by Gerardo Noto
"Every year, the International Day of Democracy conjures up thoughts of the values of freedom, respect for human rights, and the principle of holding periodic and genuine elections by universal suffrage. This year, the COVID-19 crisis brings to our mind the idea that Democracy is as much a process as a goal since the pandemic is having an unprecedented effect on citizen participation that can post both a challenge and an opportunity for democratic governance.
While states around the world adopt emergency measures to tackle the impact of COVID-19 in our health systems and our economies, those measures could be a threat to other rights such as freedom of expression and of the press, freedom of information, freedom of association and of assembly. On the other hand, COVID-19 opens unprecedented spaces to reimagine politics and restore confidence in democratic institutions."
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