Proposed UN rapporteur to support democracy, fill gaps: event in Geneva

On March 25, 2025, a side event titled “Democracy and Human Rights” was convened in the margins of the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. Hosted by CIVICUS and Democracy Without Borders with the co-sponsorship of a number of partner organizations, the event served the purpose of briefing diplomats, experts and civil society representatives on the proposed mandate of UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy. The new independent position, which would be unpaid as per the UN’s practice, is being suggested to help support democratic resilience and development worldwide.

With around ten UN Member State delegations and numerous other participants present, CIVICUS’ UN Advisor in Geneva Sigrid Lipott introduced the event by highlighting the situation of shrinking civic space in many countries around the world. In CIVICUS’ recent annual edition of the State of Civil Society report, the group noted that democracy was undergoing “significant regression”. The proposed UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy would be a way for the UN to react and assist countries to deal with common challenges.

According to Andreas Bummel, Executive Director of Democracy Without Borders, the foundation for the new mandate was the UN’s consistent support of democracy from its foundation up to the present. While there was no single model of democracy, the resolutions and instruments adopted and regularly reaffirmed by the UN over time in aggregate constituted an “actionable definition”, he said. In particular, the mandate could be tied to Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Rapporteur to investigate common challenges and best practices 

On the one hand, the new rapporteur could take a broader perspective and investigate “common challenges and best practices of democratic governance”. On the other, the proposed mandate could “zoom in” and cover “key gaps” in the existing Special Procedures system of the Human Rights Council related to democracy. Bummel noted that such gaps exist in particular in the fields of election integrity and the autonomy of electoral management bodies; the separation of powers and parliamentary oversight of the executive branches; the effectiveness of the different branches of government as well as mechanisms of direct citizen participation.

Evie Papada, Research and Policy Analyst at V-Dem Institute, confirmed the need for the proposed mandate “in relation to the gaps in the Special Procedures already identified”. She noted that according to V-Dem data, “both the fairness of elections and the autonomy of Electoral Management Bodies has been steadily diminishing during the past decade”, a crucial subject not covered by UN mandates thus far. The rapporteur could also pay attention to “the effectiveness of the judiciary, mechanisms of direct citizen participation and strengthening executive oversight”, she said.

Need to fill crucial gaps in the UN’s human rights system

Dalia Leinarte, a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, argued that a UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy was necessary to complement existing mandates that deal with particular rights and freedoms. In view of the UN’s funding and liquidity crisis and related efficiency and rationalisation measures adopted in the context of the UN Human Rights Council, Leinarte argued that strengthening and expanding the Special Procedures system of the Human Rights Council was a way to react as it was comparatively cost-effective and there was considerable flexibility in how mandates could be supported.

The President of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy and the International Steering Committee of the Civil Society Pillar of the Community of Democracies, Enrique de Obarrio, said “democracy is in recession in many parts of the world, there is clearly a setback, and we must promote creative initiatives that seek to strengthen and reaffirm our commitment to democratic values; initiatives such as the creation of a United Nations Special Rapporteur on Democracy.” He noted that a democratic system of government was reflected in the 19 principles of the Warsaw Declaration of the Community of Democracy adopted 25 years ago, which “should be the backbone of the new UN Special Rapporteur”. The rapporteur could “serve as a bridge between governments and democratic parliaments, civil society, academia, the private sector, and other interested stakeholders”, he added.

Democracy is a universal aspiration

According to Annika Silva-Leander, UN Permanent Observer at International IDEA in New York, the need for a Human Rights Council mandate on democracy has never been more urgent. At the same time, the prospects were probably never more challenging, she outlined the dilemma. Nonetheless, an analysis of her organization indicates that “democracy remains a universal aspiration for many member states” in the Global North and South alike and many “also recognize democratic backsliding as a concern”. “We need to work with those allies to advance this initiative”, Silva-Leander said. 

Yuyun Wahyuningrum, Executive Director of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), joined the call for the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy. She emphasized that Southeast Asia shows why this mandate is “urgently needed”. Wahyuningrum noted that democratic institutions were “under attack” in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Laos. APHR is concerned that governments prioritized economic ties over democratic principles and called for an ASEAN Democracy Charter. She stressed that democracy is a universal aspiration, not a “Western construct”, and warned against inaction. The UN “cannot afford to stand by and watch as democracy erodes further”, Wahyuningrum said.

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 2023, civil society groups and think tanks launched a joint statement calling for the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy. The statement at this time is endorsed by over 175 institutions and around 500 individuals, many of whom are current or former policy makers or democracy experts. Most recent endorsements were made by Pacto pela Democracia, a Brazilian network of over 200 civil society groups, and the Election Integrity Project.

Among the co-sponsors of the side event in Geneva were International IDEA, Society for Threatened Peoples, Parliamentarians for Global Action, Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy (REDLAD), and ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights.