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At UN Geneva, the Centre Addresses Civic Participation in Six Countries
- info44995776
- Mar 21
- 4 min read
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – During a period of advocacy in Geneva, the Centre worked across multiple United Nations human rights treaty bodies to advance dialogues relating to participation in public affairs. At the 143rd Session of the Human Rights Committee, we submitted human rights reports on Albania, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Mongolia, Montenegro, and Zimbabwe.
In the reports, the Centre noted the relevant issues affecting the State's political processes along with recommendations for the Committee to consider. Our team then advocated in Geneva through numerous dialogues. Addressed issues ranged across various topics; however, the premise of our reports this session primarily focused on voter and civic education programmes, electoral violence, and the status of women in political life.
We are happy to see our recommendations towards civic participation be recognised across multiple countries. For example, in discussions on Albania, Committee member Ms. Yvonne DONDERS from the Netherlands addressed several issues we raised. She asked how the Albanian government "how it promotes political participation in practice?" and "which measures have been taken to enhance interest in political affairs among Albanian citizens, in particular young people, for instance via civic education or youth campaigns on the importance of democracy?".
The Centre is pleased that its recommendations made substantial impact across multiple contexts, leading to growing international recognition of civic education as a key mechanism to achieving long-term change. Beyond these highlights, we addressed numerous issues across six State parties:
Albania
The Centre was concerned with systemic barriers to civic education in Albania, given that civic engagement only reached 47.6% in 2022. Additionally, we were concerned about the exclusion of certain minorities in elections, especially with Roma voters who were refused linguistic assistance. Our report further covered concerns that Albania does not provide adequate language service, multilingual ballots, or interpretation services to non-Albanian speakers, limiting these voices from the civic process.
We were pleased that the Committee took several steps to address these concerns:
Pressed the Albanian government on what civic education programmes are currently in place, as well as steps being taken to include youths, Roma, and other marginalised groups in the civic process
Recommended "strengthening political participation in practice" and "measures to enhance the interest of Albanian citizens in political affairs, for instance through civic education or youth programmes on the importance of democracy"
Recommended the implementation of multilingual ballots to foster electoral inclusivity across all persons, especially Roma
Burkina Faso
Following the 2022 coup d'état, we are concerned with the new military control over government's indefinite postponement of elections. Promises to hold elections in July 2024 were pushed back to 2029, undermining proper representation. Even when elections were held, 20% of the country was unable to vote due to militant violence. Additionally, nearly 72% of young persons (15-24) had not completed primary school; without knowledge of civics, future generations of voters in Burkina Faso will remain disenfranchised.
We were pleased that the Committee took several steps to address these concerns.
Haiti
The Centre was concerned with the severe underrepresentation of women in Haiti’s political and decision-making processes, despite a 2012 constitutional amendment mandating a 30% quota for women in public positions. In practice, this requirement has not been met, with women holding only 2.7% of seats in the National Assembly, less than 30% of ministerial positions, and 11.7% of roles in the national police.
The interactive dialogue with Haiti was postponed due to a request from the State party. We are disappointed in this development, yet hope the Committee will engage with Haiti at its earliest convenience.
Mongolia
We are pleased that Mongolia took several steps to increase female representation of women in Parliament, especially through a female candidate quota from 30% to 40% for the 2028 elections. However, we are concerned that women only hold 17% of parliamentary seats and 15% of senior government positions; more actions need to be taken to achieve de facto female participation in political processes.
The Centre is happy the Committee utilised its contributions in the dialogue and recommendations:
Mr. Koji TERAYA from Japan praised the State party for their efforts to increase representation of women. This was a result of our contribution on how quotas requiring at least 40% of women to be elected rapidly improves gender equality in the Mongolian political process
Montenegro
We were incredibly concerned that until 2017, civic education was a mandatory part of Montenegro's national curriculum: it helped foster civic engagement, democratic values, and tolerance. However, government reforms under then-Minister Damir Šehović made civic education optional, leading to a significant drop in voter participation, reaching a historic low of 56% in the 2023 assembly elections.
Additionally, the Centre discussed Russia’s ongoing influence in Montenegrin politics, citing both indirect means, such as the Serbian Orthodox Church, and direct actions, including financial support for extremist groups and a failed 2016 coup attempt to block Montenegro’s NATO membership.
Zimbabwe
The Centre was concerned with the structural barriers hindering women’s and children’s participation in Zimbabwe’s political processes. While women’s representation in Parliament has increased to 31% and 45% in the Senate due to quotas introduced in the 2013 Constitution and extended in 2021, their influence remains limited. Female “quota” representatives are systematically denied access to constituency development funds, undermining their ability to exercise decision-making power.
Beyond gender disparities, the Centre raised concerns about civic education in Zimbabwe, particularly the ruling party’s control over political education, which fosters allegiance to the ZANU-PF rather than independent political engagement. A significant portion of Zimbabwe’s population remains unaware of their full civic rights, contributing to a decline in public confidence in the country’s democracy.
Our work highlights the Centre’s successful influence on international human rights dialogues by ensuring that civic participation remains a key focus under international law. The recognition of their recommendations by Committee members demonstrates growing international support for civic education as a tool for long-term democratic development.
Read our Article 25 contributions to the 143rd Session of the Human Rights Committee here: https://www.cvia.ch/human-rights-reports.
