Message from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of the International Day of Democracy

　　教科文组织总干事奥德蕾·阿祖莱女士2019年国际民主日致辞

　　15 September 2019

　　2019年9月15日

　　On this International Day of Democracy, we are celebrating more than a simple principle of political organization: we are celebrating a particular vision of humankind. Democracy is an ideal whose foundations are “the dignity, equality and mutual respect” of people – the foundations of the Constitution of UNESCO.

　　国际民主日，我们颂扬的不仅仅是一种政治组织原则，更是我们人类的一种理念。民主是一种理想：它是“人类尊严、平等与相互尊重”的理想，也是教科文组织《组织法》的理想。

　　Because democracy is a promise to humanity, its humanist values are also universalist values. Although a given instance of democratic government can be circumscribed by territorial borders, the promise held by freedom and equality knows no borders, lighting a spark in the hearts of people everywhere.

　　民主是人类的希冀，其人文主义价值也是普遍价值。民主制度或可囿于一国边界之内，但自由的火花、平等的火焰，却燃遍世界，直抵人心。

　　Democracy is thus not an isolated circumstance but, rather, an ongoing process which requires the daily participation of each and every member of the political community.

　　正因如此，民主并非一次性事件，而是一个持续的进程，需要每一个人在日常生活中对政治社会的参与。

　　The theme of this year’s edition of the International Day of Democracy is participation. It is a theme which reminds us that participation in democracy stands for more than voter turnout on election day. The State, civil society, the individual: all must participate daily for democracy to work. Democracy requires a spirit of conciliation and cooperation because only through dialogue and open-mindedness can it flourish.

　　今年国际民主日的主题是“参与”，这一主题提示我们，参与民主不仅仅是在选举日参与投票。事实上，民主需要国家、民间社会和个人等所有行为者本着和解与合作精神的日常参与，因为正是对话和开放的心态让民主之花得以绽放。

　　There exists therefore a democratic ethos whose soundness and stability are dependent on two fundamental conditions. The first condition is education because, as Tocqueville said, “amongst democratic nations, each generation is a new people”. The democratic ethos is learned. In that connection, through its global citizenship education programme, UNESCO plays a major role in enabling students of all ages to become promoters and supporters of democratic values, human rights and freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is inextricably linked to literacy, which confers the power to communicate one’s ideas. UNESCO’s literacy programmes are thus another way in which the Organization fosters democratic culture.

　　因此，民主精神确实存在，其稳固性取决于两个必要条件。其一是教育，因为托克维尔告诉我们“在民主国家里，每一代人就如同一个新的民族”。民主精神可以习得。在这方面，教科文组织通过其全球公民教育计划发挥着重要作用，使所有年龄的学生都能成为民主价值观、人权和表达自由的提倡者和支持者。但是，表达自由必须以识字为前提，这样人人才能表达自己的观点。教科文组织还通过其扫盲计划，为促进并弘扬民主文化作出贡献。

　　The second condition is the steadfast recognition of democracy’s social dimension. Lasting democracy goes hand in hand with progress because, as Tzvetan Todorov put it, “any democracy implies the idea of a possible improvement of the social order”. This social imperative is at the very core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in which UNESCO plays a key role.

　　其二是社会：民主若要持久，就必须与进步同行，因为正如茨维坦·托多罗夫所言，“任何民主都蕴含着改善社会秩序的理念”。这项要求恰是教科文组织在其中发挥关键作用的联合国《2030年可持续发展议程》的核心。

　　The 2019 International Day of Democracy is an opportunity to take stock of the strides made in achieving democratic ideals and fundamental freedoms throughout the world. May the insights yielded inspire a reaffirming of the global community’s commitment to democratic values.

　　今年的国际民主日，我们将审视全世界实现民主理想和基本自由的进展情况。通过这种审视和总结，教科文组织呼吁每个人重申对民主价值的承诺。

　　Democracy belongs to everyone. To ensure that it progresses and flourishes, we must therefore ensure that everyone participates in it.

　　民主属于所有人。只有通过所有人的参与，我们才能共同促进民主的发展和繁荣。