What’s happening to democracy in Melanesia? Introducing the Global State of Democracy Indices
Channel: International IDEA
Date: 2021-08-16

“What’s happening to democracy in Melanesia?" is the fourth webinar in a series about Democratic Development in Melanesia.

The webinar, moderated by Nyla Grace Prieto, Programme Officer at International IDEA’s Asia and the Pacific Regional Programme, was intended to acknowledge and investigate addition of two more Melanesian countries, Fiji and Solomon Islands, in the updated Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices. Leena Rikkilä Tamang, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, explained the Global State of Democracy framework used by International IDEA to measure democracy. The data span for 45 years from 1975 to 2020 covering 165 countries. 

Tamang revealed that Solomon Islands and Fiji were only added in 2020 because countries with populations under one million people have by default been excluded from the Indices. Another reason for the late inclusion was availability and accuracy of the necessary data. The Asia and the Pacific Regional Office successfully sought the inclusion of those two Melanesian countries after verifying the available data. There are plans to continue including more Pacific nations into the database in the coming years.

Learn more about democracy in Asia and the Pacific: www.idea.int