Topic: Role of the UN in Encouraging and Aiding Democratization
Country: Brazil
Delegate Name: Benjamin Hall
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Brazil position papers GLIMUN 2012 committees
Since its creation, the United Nations has strived to protect human rights across the globe. In an effort to do so the UN is promoting the spread of democracy. This action presents a conflict with another United Nations principle, that every nation has the right to its own sovereignty. There are several countries with their own non-democratic government that are thriving and functional. The question then lies in whether or not the United Nations should try to democratize such governments and to what extent do they have the right to do so. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the United Nations to encourage a plan of democratization in a country that is fundamentally opposed to the idea.
Brazil itself has a representative democracy, more specifically a federal republic, with majority rule voting and separate but equal branches of government. Brazil is adamant that democracy must be spread through diplomacy, not violence. In Brazil’s opinion, the spread of democracy is worth promoting until a declaration of war becomes a possibility. While there are many fully functioning countries with non-democratic governments, it is worth the UN’s effort and the infringement of national sovereignty to try to democratize most of these governments in the name of protecting human rights. The more corrupt and dictatorial-based a country is, the more true this statement becomes.
A possible option that the United Nations could exercise in order to help promote the spread of democracy would be to make international diplomacy easier to discuss and fulfill. This could be done through the creation of more committees whose sole concern is to promote and create diplomacy. Having specialized committees would allow the representatives of the nations concerned in a potential democratic and diplomatic solution, to gather together and be able to discuss said solution without third party interruption. The only fair and effective way to promote the spread of democracy is through diplomacy and discussion; the formation of these committee’s will effectively create a pathway for this method of democratization to flourish.
