NAM and the Promotion of Democracy

Democracy is a universally recognized ideal as well as a goal, which is based on common values shared by peoples throughout the world community irrespective of cultural, political, social and economic differences. It is thus a basic right of citizenship to be exercised under conditions of freedom, equality, transparency and responsibility, with due respect for the plurality of views, and in the interest of the polity.

As an ideal, democracy aims essentially to preserve and promote the dignity and fundamental rights of the individual, to achieve social justice, foster the economic and social development of the community, strengthen the cohesion of society and enhance national tranquility, as well as to create a climate that is favourable for international peace. As a form of government, democracy is the best way of achieving these objectives; it is also the only political system that has the capacity for self-correction. Promotion of democracy has been one of the important principles of the Non-Aligned Movement since its inception.

The Non-Aligned Movement regards democracy as a universal value, based on the freely expressed will of the people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives. The movement has also recognized that while all democracies share common features, there is no single model of democracy, that it does not belong to any country or region, and further reaffirmed the necessity of due respect for sovereignty and the right to self-determination, and their rejection to any attempt to breakdown constitutional and democratic orders legitimately established by the peoples. The Non-Aligned Movement has further expressed the conviction that international cooperation for the promotion of democracy, on the basis of respect for the principles enshrined in the UN Charter as well as those of transparency, impartiality, non-selectivity and inclusiveness, are vital in the contribution to the attainment of the goal of democracy consolidation at national, regional and international levels. NAM realizes that a just and democratic system is the only guarantor of the protection of human rights. As such, in successive NAM summits, ministerial declarations and major multilateral forums, NAM leaders have reaffirmed that democracy, development and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. As such, NAM has fully supported the strengthening and promotion of democracy, development and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the entire world, without distinction between developed and developing countries, in compliance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

India, one of the founding NAM Member States is the largest and one of the most successful democratic countries in the world. India’s experiments of democracy have taught the world a number of lessons: the successful workings of coalition governments, the unpredictability of voter behavior, the importance of an autonomous and responsive electoral commission, and above all the possibility of political sophistication among all citizens irrespective of their socio-economic status or creed. Democracy in India is conjoined with a commitment to the deeper values of pluralism and liberalism. The idea of India – the idea of pluralism, liberalism, secularism, socialism and economic equity, is widely promoted as a prototype for democracy in transition states.

NAM has also been successful in democracy promotion among its Member States. Since joining the NAM, many counties in Latin America have undergone a transformation from dictatorships into democracies where the voters control the elections. The constitutional processes that have been taking place in several Latin American countries signifies the strengthening of democracy based on the freely expressed will and participation of the people of those countries to determine their own political, economic, legal, social and cultural systems.

NAM Member states are actively engaged in the international programs for the promotion of democracy. A mention may be made of the Community of Democracies, a global intergovernmental coalition of states, founded in the year of 2000 to bring together governments, civil society and the private sector in the pursuit of a common goal: supporting democratic rules and strengthening democratic norms and institutions around the world. Mongolia, a NAM Member State successfully held the chairmanship of the Community of Democracies from 2011 – 2015 and demonstrated how new democratic practices such as direct democracy and citizen participation increasingly are gaining momentum in Mongol. Thus, it can be said that NAM firmly believes that building of democracy is a dynamic process in which framework must be promoted the equal growing, the fight against poverty and the social inclusion, as important and indispensable aspects in the international agenda to reach the development of all countries.