“A great IDEA: Democracy”
Bern, 15.09.2015 - Stockholm, 15.09.2015 - Opening Address by Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter at the conference of the International IDEA Council of Member States - Check against delivery
Secretary General,
Minister, Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am very happy and honoured to open this 9th extraordinary session of the Council of International IDEA.
A few years ago, people stood up in what was to be called the “Arab Spring”. Hopes were high. People held their governments accountable for their failure to deliver on democracy: a remarkable fact.
Subsequent developments showed that democracy is a complex process – a very human process – and as such a vulnerable one, too. A colleague of mine once called it, referring to the political situation in her own country, “demo-crazy”. I don’t believe democracy is crazy, at all… but it is true – and a proven fact – that it may be difficult to manage, mostly because it leaves the floor open to many different views and opinions, interpretations and expectations of what it means and what it can actually deliver.
The Arab Spring also underlined that public institutions have duties and that they bear responsibility towards the citizens for their performance and conduct. It takes us back to the basics of “politikos”: the art of governing the city in ancient Greece. It reminds us that political and administrative decisions need to be taken in the interests of the people, and it underlines the necessity to keep spaces open for democratic debate.
It underlines that there is no good alternative – actually only crazy ones - to “the government of the people, by the people, for the people”, as Abraham Lincoln put it in his Gettysburg Address.
“For the people” means: accountability. “Accountability as a central element of deepening democracy”: This is the motto Switzerland has set itself for its chairmanship of International IDEA this year. Accountability: that means being responsible – and being held responsible - for one’s own acts and decisions.
Democracy is at the centre of today’s celebration, because of the 20th birthday of International IDEA and because today is the international day of democracy. Democracy is a concept very close to our hearts in Switzerland: semi-direct democracy is the blood that flows in our institutional order. It belongs to the principles of the Swiss reading of democracy that citizens participate. Not only in decision making – by referendum - but already in shaping policies, alongside a variety of interest groups.
It also belongs to these principles that politics, administration and public institutions are held accountable to the citizens, by the citizens themselves. Government for the people must be ensured at all times.
But of course, politics is not only about institutions. Institutions are one part of the concept of “politikos”. History teaches us that in order to last, democracies need both strong institutions and a deep democratic culture.
Politics therefore is first and foremost about the people, about the interaction between people and the institutions they choose, about the way they behave and interact. For example, in Switzerland the rights of minorities are particularly important – not least because my country is a mosaic of cultures, languages and religions. We attach great importance to the opinions of minorities and include them in the lawmaking process. Democracy should not be the dictatorship of majorities over minorities. And this is best assured by strong and competent institutions, but also by a political culture of dialogue and consultation.
In Switzerland, it has become an integral part of the political culture that citizens participate actively in politics. They do so not only by electing their representatives, or by being elected – as most of our political offices are non-professional - but also by directly influencing decisions through referendums. And this happens quite often, at the national, the cantonal and the municipal level: more than one third of all referendums held in the last 200 years in the world took place in Switzerland.
I am not here to talk much longer about Swiss democracy. But I think this highlights that democracy and its further development and deepening are important to us. We think democracy is a great IDEA! We do not claim to have found a model to export, as I hope none of us do, but we have found one that works for us and that of course we wish to develop further.
This is part of who we are and it is built upon the values we want to share too, through our foreign policy, as set out in our Federal Constitution.
Switzerland contributes to the IDEA of democracy with the know-how it has acquired over time: there is a regular and fruitful exchange on the promotion of democracy, decentralisation and local governance. On the ground, Switzerland and International IDEA collaborated closely in Mongolia and Nepal in the contexts of workshops organized by IDEA on the topics of citizen participation and constitutional reforms. In Tunisia Switzerland supported a project for the elaboration of a new constitution. Accountability and participation (Government by and for the People) are two fields in which we wish to increase our thematic exchanges in the future.
Ladies and gentlemen
Democracy has come a long way in the last decades. A number of states, including a couple of those represented here, have managed to develop their democratic systems with an impressive speed and commitment. Others are on their way – just think of the upcoming elections in Myanmar. But, alas, in other places there have been backlashes too.
