UN Democracy Fund
- April 11, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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UN Democracy Fund
Subject : International Relations
Section: International organization
Concept :
- That India, a founding member of UNDEF, has no objections to the Fund giving grants to NGOs funded by George Soros, while he is put on the watchlist in India underlines a contradiction that’s not new.
About UNDEF
Background :
- India and the US were prime movers behind the UN Democracy Fund in 2005, when they were negotiating the civilian nuclear co-operation deal.
- As Joint Secretary (Americas) at the time, S Jaishankar was a lead negotiator.
- UNDEF was created by UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan in 2005 as a United Nations General Trust Fund to support democratization efforts around the world.
Role
- UNDEF funds projects that empower civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes.
- The large majority of UNDEF funds go to local civil society organizations.
- In this way, UNDEF plays a novel and unique role in complementing the UN’s other, more traditional work — the work with Governments — to strengthen democratic governance around the world.
Finance
- UNDEF subsists entirely on voluntary contributions from Governments; in 2021, it reached almost 220 million dollars in contributions and counts more than 45 countries as donors, including many middle- and low-income States in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
- In 15 Rounds of Funding so far, UNDEF has supported over 880 two-year projects in more than 130 countries.
- Grants ranging from US$100,000 to US$300,000 support initiatives in the areas of:
- Support for Electoral Processes
- Women’s Empowerment
- Media and Freedom of Information
- Rule of Law and Human Rights
- Strengthening Civil Society Interaction with Government
- Youth Engagement
UNDEF Composition:
- The Advisory Board, constituted by the Secretary General, includes eight largest Member State contributors and six other states to reflect diverse geographical representation.
- India has been a member of the Board since the beginning.
- The Advisory Board considers the proposals from NGOs and recommends proposals for approval by the Secretary General.
India’s Contribution to UNDEF:
- India gave $5 million to the fund in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011.
- The contributions began dipping from 2012 ($4.71 m) and the following year it was $1.85 million.
- After no contribution in 2017, India was back with $100,000 in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, it gave $150,000.