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Message from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of the International Day of Democracy
联合国教科文组织总干事奥德蕾·阿祖莱国际民主日致辞
15 September 2018
2018年9月15日
Today, we celebrate the International Day of Democracy. Democracy is an ideal which recognizes that every human being has equal dignity and the same fundamental freedoms: the freedoms of thought, belief, expression and movement.
今天，我们庆祝国际民主日。民主是一种理想，它承认每个人都享有平等的尊严和相同的基本自由：思考、信仰、表达、流动的自由。
These universal values are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whose 70th anniversary we are celebrating this year, and permeate the UNESCO Constitution. If culture, education, science, communication and information, which UNESCO aims to promote throughout the world, are not upheld by universal values, or if they exclude part of humankind and do not contribute to greater peace and justice, then they lose their essence.
这些普遍性价值体现于七十年前发表的《世界人权宣言》，也是教科文组织组织法的思想源泉。因为教科文组织致力于在全世界范围推广文化、教育、科学、传播和信息，如果它们没有承载着普遍性价值、如果它们将人类的一部分排除在外并且不促进更多的和平与正义，就会丧失其实质内容。
Democracy is not only a moral ideal, but also a political and legal principle. Democracy is organized, constructed and deepened through the granting of political rights to participate in the joint development of laws and institutions, through free elections by universal suffrage, through a system of checks and balances inherent in a State governed by the rule of law, through a free and independent press, and through active citizens and an open and dynamic civil society. UNESCO is actively involved in the promotion of citizenship and works closely with many civil society partners.
民主不仅是一种道德理想，也是一种政治和法律原则。民主的组织、建设和深化，得益于获得可以共同参与制定法律和创设机构的政治权利，得益于自由选举和普选，得益于法治国家的权力控制机制，得益于自由和独立的新闻媒体，也得益于每个公民的积极参与和一个开放且充满活力的公民社会。因此，教科文组织特别致力于弘扬公民意识，并与民间社会的许多合作伙伴密切合作。
One of the defining features of the democratic spirit is the belief that more is obtained through dialogue, consultation and mediation than through coercion and arbitrary practices: in short, the law must prevail over the use of force. The democratic ideal is inextricably linked to a commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts and an aspiration for peace. UNESCO bears this aspiration like a standard.
民主精神的一个显著特征就是坚信相较于强迫压制和任意妄为，更让我们受益的是对话、协商和调解。简言之，法律必须大于强权。因此，民主的理想与和平解决冲突、向往和平的意愿是分不开的。教科文组织将这一意愿作为一面旗帜。
The democratic ideal is an incentive to work relentlessly to ensure greater equality, freedom and justice, the right to quality education for all, the right to information, the right to dignified living conditions, a healthy environment and decent employment. For this reason, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the ramification of this ideal, growing ever-deeper according to the new challenges faced by each new generation, and at the beginning of the twenty-first century, these difficulties look set to continue.
民主的理想在于激励人们作出不懈努力，争取更多的平等、自由、正义；也在于享有优质全民教育的权利，获得信息的权利，有尊严的生活条件，健康的环境，体面的工作……联合国《2030年可持续发展议程》，就是这一理想的行动指南，这种理想随着每个新世代所面临的新挑战而不断深化，而这些新挑战在21世纪初更是规模空前。
This International Day is an opportunity, particularly in this anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to examine the progress made in the democratic ideal worldwide and in the respect for fundamental rights and freedoms. Let us rally together to ensure that the promise of peace and justice borne by democracy is fulfilled.
今年的国际民主日适逢《世界人权宣言》发表周年纪念，也正好为总结世界范围内民主理想的进步以及对基本权利和自由的尊重提供了契机。让我们共同努力，践行民主所承载的对和平与正义的承诺。
