top of page

Im Jahr 2001 traf sich in Bueno-Aires, Argentinien, eine Gruppe von Menschen aus mehreren Generationen, um über die Zukunft der Welt zu diskutieren. Die Gruppe wurde von Dr. Jules Montalnor geleitet, der Verfassungsrecht und Demokratie lehrte Tücke. Während  In der Klasse fühlte er sich entschlossen und forderte alle Schüler auf, basierend auf ihrer Sicht auf die Welt an einem Projekt mit dem Titel „DIE ZUKUNFT DER WELT“ zu arbeiten.

Einer der Studenten brachte sein Projekt zurück, er hatte einen sehr eindrucksvollen Titel: „Beitrag“. Dann sagte Dr. Jules, um einen BEITRAG ZU leisten, müssen wir KOLLEKTIV sein, denn ein Beitrag ist ein Gefühl der Gemeinschaft. in einer Gruppe von Menschen, die die gleiche Vision teilen. Damit können wir zum Wiederaufbau der Welt durch eine echte Demokratie beitragen. Deshalb ist es unsere Vision und Mission, zur Etablierung der Demokratie in der Welt beizutragen, indem wir mit den 7 C-Wörtern Folgendes definieren: 

BEITRAGEN, KOLLEKTIV, KONZENTRIEREN, KONVERGENZ, KONSRUKTIV, BESTÄTIGEN durch gute KOMMUNIKATION

When the founders of the United Nations drafted the United Nations Charter, they did not mention the word democracy. In 1945, many of the UN Member States did not endorse democracy as a system, or didn’t practice it. Yet, the opening words of the Charter, “We the Peoples”, reflect the fundamental principle of democracy - that the will of the people is the source of legitimacy of sovereign states and, therefore, of the United Nations as a whole.

These values are embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It projects the concept of democracy by stating “the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government”. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights develops them even further and lays down the legal basis for the principles of democracy in international law. It covers, for instance, freedom of expression, the right of peaceful assembly, and the right to freedom of association with others. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women stipulates that its 189 contracting parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that women can vote and stand for elections, and participate in public life and decision-making, including at the international level.

The word democracy comes from the Greek words "demos", meaning people, and "kratos" meaning power; so democracy can be thought of as "power of the people": a way of governing which depends on the will of the people.

There are so many different models of democratic government around the world that it is sometimes easier to understand the idea of democracy in terms of what it definitely is not. Democracy, then, is not autocracy or dictatorship, where one person rules; and it is not oligarchy, where a small segment of society rules. Properly understood, democracy should not even be "rule of the majority", if that means that minorities' interests are ignored completely. A democracy, at least in theory, is government on behalf of all the people, according to their "will"

How we investigate.png

C.C.I konzentriert sich auf Probleme, die Länder bzwRegierungenWir stehen weltweit vor Problemen, die lösbar und ungewöhnlich groß sind, oft weil sie das Leben der Menschen beeinträchtigen könnten.

Diese Bereiche sind grob geordnet und wirken sich auf viele Leben aus. Wir zählen auf unser Fachwissen und unsere Fähigkeit, zur Lösung beizutragen.

Außerdem gibt es innerhalb jeder Ausgabe viele Variationen

Why democracy?

The idea of democracy derives its moral strength and popular appeal from two key principles:
1. Individual autonomy: The idea that no-one should be subject to rules which have been imposed by others. People should be able to control their own lives (within reason).
2. Equality: The idea that everyone should have the same opportunity to influence the decisions that affect people in society.

These principles are intuitively appealing, and they help to explain why democracy is so popular. Of course we feel it is fair that we should have as much chance as anyone else to decide on common rules!

The problems arise when we consider how the principles can be put into practice, because we need a mechanism for deciding how to address conflicting views. Because it offers a simple mechanism, democracy tends to be "rule of the majority"; but rule of the majority can mean that some people's interests are never represented. A more genuine way of representing everyone's interests is to use decision making by consensus, where the aim is to find common points of interest.

Democracy in the Modern World

Today there are as many different forms of democracy as there are democratic nations in the world. No two systems are exactly the same and no one system can be taken as a "model". There are presidential and parliamentary democracies, democracies that are federal or unitary, democracies that use a proportional voting system, and ones that use a majoritarian system, democracies which are also monarchies, and so on.

One thing that unites modern systems of democracy, and which also distinguishes them from the ancient model, is the use of representatives of the people. Instead of taking part directly in law making, modern democracies use elections to select representatives who are sent by the people to govern on their behalf. Such a system is known as representative democracy. It can lay some claim to being "democratic" because it is, at least to some degree, based on the two principles above: equality of all (one person/one vote), and the right of every individual to some degree of personal autonomy.

Improving democracy

People often talk about countries "becoming" democratic, once they start to have relatively free and open elections. But democracy includes far more than just elections, and it really makes more sense to think about the will of the people idea, rather than about institutional or voting structures, when we are trying to assess how democratic a country is. Democracy is better understood as something that we can always have more + or less – of, rather than something that either is, or is not.

Democratic systems can nearly always be made more inclusive, more reflective of more people's wishes, and more responsive to their influence. In other words, there is room to improve the "people" part of democracy, by including more people in decision making; there is also room to improve the "power" or "will" part of democracy, by giving the people more real power. Struggles for democracy throughout history have normally concentrated on one or the other of these elements.

