Global reports on the state of democracy and human rights indicate that democracy is threatened, and authoritarianism is on the rise. Civic space and fundamental freedoms are fiercely and increasingly restricted in many countries. In addition, democratic backsliding or a decline in the quality of democracy is occurring in newer as well as long-established democracies across all regions. Against this backdrop, civic organizations and individuals call for the creation of a new mandate by the United Nations Human Rights Council: a UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy (UNRoD).  Following the UN principles enshrined in past and present resolutions and instruments, including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the 1993 Vienna Declaration of the World Conference on Human Rights, the proposed mandate for the UNRoD would be to investigate the state of democracy around the world from a broader perspective and examine challenges and opportunities related to the realization of democracy.

Learn more about and join this appeal here.