A/HRC/22/29 resolution of conflicts may be particularly challenging for the newly established State institutions. B. Social and economic challenges 35. Growing inequalities represent a particularly acute challenge to democracy, as they render formal democracy devoid of meaning for destitute citizens. The persistence of poverty and dispossession are a continuous threat to democracy, 9 stripping people of their right to determine their future; a weakening of the social fabric can result.10 36. Corruption, in all its forms, also constitutes a major impediment to democratic advance. It can harm democratic values, erode the fabric of society, circumvent the rule of law and lead to violations of human rights. In reinforcing accountability, the preventative and protective roles of democratic laws and institutions strengthen the fight against corruption and impunity and consolidate the promotion of the rule of law. 37. Another social challenge to democracy is disenchantment, which can occur in both young and old democracies. In young ones, it is often triggered by the deterioration of economic and security conditions during transitions. With unrealistic expectations of immediate progress unmet, the people can also be dismayed by the staccato entry of new voices, views, agents and ideas. This cumulative disruptive phenomenon could result in exclusionary attitudes and politics. 38. In established democracies, challenges can take different forms. Citizens deprived of their freedom of expression and the right to voice opposition to political decisions are, in effect, deprived from exercising their right to sovereign deliberation and decision-making. Under these conditions, democracy is rendered insecure. 39. In her speech at the Bali Democracy Forum held in November 2012, the High Commissioner for Human Rights emphasized that ―democratic global governance can also be undermined at the national level, by measures that restrict and even punish freedom of expression, the right to receive and impart information, the right to peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of association‖, and that ―when we talk about participation, some groups of society merit specific attention and inclusion. In this regard, empowerment of groups which have been excluded or marginalized … and their full participation in decision-making processes are fundamental for the achievement of equality, development and peace‖. 40. Democracy is no panacea and democratization is not a miraculous answer to all the societal expectations for prosperity. Increased disenchantment can become a catalyst for the emergence of detrimental social phenomena, such as radicalization, exclusion, racism, discrimination, xenophobia and the stigmatization of non-citizens. 41. In such a context, human rights education, an independent and pluralist media, and efficient national human rights institutions are fundamental to securing democracy. Guarantees for the freedom of expression and opinion are important, yet the challenges for journalists and other media professionals are manifold. They include, notably, censorship and the concentration of media ownership. 11 9 10 11 Achille Mbembe, ―Democracy and the ethics of mutuality: notes from the South African experiment‖, seminar presented at the University of Stellenbosch, 14 April 2011. See Tzvetan Todorov, Les Ennemis Intimes de la Démocratie (Paris, Robert Laffont, 2012). See International Council on Human Rights Policy, Journalism, Media and the Challenge of Human Rights Reporting (Geneva, 2002). 9