This is a stark reminder: working for democracy is a constant work in progress for all of us. Democracy is not a static framework, it is a system driven by the people, changing accordingly; it is as much a process as it is a goal. It takes time to develop a democratic culture.
We sometimes forget, but in Europe democratic institutions and cultures took centuries to develop, and they faced many difficulties and took steps backward too.
Democracy always faces challenges: from all kinds of variations of autocracy, religious extremism and power exercised in the name of tradition; from the pressure built by availability or lack of resources and access to them; from fragility and conflict; from corruption and nepotism, and, in mature democracies, from something that seems inconceivable in newer ones: fatigue and lack of civic engagement.
It is worth the effort to work hard for democracy. This is why this organisation – International IDEA - bringing us together here today is so important, and such a great IDEA! And it is not by accident, but by careful design that we do this on this day, on 15 September, the International Day of Democracy.
In a few days’ time, the world will give itself a new development agenda. This is a huge step forward. For the first time, we have managed to bridge all gaps and give ourselves a global agenda, an agenda valid for all of us.
Switzerland will take these commitments very seriously and will partner with others in financing, implementing and monitoring progress of this agenda (monitoring progress actually means: being accountable). We will also constantly underline the universality of this common agenda.
We are convinced that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has the potential to bring about change worldwide. It is ambitious: we want to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030; we want to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030; and we want to reconcile economic development and conservation of resources.
This change will benefit the people and their livelihood and will lead to further progress on the agenda of developing democracy in its various forms. Switzerland will continue its work in this area.
But this change will have to be based on dialogue about how to achieve it: push for democracy and development, make sure that progress is measured and communicated. This work takes place in a variety of forums, beginning with the United Nations.
As far as I am aware no other organisation strives to find answers to the questions posed by democratic development and processes in such a comprehensive way as International IDEA, which has been doing so for 20 years.
Why is International IDEA important?
First, it has done a lot of good work to foster international dialogue on democracy. And I have just mentioned how important this continuing dialogue is to all of us.
International IDEA contributed its expertise to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Now it will have to use this expertise in helping making the agenda become reality.
Second, regarding expertise, this organisation is known for having developed tools and concrete approaches to analyse and assess democracy, such as the latest guide on “Democratic accountability in service delivery”, which is for example currently being used in the Philippines to assess the country’s disaster preparedness and post-disaster relief efforts and make recommendations for improvements.
The electoral cycle as a concept is closely tied to International IDEA and the recently developed Electoral Risk Management tool looks promising. It is currently being used by the Union Electoral Commission in Myanmar ahead of the elections in October.
International IDEA is also looking at constitutional processes, notably in Nepal, where it has been actively involved in writing the text of the constitution, but also in other regions like North Africa and the Middle East.
Other important topics which International IDEA is looking into include relations between political parties and citizen movements and the influence and origin of money in politics, particularly in Latin America.
As we see, International IDEA has acquired and is utilising regional expertise and experience across continents.
But one should never be too satisfied with work already done and always take a look at the work still ahead. And an anniversary is also – and foremost – an occasion to look forward. So, where do we go from here?
We want IDEA to further develop, to adapt to new realities, just as international cooperation is changing, too. We want IDEA to grow – and I welcome to this table the representatives of Brazil as a prospective new member state.
We also want IDEA to become even better. For this to happen, it will take all of us to meaningfully engage. As for my country, I can assure you that IDEA will remain a relevant partner for Switzerland in discussions and action on democracy. We have stepped up our support and will continue to engage. In this sense I am looking forward to at least another 20 years of inspiration and cooperation.
Ladies and gentlemen
I would like to finish by quoting Abraham Lincoln again – and more completely : “It is (…) for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us (…) that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”. Lincoln’s great words do not only describe a goal, they also resonate through the ages as a reminder that it is our responsibility to work hard towards achieving this goal. The goal of democracy.
Thank you.
Address for enquiries
FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55
E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Twitter: @SwissMFA
Publisher
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html
