Celebrating a Decade of Democracy Partnerships: Highlights from the 2024 International Democracy Day Conference

On September 19th and 20th, Brussels was abuzz with insightful discussions as it hosted the 10th edition of the International Democracy Day (IDD) Brussels conference. Organized by International IDEA's Europe Office in collaboration with key democracy partners and the European Commission, the conference drew nearly 200 practitioners, policymakers, activists, and academics to the European Committee of the Regions to confront the evolving challenges faced by democracies worldwide and the EU’s role in supporting democracy globally, especially in the aftermath of the 2024 elections. 

With over half of the global population expected to participate in elections in 2024, the conference addressed the evolving democratic challenges across diverse regions within this year’s topic “A Year of Elections”. The event hosted a series of keynotes and panels on crucial topics, including the role of youth, the rise of disinformation during conflicts, and the threats posed by authoritarian regimes and women’s political participation. Notable speakers, including opposition leaders Pita Limjaroenrat from Thailand and Leopoldo López from Venezuela, shared their personal stories and perspectives on the pressing threats posed by authoritarian regimes and how the EU can support democracy in such difficult contexts.

^{"Venezuela strives to be the first country to transition from autocracy to democracy in the 21st century—despite this being the century of autocracies. People crave freedom, no matter the regime. What are democratic nations doing to protect it?" Leopoldo López, Venezuelan opposition leader. Photo credit: Bruno Maes.}

^{“Humour is a weapon: if you make fun of dictators, it means you are not scared of them. This is why cartoonists are a target." Khalid Albaih, Sudanese political cartoonist, civil rights activist and freelance journalist] and IDD Brussels 2024. Photo credit: Bruno Maes.}

Opening remarks from Shada Islam, a prominent voice in global democracy discussions, and Patrick Molinoz of the EU's Committee of the Regions, set the tone by highlighting the worrying trends of democratic backsliding and citizen disengagement. They stressed the need for collective action to protect the integrity of democratic institutions globally. A highlight of the conference was the launch of this year's Global State of Democracy report by International IDEA’s Secretary-General, Kevin Casas-Zamora, who addressed the decline in voter participation and rise in disputed elections. His presentation shed light on the report’s critical political takeaways from this year and underscored the importance of resilience in democratic institutions. 

^{Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General of International IDEA presented the Global State of Democracy 2024 report at IDD Brussels 2024. Photo credit: Bruno Maes.}

The conference also featured three EU Commissioners and Commissioners-designate. Dubravka Šuica, European Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography, affirmed her commitment to building a Democracy Fit For The Future for all generations, reinforcing citizen engagement and strengthening democratic resilience. Commissioner-designate and Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions Apostolos Tzitzikostas highlighted the essential need for the EU to defend and promote democracy and acknowledge it as a pre-condition for socio-economic development in Europe and partner countries. Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen highlighted that youth does not want democracy on paper but a democracy in action. Supporting young people and women is at the centre of the WYDE Women and Youth in Democracy global programme. 

^{Dubravka Šuica, European Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography, committed to building a Democracy Fit For The Future for all generations at IDD Brussels 2024. Photo credit: Bruno Maes.} 

An Anniversary session to celebrate ten years of annual International Democracy Day conferences and partnership was led by Jerzy Pomianowski, Executive Director of the European Endowment for Democracy. Speakers from Sudan, Ukraine, and Palestine shared personal accounts of battling disinformation amidst war and moved the audience by their courage and trust in their cooperative actions on site. The panel discussion on “Gender equality and authoritarianism”, revealed some of the unique struggles of women under repressive regimes and the international community’s response to gender-based political exclusion. Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu, Principal Adviser, Democracy and Inclusion, at International IDEA spoke about female participation, which is often not translated into representation, due to hindering gender norms. To debunk that, there is a need for transformative redistribution of power, resources and opportunities. It is not enough to have a legal framework, when inequalities are being normalized. She also called upon people to avoid over-romanticizing the element of culture when its effects are detrimental to many women. 

^{"Participation and representation are different. Women are participating globally but participation is not translated into representation. Societies are normalising the existing thought patterns and we need to transform this." Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu, Principal Adviser, Democracy and Inclusion, at International IDEA. Photo credit: Bruno Maes.}

In the light of the newly proposed commissioners by Ursula von der Leyen two days before the conference, the session on “After the EU elections – what's next for EU support to democracy globally?” delved into the set-out priorities of the commission. Marilyn Neven introduced the session presenting the “Call to Defend Democracy”, that suggests 10 priorities for EU’s internal and external democracy action and is endorsed by more than 350 pre-eminent signatories, many of which were represented at the conference. Within the session, moderated by Director for Europe Sam van der Staak, speakers Leopoldo López and Christian Leffler, former Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service and Chair of the Board of Advisers of International IDEA, raised concerns regarding an essentially economic focus of the EU within its international partnerships, and called for collaboration to promote democracy and strong value-driven leadership of the EU. According to Chiara Adamo, Deputy to the Director for Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace directorate in DG INTPA, European Commission, Global Gateway is a practical approach, not a theoretical rhetoric. The initiative aims to bring visible and tangible infrastructure for citizens, in a useful, sustainable and values-based way. It should keep us accountable to our founding values of promoting rule of law and democracy as captured in the Treaty’s article 21. 

^{Chiara Adamo, Leopoldo López, Christian Leffler, and Sam van der Staak at the closing session “After the EU elections – what's next for EU support to democracy globally? Photo credit: Bruno Maes.}

^{“‘3 Ps’ are vital in our support of democracy: Progress isn’t linear, it´s about the long run; Power & political will in partner countries is key for democratic reform; and People, ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table in a whole-of-society approach.” Chiara Adamo, Deputy to the Director for Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace directorate in DG INTPA, European Commission at IDD Brussels 2024. Photo credit Bruno Maes.}

As a vibrant platform for EU leaders and emerging voices, including numerous activists and civil society leaders, the International Democracy Day conference in Brussels stands as a testament to the power of collective action and dialogue in addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by democracies today. As we look forward to future editions, the reflections and actions sparked during this event will undoubtedly continue to inspire and guide efforts to strengthen democratic resilience worldwide.

The annual International Democracy Day Brussels Conference is co-organized by International IDEA, the European Endowment for Democracy (EED), European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP), Carnegie Europe, with the support of the European Commission. International IDEA would like to thank these partner organisations for the strong collaboration on this important event. With our cordial thanks also to Bruno Maes for the photo service.

The International Democracy Day Brussels conference is supported by the European Union through the Women and Youth in Democracy global programme.

The full programme of the conference can be accessed here. 
The picture gallery can be viewed here.

This article was written by Clara Seeber, Carlo Schmid Fellow at International IDEA.