IN DEFENCE OF DEMOCRACY

Since it was established in 1889, the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) the world organisation of Parliaments -- has been staunchly committed to promoting stable and diverse democratic traditions by fostering parliamentary dialogue. September 2017 will be the 20th anniversary of one of the IPU's unique achievements in this regard -- the Universal Declaration on Democracy it adopted in Cairo in September 1997. Ten years later, in 2007, the United Nations General Assembly reaffirmed the IPlTs initiative by instituting the International Day of Democracy on September 15 each year. Since then, the Day has been celebrated by more than 100 Parliaments. Both anniversaries are an opportunity to celebrate the successes of democracy and to face up to its challenges.