The Council of Europe has opened its annual World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg, bringing together policymakers, campaigners, experts, intellectuals, and young people to examine why citizens are disengaging from democracy and find solutions to strengthen democratic culture, combat disinformation, and boost participation, the Council of Europe announced. The three-day forum runs from November 5 to 7.
Secretary General Alain Berset says previous generations built an order to keep peace, but now we must build one to keep democracy. “Real security means institutions people trust, laws that apply equally, and the kind of stability that let’s democracy grow. That is democratic security – Europe’s first line of defence,” he said. This year’s forum is part of the New Democratic Pact, a strategic and political process aimed at reinforcing and reimagining democracy in the face of contemporary challenges, including disinformation, foreign interference, democratic backsliding, and the climate crisis.
The forum comes at a time when public trust in democratic institutions has been badly undermined by widening wealth inequality, technological upheaval, and a pervasive sense of exclusion. This disengagement weakens democracy, opening the door for populism and authoritarian regimes that undermine checks and balances, curtail fundamental freedoms, and erode democratic culture.
Plenary sessions will focus on key topics like the impact of media transformation on democracy, the role of culture and cultural policies, the future of citizen participation, and the importance of history teaching. A session dedicated to ideas will showcase innovative projects from around the world, ending with the Democracy Innovation Award given to the most popular initiative at the closing ceremony. Young people from all over the world, including students from Sciences Po Strasbourg and Syracuse University, will play an active role in the debates.
The forum will also feature artistic performances and exhibitions on 30 years of Ukraine’s membership in the Council of Europe, political prisoners in Belarus, Maltese art, and the Aubusson memorial tapestry.
