Summary

The report of the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, George Katrougalos, is his first to the Human Rights Council, and is submitted pursuant to Council resolution 54/4.

In the report, the Independent Expert outlines his vision for the mandate, along with the approach that he proposes to take in implementing his thematic priorities. Building on the work of his predecessors, the Independent Expert aims to further promote the mandate, by bridging the geopolitical divide in relation to the development of a democratic international order.

In doing so, the Independent Expert provides an historical overview of human rights and international law and analyses the events that led to the eventual drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, along with the subsequent international human rights treaties and instruments.

The Independent Expert notes that, at the international level, the concept of democracy entails due respect for the independence and sovereign equality of States and their equal participation in global decision-making along with the participation of their citizens. The Independent Expert refers to the many challenges that modern democracy is currently facing and to globalization as one of the underlying factors that has led to increased inequality. The report also refers to the shifting power dynamics between North and South and the disagreements over values, human rights and interventionism, in tandem with the perceived ineffectiveness of institutions of global governance, all of which are placing the United Nations system under considerable strain.