UAE participates in Arab parliamentary celebration on International Day of Democracy

The UAE took part today in the Arab Parliamentary celebrations on observing the International Day of Democracy, held in Cairo in the presence of Ahmed Mohammed Al Jarwan, Speaker of the Arab Parliament, Dr Nabil El-Arabi, Secretary General of the Arab League, parliamentary delegates and dignitaries. Musbeh Saeed Al Ketbi, member of the Federal National Council, delivered the UAE's speech in which he stressed that "the democracy does not clash with specialties of any community", rejecting claims of interference in internal affairs under the guise of democracy. He underlined that the democracies cannot be established overnight, but require continuous efforts in areas of human rights, combat of corruption, strengthening parliamentary work and judiciary independence, as well as provision of decent living conditions to citizens. "The democracy is not confined to the political pluralism, but extends to social and economic aspects," Al Ketbi said. For his part, Al Jarwan said the celebration this year comes amid huge political changes in the Arab world, characterised with great challenges. "In the Arab Parliament, we stressed our commitment to democracy in terms of value, principle and exercise. We are looking forward to developing the democratic institutions, especially in the Arab joint work institutions." In 2007 the United Nations General Assembly resolved to observe 15 September as the International Day of Democracy with the purpose of promoting and upholding the principles of democracy and invited all member states and organizations to commemorate the day in an appropriate manner that contributes to raising public awareness. The preamble of the resolution affirmed that: " While democracies share common features, there is no single model of democracy and that democracy does not belong to any country or region. Democracy is a universal value based on the freely-expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems, and their full participation in all aspects of life."