However, with the opening words of that document ‘We the Peoples of the United Nations’, the founders invoked the most fundamental principle of democracy, rooting the sovereign authority of the Member States, and thus the legitimacy of the Organization which they were to compose, in the will of their peoples.” Their commitment to democracy was further reflected in the stated “Purposes” of the United Nations which include: to respect the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction. In his report to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session, the Secretary-General noted that “the word ‘democracy’ does not appear in the Charter. 'The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government'
Countries Issues International Law Human Rights Bodies About OHCHRĬompilation of documents or texts adopted and used by various intergovernmental, international, regional and subregional organizations aimed at promoting and consolidating democracy