At Never Again Rwanda, this 15th September, as we join the global community to observe the 2018 International Day of Democracy, we take time to reflect and zero down on some of our programmatic activities that are enhancing and upholding democratic values. Through the implementation experiences of our different programs and projects, we have come to realize that democracy goes a long way in contributing to preventing genocide and mass atrocities and eventually promoting social justice values and sustainable peace. This is in large part due to the fact that genocide cannot take place without the consent of the government, and a democratic government cannot allow genocide to take place – as one of the core principles of a democratic government, is treating citizens equally under the law without discrimination.
This is why at Never Again, all of our pillars of intervention foster ethics and ideals that allow citizens to flourish in a democratic system. Our governance pillar in particular places great emphasis on bridging the gap between citizens and local governance structures – strengthening decentralization processes that are meant to directly engage the needs and interests of citizens.
Today we celebrate International Democracy Day by continuing to push for fostering democratic values in governance, tackling economic and political inequalities, ensuring for more inclusiveness and diversity, all geared to building to lasting peace.