A/HRC/24/38 to necessary reforms. The Preamble and articles 1 and 2 of the Charter lay down the intention of the “peoples of the United Nations” to build an international order of peace, human rights and development. 13. With regard to an international democratic and equitable order, it is obvious that such international order depends on the sovereign equality of States, the right of peoples to self-determination and on a commitment to sharing the riches of the planet in a spirit of international solidarity.5 While self-determination is closely related to the idea of democracy, participation in international decision-making is still far from equal or even equitable. Indeed, the United Nations Security Council is not democratic, nor are the Bretton Woods institutions. There are other players which are not democratic in their structure or in their modus operandi, including certain elitist organizations such as the Trilateral Commission, the Atlantic Council and the Bilderberg Group, as well as betterknown conferences of the G-8, G-20, the World Economic Forum, and military alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Meanwhile, transnational corporations exert increasing influence on global decision-making and impact on the options of sovereign States and on the enjoyment of human rights.6 Corporations – whether national or multinational – do not operate on the basis of democratic principles but seek primarily profit, and their decisions affect the international order. Reforms are necessary so as to ensure the equitable participation of States, large and small, in global decisionmaking, especially concerning decisions on peacekeeping, the environment, trade relations and the common heritage of humankind. 14. In a democracy, it is the people who are sovereign. Therefore, with regard to the promotion of democracy at the local, country and regional levels, civil society must have a stronger voice in all political processes. The situation in some countries is grave, since freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and free and fair elections, are not ensured; opposition leaders are arrested or killed; journalists, whistleblowers and bloggers are harassed, intimidated and detained; public demonstrations are prohibited; peaceful demonstrators massacred, elections are reduced to masquerades, etc. Several Rapporteurs have documented these violations,7 the Human Rights Council has adopted pertinent resolutions, and the Human Rights Committee has adopted important jurisprudence thereon.8 The Independent Expert is highly concerned about such situations where the rule of law and the respect for key principles such as free, fair and competitive elections are blatantly violated. 15. It is crucial that electoral systems be free and fair, ensure the free formation and operation of political parties, in accordance with best practices related to freedom of association,9 and respect the principle of non-discrimination so that all groups, including opposition groups or groups promoting dissenting views, can take part in the electoral process. These rules should apply not only for general or important elections, but also in 5 6 7 8 9 Report of the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, A/HRC/23/45 and Add.1. Salvador Allende at the United Nations 1972, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knewNLlpkMw. See, inter alia, reports from Independent Expert on minority issues: Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers; Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism; Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence; Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders; and Special Rapporteurs on Belarus, Cambodia, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Islamic Republic of Iran and Sudan. Jakob Möller and Alfred de Zayas, United Nations Human Rights Committee Case Law, 2009. See Report A/HRC/20/27 of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. 5