International Day of Democracy 2022

The UNDP Oslo Governance Centre’s engagements on the International Day of Democracy 2022

September 15, 2022

A symbol of the distribution of power at the Norwegian Parliament 15.09.2022

Emilie Andresen

While the COVID-19 crisis has resulted in major challenges globally, a new upheaval in Europe is reminding the world that our democratic principles are constantly under threat. There is a backslide in democracy. Civic space is shrinking and disinformation is growing while threats to the freedom of journalists and media workers are expanding by the day.

This year, the International Day of Democracy focused on the importance of media freedom to democracy, peace, and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Free, independent and pluralistic media is essential for democracy. It enables the public to make informed decisions and hold governments accountable. When media freedoms are under threat - the flow of information can be stifled, skewed or cut off entirely. Increasingly, journalists around the world face limits to their ability to operate freely – with a grave impact on human rights, democracy and development.

President of the Norwegian Parliament, Masud Garahkhani and Arvinn Gadgil, Director of UNDP Oslo Governance Centre

Peter Mydske, Stortinget

Meeting with His Excellency, the President of the Norwegian Parliament, Masud Garahkhani

This year, to mark the International Day of Democracy, the UNDP Oslo Governance Centre met with His Excellency, the President of the Norwegian Parliament, Masud Garahkhani, to discuss the importance of democracy and its many forms of challenges and opportunities. In addition to this, Arvinn Gadgil and Garahkhani collaborated on an Op-Ed that was published in a Norwegian news outlet. This was a unique and symbolic collaboration - fitting with the theme of democracy. The Op-Ed discussed the backsliding of democracy worldwide and emphasized the importance of supporting democratic processes for peace, security, and development.

You can read the Op-Ed in Norwegian here

UNDP Oslo Governance Centre colleagues in the meeting with the President of the Norwegian Parliament, Masud Garahkhani

Peter Mydske, Stortinget

Meeting with International Consortium of Investigative Journalists

Oslo Governance Centre was honored to host Gerard Ryle, the Director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Transparency is paramount to ICIJ’s work and they investigate issues related to cross-border crime, corruption, and the accountability of power. We had an insightful meeting about the important work of the ICIJ, independent journalism, and how Press Freedom is a precondition for strong democracies. Below, you can see a short interaction between Arvinn Gadgil and Gerard Ryle where they talk about the state of journalism today.