Lima, 15 September 2022 (TDI): On this International Democracy Day, United Nations Developmental Program sheds light on ways tech can boost democracy.
Redpublica community is a digital platform to inspire, connect and generate collective proposals for Peru. It is funded by the UNDP in Peru and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
This initiative focuses on democratizing the policy-making process by promoting youth participation in Peru in policy-related initiatives. This has been shared by the official Twitter account of UNDP.
Can tech boost democracy? In Peru, youth participation has been elevated through the digital platform @Redpublicape supported by @PNUDperu & @DanishMFA which democratizes knowledge so young people can become part of the policy-making process. https://t.co/54hNva4jS7 #DemocracyDay pic.twitter.com/9Kya0lybM3
— UN Development (@UNDP) September 15, 2022
About 68 percent of young people in Peru have exhibited an interest in politics, and a third have volunteered, given money, or spoken out in favor of programs during the COVID-19 outbreak.
As a result, the “Bicentenary Generation” of young people, who frequently harbor a strong skepticism of institutions and actively promote a more democratic society, have mobilized themselves to fight corruption.
Despite all these advancements, youth involvement in politics is still low despite widespread calls for reform. Also, less than 8% of party members who have enrolled are under 30.
Redpublica Project
That’s changing with the Redpublica initiative, where young people can freely participate in the democratic policy-making process. It encourages young people to crowdsource ideas to solve the country’s most complex problems.
By portraying the views and values of civil society about the pandemic recovery, people can then work together to create solutions in their communities and their country.
Redpública is coordinated by UNDP and the Danish government under the Tech for Democracy initiative. Together, they seek to map solutions and democratize and decentralize knowledge about cutting-edge social change methods and technologies.
Additionally, they also map to create public policies and services that advance the public agenda. In 14 different regions, more than 140 young people are participating in the Redpublica volunteer program.
International Day of Democracy: An Overview
Every year on September 15, people worldwide mark International Day of Democracy. The goal of the day is to protect and honor the democratic values that exist around the world.
The International Day of Democracy is observed annually on September 15 ever since the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on it on November 8, 2007.
Additionally, it urges all national programs intended to advance and enhance democratic values to be strengthened. The UNGA resolution also invites regional and other intergovernmental groups to discuss their initiatives to advance democracy.
The day is marked for the purpose to review the global state of democracy. Along these lines, every year, a specific subject is used to organize celebrations for the Day. For instance, “Protecting Press Freedom for Democracy” is the theme for this year.
Moving ahead, the theme will center on the value of media freedom for democracy, peace, and achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs), according to the United Nations (UN).
Aside from that, 2008 marked the inaugural International Day of Democracy. The first International Conference of New or Restored Democracies, provided a platform for people to concentrate on advancing and solidifying democracy globally.
