The below essay was presented at “Downfall of Democracy – Covid-19 and Natural Disasters: Visions Toward Solutions” titled webinar on September 12, 2021. | VIDEO

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

Ordukhan Gahramanzade(21), Senior student at ADA University, Bachelor of Arts in International Studies

Covid-19 negative impacts on democracyCoronavirus outbreak has adjusted global political and economic balances to the new paradigm. The world has now embarked on a new era where every aspect of our lives is affected by the multiple paradigmatic shifts induced by the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.

Particularly, we should mention its impact on the global political and economic balances that were being primarily dominated by Western Liberal Democracy. Unexpected and severe adverse effects of the outbreak led authoritarian trends to dominate the international arena, leading many government leaders to use the virus as an opportunity to push their authoritarian agenda. The outbreak led to millions of people lose their faith in the effectiveness of democratic institutions all around the globe, and this damage to democracy will show its negative consequences in decades to come.

However, we should also note that the negative impacts of the virus on democracy can not be merely measured in a dictatorship-democracy dichotomy since we have examples from both sides that cancel each other. While democratic South Korea and its institutions performed well in handling the virus, the United States failed. On the other hand, authoritarian China and Russian Federation took the opposite sides in terms of effectivity of their institutions in controlling the outbreak. 

Natural and/or manmade disasters’ direct impact on lives and/or basic fundamental legal rightsThe inherent character of the disaster, whether it is natural or manmade, is the fact that it wreaks havoc with the lives of innocent people ruining the public order. They destroy the fundamental legal rights of people, discrediting their basic fundamental rights. The recent coronavirus outbreak is one of the clear examples of a disaster that destroyed the public order and ruined the lives of millions. It severely affected our daily lives, leading to the comprising of our basic fundamental rights, the right to freedom of movement, the right to free assembly, free choice of residence, etc. The disaster deprived us of what makes us human, socialization.

All these negative impacts also have health implications, particularly taking into account the psychological impact of the disasters. These negative effects of disasters are usually caused by the incapability of governments to address both direct and indirect effects of the disasters. In the case of the COVID-19, the healthcare systems of countries, even the global superpowers like the US, failed to address the direct health challenges comprising the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Not only that, the inadequacy of world countries to address the mental challenges of the young generation will have drastic long-term consequences posing an unprecedented threat for the world’s future. 

Visions toward solutions:

Addressing the challenges posed to democracy due to the coronavirus outbreak requires a complex and comprehensive strategy targeting the minds of the young generation. A proper trust-building mechanism should be developed to increase the faith in the western liberal order vis-a-vis the rising authoritarianism trends unleashed by the successful “handling” of the pandemic by the eastern superpower China. Beijing has exploited every opportunity to boost its global influence during the pandemic. Therefore, rising authoritarianism should be regarded as the key variable affecting the success of trust-building “operations.” Building the case upon the successful examples of democracies’ handling of the pandemic, such as South Korea, the role of democracy to bring individual liberties back in the post-pandemic era should be promoted globally. The new strategy should not be merely focused on showcasing the positive side of the democracy, but also the deficiencies of it and how we can advance the democracy into the form with the least deficiencies in the post-pandemic world order.

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Presented by:
Ali Alp Gürer, Member, ATAA Committee on UN Relations

Visions by:
Elnur Kerimov and Jamila Mammadova students at Ada University, Azerbaijan in connection with Downfall of Democracy – Covid-19 and Natural Disasters webinar.

• Student: Elnur Kerimov, ADA University in Azerbaijan

Natural and/or manmade disasters’ direct impact on lives and/or basic fundamental legal rights.          

In these contemporary days and era, natural and manmade disasters can play a vital role in individuals’ lives. They can result in numerous consequences; nevertheless, one of the most significant consequences of natural and manmade disasters is an infringement of basic human rights.

Disasters can undermine the status of human rights in various forms. For instance, not every individual can access the same assistance as other people, there is a probability that there is no place for him in the shelter, or he can get insecure asylum. Some individuals were involuntarily forced to relocate and live in dilapidated buildings where the conditions were unfavorable. Another issue is that they can lose important documents, money, or property which significantly undermines individuals’ social and financial status. Afterwards, it is problematic to re-establish your social status and live a stable and prosperous life.

To sum up, natural and manmade disasters can affect adversely basic legal rights, and our society has to consider all possible approaches to prevent infringement of fundamental legal rights.

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• Student: Jamila Mammadova, ADA University in Azerbaijan  

COVID-19 Negative Impacts on Democracy 

Outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented government lockdowns around the globe. Hence, since the outbreak of the pandemic people have faced difficulties in traditional ways of expressing themselves and  been limited in terms of their freedom of movement and participation in political life as citizens. However, the pandemic shall not be an excuse for the weakening of democracy. Instead, new ways, meaning sustainable ways of democracy shall be adopted. By establishing sustainable cities and communities, as stated in the SDG 11, governments must design a comprehensive framework for establishing all necessary infrastructure for all nations for  effective e-participation of citizens. “E-democracy” should be formed where citizens should be encouraged to electronically participate in the adoption of government policies. Pandemic has created opportunities for officials to have a smooth communication with constituents, especially with those who are distant and have disabilities. Accepting realities of the time, governments must strengthen IT infrastructure for better interconnectivity with citizens.  

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VIDEO

Webinar-Tentative Program:
DOWNFALL OF DEMOCRACY – COVID-19 AND NATURAL DISASTERS: VISIONS TOWARD SOLUTIONS – ON 09/12/2021
https://www.lmglobal.org/2021/08/31/webinar-downfall-of-democracy-covid-19-and-natural-disasters-visions-toward-solution-on-09-12-2021/

Booklet:

https://www.lightmillennium.org/un/2021/booklet-downfall-of-democracy-covid19-disasters-visions-w-bios-for-sept-12-2021-final.pdf

Concept Note:

Co-organized and presented by 
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
www.ataa.org | www.lmglobal.org | www.tadalliance.org

• Sponsoring Mission :  Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations
• Contributing Organizations : Azerbaijan Society of America & Peace Caucus

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