Democracy plays no role in the UN’s Pact for the Future

The Pact for the Future, adopted at the United Nations Summit of the Future on 22-23 September in New York, is a pivotal framework designed to address global challenges with a long-term vision extending beyond 2030. It includes two annexes: the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration for Future Generations, focusing on digital governance and the rights of future generations.

The Pact’s five broad focus areas include: sustainable development; international peace and security; science and technology; youth and future generations, and transforming global governance. This comprehensive framework is critical as it proposes reforms to global institutions like the UN, aiming to tackle issues such as climate change and peace and security amid increasing geopolitical tensions.

Critical gaps from a democracy lense

However, one of the key global challenges missing from the Pact is the decline of democracy, a pressing issue that has significant implications for the other areas the Pact seeks to address. International IDEA’s “Global State of Democracy Report 2024: Strengthening the Legitimacy of Elections in a Time of Radical Uncertainty” highlights how democratic decline and rising authoritarianism are undermining political rights and civic space, which are fundamental for achieving the Pact’s goals on peace, security, and sustainable development.

Looking at the Pact from a democracy lense, some key findings stand out, including critical gaps:  

Global threats to democracy

The Pact fails to explicitly address the rise of authoritarianism and the global decline in democracy, both of which contribute to global instability. While the Pact discusses the need to democratize global governance systems, including the UN Security Council, it does not recognize the critical importance of democratic governance at the national level (the four mentions of democracy in the Pact refer solely to multilateral governance). 

Democratic institutions

While the Pact acknowledges institutions like parliaments and civil society organizations, it fails to explicitly acknowledge the role of democratic institutions in ensuring political stability, peace, and accountability, and also overlooks the crucial role of electoral bodies. These institutions are essential for conflict prevention and sustainable development, and the Pact should include stronger commitments to protect them.

Civil society

Although the Pact emphasizes the need for stronger partnerships with civil society and the need to protect human rights organizations from reprisals, it falls short in acknowledging the increasing repression faced by civil society in many parts of the world. And by using the wording “in accordance with national legislation” it fails to acknowledge how national legislation is increasingly used to curtail civic space. 

Media freedom

The Pact highlights the need to protect journalists, but only within the context of conflict zones. It does not adequately address the broader global threats to media freedom or freedom of expression, and the critical impact this has on achieving the goals of the Pact – a free media plays a crucial role in ensuring independent scrutiny of policies needed to implement the Pact. It also fails to acknowledge the damaging impact of disinformation (potentially turbocharged by Artificial Intelligence -AI) on democratic processes. The need to protect journalists should extend beyond conflict settings and the Pact should recognize that disinformation weakens the democratic fabric of societies and electoral processes, and that combatting it should be carefully balanced with the right to free speech. 

Inclusive governance

The Pact acknowledges the importance of women and youth participation, but it fails to make a broader connection to the need for inclusive political participation and to recognize the importance of inclusive governance for preventing conflict and promoting sustainable peace.

Electoral integrity

The importance of free and fair elections is missing from the Pact. Electoral bodies are key to ensuring peaceful transitions of power, and the Pact should call for international support to strengthen the integrity of electoral processes and safeguard independent electoral bodies.

Independent judiciaries

While the Pact emphasizes justice and the rule of law, it does not adequately address increasing threats to judicial independence around the world. Protecting courts from political control is vital for sustaining peace and security, and the Pact should highlight the importance of independent judiciaries as a pillar of democratic governance.

The Pact’s two annexes

The Global Digital Compact (GDC) (Annex 1) seeks to establish shared international principles for the use of emerging digital technologies addressing issues such as digital connectivity, data protection, digital rights, and equitable access to technology globally. While the final GDC recognizes human rights and the need for safe digital spaces, critical gaps remain. It falls short in providing robust protections for electoral integrity and safeguarding against digital repression. The lack of strong, legally binding language for human rights oversight also limits its ability to address human rights abuses effectively in the digital realm. While the final GDC recognizes that digital cooperation is multi-stakeholder, it remains vague on how the multi-stakeholder approach will be implemented, including for AI governance. 

The Declaration for Future Generations (Annex 2) upholds human rights and inclusivity and recognizes the importance of political rights. However, it does not explicitly emphasize the importance of inclusive political participation for groups such as women, youth, and people with disabilities and other marginalized groups in democratic processes.

A missed opportunity

The Pact for the Future has the potential to reshape global governance and address pressing global challenges, but it fails to emphasize support of democratic institutions, inclusive governance, and civil liberties. Without addressing the rise of authoritarianism and the erosion of democratic systems, the Pact may fall short in achieving sustainable peace, security, and development. To build a more just and stable world for future generations, the future of democracy should have been prioritized. 

This piece was originally published by International IDEA. Republished here with permission of the author. The copyright remains with the author and/or the original publisher.