`Democracy should not be taken for granted`: British envoy

New Delhi [India], Sept. 15 (ANI): Dr. Alexander Evans, British Deputy High Commissioner to India, on Thursday said that "democracy should not be taken for granted as it encourages open and balanced societies." He made these comments at an event organised by the British High Commission in collaboration with Multiple Action Research Group (MARG), a New Delhi based NGO working on legal empowerment since 1985, to mark the International Day of Democracy in the national capital. In 2007 the United Nations General Assembly resolved to observe September 15 as the International Day of Democracy-with the purpose of promoting and upholding the principles of democracy-and invited all member states and organisations 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," it added. (ANI)