Make elections matter to people

Media around the world have focused on 2024 as the “election super year,” in which nearly 3.7 billion people from more than 70 countries will go to the polls.

Elections are high-stakes events that require significant investment to enable people to exercise political influence, elect their representatives, and hold public officials accountable.

Approximately one in four countries in Latin America and the Caribbean will hold an electoral process this year, giving more than 140 million people the opportunity to indicate their preferences, with the potential to reshape the region's political landscape.

National or local elections that take place in a context of high levels of distrust in public institutions and politicians in general, dysfunctional public management, extreme levels of information contamination, disregard for the rule of law and a weakening of institutions Independents may not produce the results that people care about.

Disinformation, together with electoral violence on and off the internet, are decimating citizens' confidence in electoral processes, which further accelerates concern about democratic regression.

Voters expect their views to be represented, elected representatives to deliver on what they promise, and citizens to be able to hold elected officials accountable if they fail to do so.

Young people around the world have the least faith in democracy and do not trust politicians to address issues related to the climate crisis and rising income inequality

Democracy as an ideal retains high levels of support around the world.

81% of people interviewed in the last round of the World Values ​​Survey stated that living in a democratic country is important.

Similarly, the Open Society Foundations survey of more than 36,000 people in 30 countries revealed that 80% wanted to live in a democracy.

However, dissatisfaction with the actual functioning of democracy is increasing.

A recent global survey revealed high levels of disillusionment among young people about the meaning of the elections.

Of all age groups, young people around the world have the least faith in democracy and do not trust politicians to address issues related to the climate crisis and rising income inequality.

Strong democratic governance

Resilient democracies require good public management that cannot be created overnight, but is built on responsible social and political institutions, with norms, values ​​and a culture based on respect for human rights.

We have seen numerous examples of how bad governance can limit human development, inhibit economic progress and contribute to suffering and abuse.

In some contexts, this disaffection has led to an increase in cases of violent political expressions and coup attempts.

In fact, in September 2021, the UN Secretary General declared with concern that “coups d'état have returned.”

Elections alone will not achieve the things that people care about or build trust in public authority;

The foundations of democratic institutions also have to be solid.

Experience has shown that for elections to matter to people, they must be part of a strong democratic governance system in which citizens experience the rule of law, with institutions that provide checks and balances on the use of power and curb the corruption.

Citizens also demand reliable information and opportunities to have a voice on the issues that matter to them in the period between elections, as well as non-discriminatory access to quality public services.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), as one of the largest providers of electoral assistance, together with the United Nations System, provides technical assistance to nearly 20 countries that will or may hold elections. in 2024. With an investment of 8.5 million euros from 2021, UNDP and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) have established a global electoral assistance alliance to make elections more inclusive, reliable and secure in 21 countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia and the Pacific.

This work focuses on the preparation of electoral management organizations for new risks, such as disinformation and digital violence;

in strengthening the capacity of historically excluded populations to participate effectively in electoral processes;

and improving society-wide responses to promote information integrity.

Next July, the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) will review in depth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16, which focuses on many of the essential elements of democratic governance and fosters peaceful, just societies and inclusive.

The Global Progress Report on SDG 16 warns that progress towards this goal is worryingly slow and, in some cases, even moving in the wrong direction.

Forty countries, eight of them from Latin America and the Caribbean, will present their national reports on the progress of the SDGs, including SDG 16.

Now that we are in the first quarter of this “super election year”, there is an urgent need to invest in resilient democratic governance systems, so that people see that their vote is valuable and contributes to obtaining the results that are important to them.

Marcos Neto

is Deputy Secretary General of the UN and Director of the Office of Policy and Program Support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

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