International Day of Democracy

In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly acknowledged the resilience and universality of the principles of democracy by declaring 15 September the International Day of Democracy.

Parliament is the central institution of democracy. It represents society in all its diversity and embodies the will of the people. Parliaments have the responsibility for reconciling conflicting interests of different groups and communities in society, and for turning the resulting agreements into policies. They do this through dialogue and compromise.

A democratic parliament is one that is:

Representative, which means that it reflects, as closely as possible, the social and political diversity of the population, encourages the full participation of women, and ensures equal rights and protections for all of its members so that they can freely exercise their mandate

Transparent, which means that it works in a way that the public can see, either directly or through communication media, such as print or electronic news organizations

Accessible, which means that the public, including associations and movements of civil society, can be involved in its work

Accountable, which means that there are opportunities for voters to hold members of parliament to account for their performance in office and integrity of conduct

Effective, which means that parliament's work, which encompasses not only domestic law-making and oversight but also the increasingly important realm of international relations, must be well organized to ensure that it serves the needs of the whole population.