III 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 540 

Recognizing September 15, 2014, as the International Day of Democracy, 

affirming the role of civil society as a cornerstone of democracy, and 

encouraging all governments to stand with civil society in the face of 

mounting restrictions on civil society organizations. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. RUBIO, Mrs. SHAHEEN, and Mr. 

DURBIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, without amendment 

DECEMBER 3, 2014 

Considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing September 15, 2014, as the International Day 

of Democracy, affirming the role of civil society as a 

cornerstone of democracy, and encouraging all governments to stand with civil society in the face of mounting 

restrictions on civil society organizations. 

Whereas in 2007, September 15 of each year was established 

by the United Nations as the International Day of Democracy, a day set aside to review the state of democracy 

in the world; 


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SRES 540 ATS 

Whereas democracy is a means of government that makes 

manifest the free exercise of certain inalienable rights, 

among them being the freedom of assembly, the freedom 

of association, the freedom of the press, and the freedom 

of speech; 

Whereas democracy allows for participatory governance, mobilizing citizens to strive for their version of the good and 

instilling hope that the aspirations of the people may one 

day be realized; 

Whereas an analysis of 84 independent studies shows that democracy has a favorable impact on the formation of 

human capital, the rate of inflation, the level of economic 

freedom, and the stability of political institutions; 

Whereas democracy promotes tolerance and respect by recognizing the human dignity of all people and is necessary 

to the full realization of the values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 

Whereas the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and 

Development (OECD) defines ‘‘civil society’’ as associations around which society voluntarily organizes itself and 

which represent a wide range of interests and ties, including community-based organizations, indigenous peoples’ organizations, and non-government organizations 

(NGOs); 

Whereas a vibrant civil society is an essential element of 

democratic societies and plays a key role in providing 

transparency, ensuring the legitimacy of elections, advocating for marginalized groups, and making clear the will 

of the people; 

Whereas, since 2012, the International Center for Not-forProfit Law has identified 69 new restrictive measures in 


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SRES 540 ATS 

over 50 countries hindering the ability of civil society organizations (CSOs) to freely operate; 

Whereas of the 98 countries for which data is available, research presented in a 2013 article for the Journal of Democracy explains that 12 prohibit and 39 restrict foreign 

funding of domestic NGOs; 

Whereas in 2000, the Community of Democracies was founded ‘‘to bring together governments, civil society, and the 

private sector in the pursuit of a common goal: supporting democratic rules and strengthening democratic 

norms and institutions around the world’’; 

Whereas in 2011, the United States joined other like-minded 

governments to establish the ‘‘Lifeline: Embattled Civil 

Society Organizations Fund’’ to provide small grants to 

CSOs for immediate needs and to support short-term advocacy projects; 

Whereas, through the Open Government Partnership, 63 

countries have committed to protecting the ability of 

CSOs to operate in a manner that is consistent with the 

rights to freedom of expression, association, and opinion; 

Whereas in September 2013, on the sidelines of the United 

Nations General Assembly, the United States launched a 

coordinated multilateral effort encouraging countries to 

stand with civil society and push back against growing 

restrictions on CSOs; 

Whereas the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the 

Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association stands on the front lines of civil society protection, 

documenting extensive global threats to civil society and 

strengthening international norms; and 


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Whereas the United States remains committed to its stand 

with civil society by developing new mechanisms to combat restrictions on civil society and bolster civil society’s 

efforts to support democracy around the world: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of the Inter3 national Day of Democracy; 

4 (2) recognizes the importance of civil society to 

5 the healthy development of nations; 

6 (3) celebrates the invaluable contributions civil 

7 society has made to the creation, strength, and pres8 ervation of vibrant democracies and democratic insti9 tutions; 

10 (4) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

11 States to the protection, advancement, health, and 

12 sustainability of democracy throughout the world; 

13 (5) condemns the use of restrictions, coercion, 

14 threats, or force to impede the activities of civil soci15 ety organizations; 

16 (6) recognizes the important multilateral work 

17 of the Community of Democracies, the ‘‘Lifeline: 

18 Embattled Civil Society Organizations Fund’’, the 

19 Open Government Partnership, and the United Na20 tions Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom 


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1 of Peaceful Assembly and of Association to protect 

2 global civil society; 

3 (7) recognizes the important role diplomacy 

4 plays in defending global civil society and creating 

5 new openings for civic space; 

6 (8) emphasizes the value of programs of the 

7 United States Government in protecting civil society 

8 and defending civic space, including the work by the 

9 Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging De10 mocracies and the Bureau of Democracy, Human 

11 Rights, and Labor of the United States Department 

12 of State, and the United States Agency for Inter13 national Development (USAID); 

14 (9) calls on private sector partners and other 

15 governments to develop new tools and leverage exist16 ing technologies to support the efforts of civil soci17 ety; and 

18 (10) encourages the people of the United States 

19 and the world to observe the International Day of 

20 Democracy, September 15, 2014, with appropriate 

21 programs and activities. 

Æ 


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