Deadline: August 2, 2022 12:59 CEST
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Dates: November 7-10, 2022
Eligibility: young leaders aged 18-30, actively involved in civil society democracy initiatives, motivated to contribute to developing new ideas on youth and democracy, ready to share their own challenges faced in relation to democracy and ready to adopt a solution-oriented approach by bringing in new ideas and visions on the question of democracy.
Location: Strasbourg, France
World Forum for Democracy 2022
World Forum for Democracy invites 50-60 young people to participate and engage with decision-makers and opinion-formers in a reflection on the question of Democracy and Information.
The core content of the Forum will consist of discussions about successful initiatives and actions, with real-life initiatives as a starting point. General guiding principles will then be drawn to encourage and support future policy responses and field action.
The 2022 edition of the World Forum for Democracy theme is “Democracy: A new hope?”
Thirty years ago, many people believed that the spread of democracy was as inevitable as it was desirable. Those days are now far behind us. Instead, the public and policy-makers have watched as the spread of democracy has slowed and, by some measures, gone into reverse.
Those who believe that democracy is the best way to govern – and those who do not – know that democracy is in distress. Many wonders if it will survive. Others are determined that democratic decline is neither inevitable nor irreversible.
The 10th World Forum for Democracy intends to get to the heart of what has gone wrong. It will look for the critical contributing factors to democratic decline, consider how these might be addressed, and explore what kind of democratic future is desirable and possible, in the interests of people across the world.
Key issues
This 10th World Forum will look at what our ambitions should be for democracy today, over the next ten years, and far beyond:
- S.O.S. Democracy in distress
Are deepening social, cultural and economic divides fraying people’s trust? Are democratically elected politicians failing to address citizens’ concerns? Are traditional democratic models and processes simply too slow or inefficient to keep up in our fast-paced, tech-driven modern world? This is an opportunity to look at the full range of challenges and their root causes.
- Can we swing back the pendulum?
We need to ask how government should adapt and what role we might expect businesses, communities, civil society, individuals and the international community to play. Each of these has changed over recent years, sometimes beyond recognition. So, whose responsibility is it really if we want to reboot democracy?
- Democracy defended – From decline to renaissance?
Can we change it? Can the relentless rise of the Internet, Artificial Intelligence and the Metaverse possibly conform to democratic principles? Might they hold the key to making democracy fit for purpose in the twenty-first century?
The international, rules-based order has had limited effectiveness in preventing democratic backsliding and its consequences; how could the Organisations and States promoting democracy address this?
Interested in attending World Forum for Democracy 2022? Register your participation by following the registration link and taking the suggested steps.
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