On Friday 11 December, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and International IDEA co-organized a webinar to present the findings of International IDEA’s report The Global State of Democracy 2019: Addressing the Ills, Reviving the Promise in Mongolia. The webinar explored the state of democracy in Mongolia today, as well as in Asia and the Pacific as a whole, and provided valuable lessons from managing a general election during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The webinar facilitated high-level dialogue with prominent speakers on the existing challenges for Mongolian democracy, some of which have been accelerated as an effect of the global pandemic. The session was opened by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, H.E. Mr Nyamdorj Ankhbayar, who highlighted the need to share and compare country experiences to improve democracy in the region. “
Sweden, represented by Mr Robert Rydberg, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador Niklas Kebbon, Head of Department for International Law, Human Rights and Treaty Law, handed over the Chairship of International IDEA to the Australian Ambassador to Sweden, Mr Bernard Philip, at the Council of Member States meeting held on 1 December 2020.
Ambassador Philip congratulated Sweden on its successful Chairship in 2020 and highlighted the importance of supporting democracy in the challenging environment it faces and the vital role that International IDEA can play in this regard. Australia is a founding member of the Institute and hosts its Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific located in Canberra. The Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific is a hub for International IDEA’s work efforts to support and defend democracy in the very diverse societies in the region.