International IDEA´s Secretary-General participates in 23rd Conference of Montreal: “A New World: Managing Change”

On 12-15th June 2017, International IDEA´s Secretary-General Yves Leterme took part in the 23rd Conference of Montréal: “A New World: Managing Change”, organized by the International Economic Forum of the Americas in collaboration with International IDEA.

During the conference, Leterme moderated the panel: “Canada at 150: A Federal Constitution as a Bulwark against Populism?” The panel discussed the growth of populism in Western democracies and how to best address the crisis of representation.

The panel included the participation of leading figures, such as Jean Chrétien, former Prime Minister of Canada (1993-2003), Enrico Letta, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) at Sciences Po in Paris and former Prime Minister of Italy (2013-2014) and Lord Jack McConnell, former First Minister of Scotland (2001-2007).

During the panel discussion, Secretary-General Leterme, highlighted the importance of strengthening accountability and transparency for sustaining democracy and counteract populism. Over the past 15 years, International IDEA has developed an extensive body of knowledge on the role of good practices in different areas, including on how to most effectively counteract the negative role of money in politics, which if left untamed, can erode and undermine the credibility of political representation. International IDEA also supports the use of ICT in increasing transparency and accountability of political institutions, through the development of tools that facilitate digital reporting and the disclosure of political party finance.

Over the course of the event, the Secretary-General held a series of bilateral meetings with Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canadian Minister of International Development and la Francophonie; Jean Lebel, President of International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Michel Venne, Director of the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM).