<h1 class="ql-align-center"><strong style="color: rgb(230, 0, 0);">UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF)</strong></h1><p class="ql-align-center"><br></p><h3><strong>Context&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">India is the fourth highest donor to the<strong> UN Democracy Fund,</strong> which funds at least 68 projects worldwide linked to the <strong>Open Society Foundation.</strong></li></ul><h3><strong>About&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1"><strong>UNDEF</strong> was created by UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan in 2005 as a United Nations General Trust Fund to support democratization efforts around the world.</li><li class="ql-indent-2"><strong>India and the US were prime movers behind the UN Democracy Fund in 2005</strong>, when they were negotiating the civilian nuclear cooperation deal.</li><li class="ql-indent-1"><strong>India is a founding member of UNDEF.</strong></li><li class="ql-indent-1">Funding: It subsists entirely on voluntary contributions from Governments.</li><li class="ql-indent-1"><strong>UNDEF</strong> funds projects that empower civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes. The large majority of UNDEF funds go to local civil society organizations.&nbsp;</li><li class="ql-indent-1">The fund is overseen by an <strong>Advisory Board (19 members),</strong> which includes representatives from various countries (including India) and civil society organizations.</li></ul><p class="ql-align-center"><br></p><h1 class="ql-align-center"><strong>PRELIMS NOTES:</strong><a href="https://www.sunyaias.com/subscription-details/prelims-2023-sunya-notes-current-affairs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></a></h1>