. I am confident that it will provide a valuable framework for taking our strategic partnership even further, for the good of our global community”.