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.