  
Today even in established democracies, there are other sections of society, which commonly include immigrants, migrant workers, prisoners and children, who are not given the right to vote, even though many of them might pay taxes and all are obliged to obey the laws of the land.

Democracy and participation

The most obvious ways to participate in government are to vote, or to stand for office and become a representative of the people. Democracy, however, is about far more than just voting, and there are numerous other ways of engaging with politics and government. The effective functioning of democracy, in fact, depends on ordinary people using these other means as much as possible. If people only vote once every 4 or 5 years – or do not vote at all – and if they do nothing else in the interim, then government really cannot be said to be "by the people". It is hard to say that such a system is a democracy.
You can read in more detail about ways of participating in the section on Citizenship and Participation. Here are a few ideas – perhaps the minimum that might be needed for members of parliament to be able to act democratically, on your behalf:
Stay informed about what is happening, what is being decided "in the name of the people", and in particular, about the decisions and actions being taken by your own representative.
Make your opinions known – either to your representatives in parliament, or to the media, or to groups working on particular issues. Without feedback from "the people", leaders can only lead according to their own will and priorities.
Where decisions appear to be undemocratic, or against human rights, or even when you just feel strongly about them, make efforts to get your voice heard, so that the policies may be reconsidered. The most effective way of doing this is probably by joining with other people so that your voice is louder.
Vote, when the possibility arises. If people do not vote, then members are effectively unaccountable.

Democracy and Human Rights

The connection between human rights and democracy is deep, and goes both ways: each is in some way dependent on the other, and incomplete without the other.

First of all, the values of equality and autonomy are also human rights values, and the right to take part in government is itself a human right. Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) tells us that "The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government": so democracy is in fact the only form of government which is consistent with human rights.

However, a "democracy" is also incomplete without a thorough-going respect for human rights. Taking part in government, in a genuine way, is almost impossible to do without people having other basic rights respected. Consider the following, as examples:
1. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion (UDHR, Article 18). This is one of the first rights which are essential in a democracy: people need to be able to think freely, to hold whatever beliefs are important to them, without being punished for doing so. Governments throughout history have tried to limit this right because they are afraid that if people think about other forms of government, this will endanger the current system. So they have locked people away simply for thinking the "wrong" thoughts. (Such people are known as prisoners of conscience.) However, a society without a pluralism of views is not just intolerant; it also limits its own possibilities to develop in new and possibly improved directions.

2. Freedom of Expression (UDHR, Article 19). It is important not just to be able to think what you want, but also to be able to express that opinion out loud, whatever that opinion may be. If people are prevented from discussing their views with other people, or presenting them in the media, how can they "take part" in government? Their opinion has essentially been discounted from the possible alternatives under consideration.

3. Freedom of peaceful assembly and association (UDHR Article 20). This right allows you to discuss ideas with others who want to do so, to form interest groups or lobbying groups, or to gather together for the purposes of protest against decisions you disagree with. Perhaps such an activity is sometimes inconvenient for governments; however it is essential if different views are to be made known and taken into account. And that is part of what democracy is all about.

These are just three human rights which are intrinsically bound up with the idea of democracy, but any infringement of other human rights will also affect the extent to which different people are able to take part in government. Poverty, poor health, or the lack of a home, can all make it more difficult for someone to have their voice heard, and diminish the impact of their choice, compared with others. Such infringements of rights almost certainly make it impossible for the person concerned to be elected to government office

Rule of the Majority

There are two problems that are more intricately connected to the notion of representative democracy, and these concern minority interests. The first problem is that minority interests are often not represented through the electoral system: this may happen if their numbers are too few to reach the minimum level necessary for any representation. The second problem is that even if their numbers are represented in the legislative body, they will have a minority of representatives and these may not therefore be able to summon up the necessary votes to defeat the majority representatives. For these reasons, democracy is often referred to as "rule of the majority".

Majority rule, if not backed up by a guarantee of human rights for all, can lead to decisions which are harmful to minorities, and the fact that these decisions are the "will of the people" can provide no justification. The basic interests of minorities as well as majorities need to be safeguarded in any democratic system by adherence to human rights principles, reinforced by an effective legal mechanism, whatever the will of the majority may be.

Trete uns heute bei

Tragen Sie sich in unsere E-Mail-Liste ein und erhalten Sie Zugang zu Sonderveranstaltungen exklusiv für unsere Abonnenten.

Thanks for submitting!

UNSERE PARTNERSCHAFT


Für eine schnelle internationale Krisenintervention


bgImage

Wir helfen unter anderem beim Aufbau von Vertrauen

C.C.I International bietet globale Lösungen für globale Krisen

Nordamerika

J

618 East South Street

GAI-Gebäude, Suite 500

Orlando, Florida 32801

Karibik


587 Rue Gilles Albert

Pétion-ville

Dept. de L'Ouest, HT. W.I


Zentralamerika


1535 Calle Guadalupe,

 Suite 300

Cancun, Mexico

Asien/Südkorea


3899, Galmae-ro, 

Sejong-si, 30119


Südamerika


5467 Calle Bolivia Suite 700

Buenos Aires 

Argentinien

Nordafrika


Manshia, Block G, Haus 

Nr. 789 Khartum, Sudan


Europa E.U


44 Rue Henry Suite 575

Barbusse 94800

Paris, Frankreich

Südafrika


4780 Kayoutelo

Hatfield 0029 Südafrika


bottom of page