Assembly of Turkish American Associations and
The Light Millennium, Charitable Global Human Advancement Organization,
associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications;
and Turkish Anti-Defamation Alliance proudly co-present a webinar on:

DOWNFALL OF DEMOCRACY -COVID-19 & Natural Disasters:
VISIONS TOWARD SOLUTIONS

In support of the International Day of Democracy (September 15);SDG-16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions &SDG-17: Partnerships for the Goals

On SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

Time Zones: 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM (EDT) | 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM (CDT) | 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM (PDT) | 10:30 – 12:30 (CR) | 19:30 – 21:30 (TR) | 22:00 – 24:00 (IN)

As the world confronts COVID-19, democracy is crucial in ensuring the free flow of information, participation in decision making and accountability for the response to the pandemic.

– UN Secretary-General António Guterres

DESCRIPTION & PURPOSE:

The webinar titled “Downfall of Democracy – COVID-19 and Natural Disasters: Visions toward Solutions” aims to contribute toward closing the ever-widening gap in all forms of democratic rights in the eyes of the global public, which forced most of them among downfall of democracy, human rights, shrinking public space, fake news, disinformation, hate speech, discrimination, restriction on freedom of expression along with naturaldisasters, ongoing local and regional wars for decades.

In addition, the global challenges came with the COVID-19 pandemic and its continuing immense effects in all sections of global communities, in conjunction with, ongoing major natural disasters, which undermines all forms of democratic basic-human, women, and all existing legal rights.

It requires a global partnership toward preventing and improving democracy, freedom, and human rights through Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG): Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, along with, SDG-17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. 
The current global panorama already presents extensively diminished “rules of laws and justice” in several parts of the World. 
In this context, on top of Covid-19, ongoing war affairs and environmental disasters make it all far worst at local, regional, and global levels. With that, these are all interconnected issues to be presented from a symbolic spectrum.

CONCEPT:

The webinar will present concept based on the existing yet non-effective laws, an overview of misuse of media, social media, and freedom of expression in conjunction with the hugely negative effects that have been caused by COVID-19 along with, environmental and natural disasters. Cumulatively all these have been undermined and already removed the legal rights of the human population both through international treaties on the national and regional levels.

The webinar aims to contribute to the awareness toward building up consciousness and behavior changes to initiate protective measures in multiple forms while working as a soldier of democracy, human rights, freedom of expression, protection of “Right to Live” and the environment in support of International Day of Democracy along with SDG#16: and SDG#17 with the representative(s) a member state, general public along with academia and civil society, which will offer visions toward solutions on a national and global level. This also reminds us, the UN’s famous motto: “No ONE left behind”
Yet, COVID-19 and above mentioned world-wide ongoing natural disasters contributed ever-expanding gap to more anti-democratic and injustice World!

The webinar eventually may lead up to be transformed into a demand by the public from their respected governments toward to be taken necessary protective measures in the name of democracy, freedom of expression, anti-hate speech, discrimination (seen/unseen) and “right to live”. Just within the last 2 to 4 weeks, over one-million-hectare forests along with tens of millions of habitats of forests burned out in the World, in conjunction with huge floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and drought sorts of natural disasters followed, which cannot be separated and should be considered interlinked in a larger context of democracy and peace.

In this line, it aims to contribute to closing the widening gap toward creating a public demand from respected governments.

BACKGROUND: INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE (September 15)

The International Day of Democracy provides an opportunity to review the health of democracy in the world. Democracy is a goal as much as a process, and only with the full participation and support of the international community, national governing bodies, civil society, and individuals can the ideal of democracy be made into a reality and enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.
The values of freedom, respect for human rights, and the principle of holding periodic and genuine elections by universal suffrage are essential elements for the democracy. In turn, democracy provides the natural environment for the protection and effective realization of the human rights. These values are embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and further developed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which enshrines a host of political rights and civil liberties underpinning meaningful democracies. Source: www.un.org/en/observances/democracy-day

EXPECTED OUTCOME:

• All delivered presentations will be made publicly available through www.ataa.org, www.lmglobal.org and tadalliance.org websites.

• A summary will be produced to be posted and disseminated through the core organizers’ relevant website(s), via direct email, and social media accounts by the core organizers.

• The webinar will contribute to public awareness and encourages students, academia, and policymakers to focus on the theme of “taking preventive measures on downfall of democracy and removal of already gained human and women rights.”

• The webinar will provide ideas and references based on existing and ongoing projects toward solutions.

• The webinar will demonstrate a strong emphasis on the importance of protecting democracy and the environment in connection with fighting with the COVID-19 pandemic along with natural disasters.

• The video recording of the webinar will be available online. It’s edited, the re-formatted version will be available under the Light Millennium Television Series (LMTV) for local channels in New York City (QPTV.Org; MNN.Org) in the following months. It will be announced, in support of the International Day of Democracy, SDG-16: and SDG-17.

• The outcome of the webinar will be reflected to the United Nations and UN-associated NGOs and the general public.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Experts, academia, representatives from related UN entities, diplomats, government and/or intergovernmental organizations, NGO/Civil Society, Youth representatives, students and the general public.

Via Zoom platform – Please REGISTER:
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pBtCwLZYQCGhtQz39bXM0A

ORGANIZERS:

• Assembly of Turkish American Associations (1979, D.C. – www.ataa.org)
• The Light Millennium, Charitable Global Human Advancement Organization (2001, NY – www.lmglobal.org)
• Turkish Anti-Defamation Alliance (2017, NY – www.tadalliance.org)

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Bircan Ünver (on behalf of) The Light Millennium (lmglobal.org) &
Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ataa.org).
– For more information, please email to:
contact(at)lightmillennium.org, newyorkvp(at)ataa.org, assembly(at)ataa.org.
WhatsApp# 001-917-332-6364
 

REFERENCES:

1. www.un.org/en/observances/democracy-day
2. www.un.org/en/observances/democracy-day/messages
3. www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/RuleOfLaw/Pages/Democracy.aspx
4. www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/peace-justice/
5. sdgs.un.org/goals/goal17
    
   

Logos of the Intl. Day of Democracy and SDGs: UN.Org Sources

Hashtags #InternationalDayofDemocracy, #StrongAndFree #DemocracyRules #GlobalGoals #SDG16 SDG17 #UNWithCivilSociety #UNDGC_NGO#A_T_A_A #lightmillennium #lmglobal #tadaalliance

www.ataa.org | www.lmglobal.org | www.tadalliance.org