WEBINAR – MULTI-STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE | 16 September 2020 | 9:00 – 10:30 EDT
Democracy Day in the Time of the Pandemic: A Sustainable Response to the Global Crisis based on Multilateralism and the Rule of Law
The international community is observing the International Day of Democracy at a time when the magnitude, implications and gravity of the global crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic are becoming increasingly patent. But so are also the lessons we are learning from current experience that can guide the recovery and serve, in the words of the UN Secretary-General, to “build back better”. A central element of these lessons is that the quality and sustainability of the recovery will depend to a very large extent on governance capacity at all levels – local, national and international; on the transparency and accountability of public institutions; and on strengthening people’s trust in the state.
In commemoration of this year’s International Day of Democracy, International IDEA and IDLO are co-organizing an online event on “Democracy Day in the Time of the Pandemic: A Sustainable Response to the Global Crisis based on Multilateralism and the Rule of Law,” co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Sweden and Italy to the United Nations.
The event will take place on Wednesday, 16 September 2020, from 9:00am -10:30am (New York time) and will feature a video message by H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Key issues to be addressed in the ensuing dialogue will include:
- How do we turn COVID 19 challenges into opportunities to address the systematic vulnerabilities that COVID-19 has exposed?
- How can we leverage democratic and rule of law principles to ensure greater resilience to future shock?
- How can we best gear recovery policies to advance the transformational objectives of democratic governance and inter-generational justice set out in the 2030 Agenda?
Video Message by Mr. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy
Opening remarks:
- Mr. Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General, International IDEA
- Ms. Jan Beagle, Director-General, IDLO
- Ms. Annika Savill, Executive Director, UN Democracy Fund
Addresses:
- Ambassador Mariangela Zappia, Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN
- Keynote: Ambassador Annika Ben David, Ambassador-at-large for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden
Video Message by Ms. Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Stakeholder perspectives:
- Mr. Enrico Giovannini, Spokesperson, Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASVIS)
- Ms. Diam Abou Diab, Arab NGO Network
- Mr. Gerald Abila, Founder, Barefoot Law
Q&A Session:
- Moderator: Mr. Massimo Tommasoli, Permanent Observer for International IDEA to the UN
Concluding Remarks
Details:
Wednesday, 16 September 2020 | 9:00 – 10:30 EDT
Register here to receive the WEBEX link to access the event.
The concept note and agenda for the event are available to download below.
For questions or to contact IDLO's New York Office, please send an email to newyork@idlo.int
