The UN index on direct democracy: project needs popular support

It is very important for the UN to have people who support them. We are not the only ones. More and more groups around the world are pushing to help bring about this popular referendum project in the face of the increasingly autocratic trend of "liberal democracies". The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is concerned about these issues.

V-DEM is a department of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. It officially provides indicators and statistics for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 16 (related to peace, justice and strong institutions).

The V-DEM Annual Report 2017: https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/91/14/9114ff4a-357e-4296-911a-6bb57bcc6827/v-dem_annualreport2017.pdf

The UN has already collaborated in 2015 with the V-DEM cabinet to consider the measurement of the referendum on popular initiative. V-DEM provided statistics for the SDG in 2015 in a very technical report: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/43561144.pdf

This index measures:

(1) the ease with which each type of popular vote can be initiated and approved, and

(2) the importance of this vote (if approved).

The ease of initiation is measured by:

(a) the existence of a process of direct democracy,

(b) the number of signatures required; and

(c) the time limits for collecting signatures.

The ease of approval is measured by the quorums relating to domain names in :

(a) participation,

(b) approval,

(c) the supermajority, and

(d) a majority of the district.

With regard to the importance of the vote, it examines its decisive nature (whether the decision is binding or not) and the threatening capacity of direct democracy mechanisms at the initiative of citizens, measured by the frequency with which direct popular votes have been used and approved in the past. Finally, the study tests the validity of the new measure, discussing its strengths and limitations.

The next revision of the indicators of SDG 16 (Peaceful and inclusive societies) will be in July 2019 with the opportunity to include the direct democracy indicator. If the project does not pass, the next chance to ask for a referendum on a citizens' initiative at the UN will be in 2030.

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=444444

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