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The Secretary-General believes that "The UN has a special responsibility to address Democracy Challenges"

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed the Board of the Democracy Fund in its 4th meeting, coinciding with the first anniversary of the operationalisation of the Fund's activities. The Secretary-General took the opportunity to recall "the landmark UN-facilitated presidential elections in Timor-Leste" held the day before. He described the Democracy Fund as "a recent UN innovation" within an organization that has a "longstanding democracy agenda". Mr. Ban Ki-moon illustrated this by saying: "In nearly every part of the world, the UN assists Member States conduct elections and improve governance. We work to promote human rights and strengthen civil society. We help countries emerging from conflict build democratic institutions and entrench democratic norms. Today, the UN’s efforts to promote democracy are inseparable from our broader work for security, development and human rights." The Secretary-General alluded to the real "threats to democracy, especially in transitional settings (...). Insecurity, violence and corruption can not only undermine the credibility and legitimacy of a nation’s leaders and its institutions, it can call into question the entire democratic setup. The United Nations has a special responsibility to address these challenges, and to promote democracy. I am glad that the Democracy Fund is contributing to this effort."

The SG also praised the Fund indicating that "in a relatively short period, it has become a hub for the UN’s democracy agenda. Its programmes support a wide range of public, private and civil society actors. And its backing of innovative local projects is helping to consolidate democratic gains in numerous communities across the world.Thus my message to all of you is simple: your work is vital to the Fund’s success, and the Fund’s success is vital to our Organization’s mission." Mr. Ban Ki-moon mentioned that the Fund was "well placed to play a prominent role in increasing democratic participation. It can promote the involvement of civil society and marginalized groups in national decision making processes. It can spread the idea that inclusive political processes enhance the quality and quantity of democratic discourse. In fact, by establishing programmes and partnerships in 110 countries, you are already helping involve and empower local populations in the political process, and you are entrenching democracy from the ground up." The Secretary-General highlighted how "The Democracy Fund is also publicizing the message that democracy requires the full and equal involvement of women in local and national decision-making processes. Thus, fully half of its projects seek to promote women’s rights or gender equality." He finally encouraged the Board "to increase assistance to fledgling democracies. Not only do such States need the Fund’s expertise and support, your activities also have a disproportionate effect in such transitional settings."