Topic: 2025-Preserving Free and Fair Elections
Country: Denmark
Delegate Name: Riya Patel
The topics before the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) are Preserving Free and Fair Elections and Combating Transnational Organized Crime. The Kingdom of Denmark is dedicated to upholding the principles of free and fair elections and recognizes the need for strong international cooperation to implement ideas on preserving electoral integrity, and it looks forward to sharing insight on these topics at the conference.
Safeguarding Free Elections and the Importance of Electoral Integrity
The United Nations suffers from a great deal of corruption and this often leads to criminal activity, government corruption and political instability. Over two-thirds of countries score below 50 on the CPI scale, which goes from 0 (corrupt) to 100 (clean), which indicates widespread corruption within the UN. This can lead to more crime, discrimination, and inefficient use of resources. The Kingdom of Denmark has been recognized as an advocate for full democratic governance, integrity, and transparency. Denmark is a nation with one of the least corrupt electoral systems in the world, and is committed to upholding these framework principles of fair elections in the United Nations.
There are many policies that can be implemented to ensure no criminal activities are impacting the ability of a nation’s right to conduct fair and free elections. Cybersecurity precautions should be taken to ensure that there is no foreign interference or hacking against the electoral system. It is also crucial that electoral systems are regulated by independent, non-partisan institutions that ensure full transparency and accountability. The UNODC has an extensive record for implementing a framework for preventing and combating corruption in the electoral processes. Additionally, they offer technical assistance to help strengthen legal frameworks, build institutional capacitors, and help foster international cooperation through upholding the electoral system. Furthermore, the UNODC should take extra measures to combat electoral fraud by creating international election monitoring programs, where less corrupt nations can partner with more corrupt nations and enhance credibility during elections to ensure that there are no opportunities for misconduct. There should also be policies that strengthen the legal framework against electoral fraud to help deter corrupt practices and prevent these corrupt people from getting into places of power. Lastly, there should also be safeguards for individuals who feel as though reporting electoral fraud or campaigning to encourage more accountability.
The Kingdom of Denmark is willing to contribute to combat corruption in elections through helping implement said policies. Denmark ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) which showed commitment to combat corruption and ability to cooperate on international levels. Additionally, the Fight Against Facilitation Payments Initiative (FAFPI), also launched with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Confederation of Danish industry, is used to combat facilitation payments. By leveraging these approaches in the upcoming conference, Denmark can help play a pivotal role in assisting the other United Nation member states to strengthen their election and electoral systems against corruption.
