International IDEA

What does it take to rebuild trust in democracy? At the Global Democracy Coalition Global Forum 2026 in Athens, discussions focused on how technology, participation, delivery and resilience shape that trust. Swipe through for reflections from Eric Friedenwald-Fishman of Metropolitan Group, Tobi A. of Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), Maiwand Rahyab of Resilient Societies and Sohini Sarkar of PartnersGlobal drawing on the working group conversations. Thanks to Kettering Foundation, The Carter Center, National Endowment for Democracy and Athens Democracy Forum for supporting this year’s talks, and to Ford Foundation and Robert Bosch Stiftung for their continued support of the Coalition. #GDCForum2026 #DemocraticTrust #KeepDemocracyAlive

The challenges facing elections are growing more complex, and protecting #ElectoralIntegrity increasingly requires cooperation across institutions, sectors and borders. At our Global Consultation on Protecting Elections in Stockholm, electoral authorities, electoral networks, civil society organizations and international partners shared practical experiences from around the world and explored how International IDEA's Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections can support more holistic and coordinated responses to these challenges. 👉 Swipe through for key insights from the discussions. With thanks to Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères français and Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada for their continued support of the #ProtectingElections project, and to all participants for sharing their expertise.

Ever get the feeling there’s a much bigger story behind the headline? At International IDEA, we follow the news and look at what decades of democracy data can tell us about what’s happening now. This time, Democracy Assessment Adviser Mike Runey takes the recent fight over White House press access and puts it into context: what it tells us about #PressFreedom in the US, and why it matters beyond it. Dive deeper into the state of democracy with our #GSoD2026 Indices: https://lnkd.in/dyPa5_tg

As the EU prepares to expand, #DemocraticResilience means protecting democratic standards before countries can join. And long after. Democracy shouldn’t be an entrance exam you only have to pass once. Stronger safeguards. EU funding tied to respect for the rule of law. Action on threats to electoral integrity. What would make a wider EU more democratically resilient? Read Charles Brasseur's take 👇 https://lnkd.in/evcfhgCT

International support for democracy needs to move from commitments to implementation. That means answering three questions: 🔹What is politically feasible? 🔹Who can act? 🔹How do we make it happen? On 29 October, we will explore those questions at the Geneva launch of “Democracy and Multilateral Cooperation: Revitalizing International Support for Democratic Renewal,” the report of the Global Commission on Democracy and Multilateralism. Danilo Türk, former President of Slovenia and Commission member, and Kevin Casas-Zamora, International IDEA’s Secretary-General and the Commission’s Vice-Chair, will present the findings, followed by a panel discussion. 📅 29 October | 17:00–18:30 CET 📍 Auditorium Ivan Pictet, Geneva Graduate Institute 🤝 Public event | In person In Geneva? Join policymakers, civil society and international organizations for the discussion. Programme and registration: https://lnkd.in/e8rNjJin Organized by us alongside Club de Madrid and in partnership with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Open Government Partnership and European Democracy Hub. Hosted by the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy | Geneva Graduate Institute and the Kofi Annan Foundation.

Recognition is an important step, however meaningful inclusion requires influence. Across Nepal, Northeast India and Bangladesh, Indigenous Peoples continue to advance political participation, defend land and territorial rights, and protect the places that sustain their histories and futures. This article brings together insights from three policy briefs developed by International IDEA and the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, showing why Indigenous inclusion is central to more representative, responsive and legitimate democracies across South Asia. 🔗 Read the article and explore the three briefs: https://lnkd.in/eub2u8dN #IndigenousPeoples #Democracy #SouthAsia #PoliticalParticipation #LandRights

This week in Stockholm, I joined a panel on #PressFreedom in the United States as Reportrar utan gränser (SE) (Reporters Without Borders Sweden) presented its 2026 Swedish Press Freedom Award. I was joined by former US correspondents Fouad Youcefi SVT and Karin Eriksson Dagens Nyheter, with Erik Larsson moderating our discussion. This year’s award went to The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization recognized for its independent investigative journalism on the US criminal justice system. I shared insights from International IDEAs #Global State of Democracy report, with data on how the US plunged in its democracy and press freedom scores in 2025, as part of a broader pattern of global democratic decline. Congratulations to The Marshall Project, and thank you to Reporters Without Borders Sweden for bringing us together for this important conversation.#GSoD2026 #DemocraticResilience #Pressfrihetspriset2026 _______ Den här veckan deltog jag i ett panelsamtal i Stockholm om #Pressfrihet i USA i samband med att Reportrar utan gränser (SE) delade ut sitt pressfrihetspris 2026. I panelen deltog även tidigare USA korrar Fouad Youcefi SVT, samt Karin Eriksson Dagens Nyheter. Samtalet modererades av Erik Larsson. Årets pris gick till The Marshall Project, en amerikansk organisation som bedriver granskande journalistik om rättsväsendet i USA. Jag lyfte fram data från International IDEA #GlobalStateOfDemocracy som visar hur demokratin och pressfriheten i USA försämrades kraftigt under 2025 som del av en global trend. Stort grattis till The Marshall Project och varmt tack till Reportrar utan gränser Sverige för att ni samlade oss till detta viktiga samtal.

Learning is part of supporting democracy: taking time to reflect on what is working, what needs to change and how we can do better.Our colleague Yuliya Shypilova shares that process from International IDEA’s team in Ukraine. It is an important part of our commitment to learning as an institution and supporting the country’s continued efforts to strengthen its democracy while fighting to defend it.

What happens when India’s renewable energy ambitions collide with biodiversity protection? India’s climate litigation landscape is growing, but climate arguments do not always shape judicial outcomes. A new International IDEA case study explores how courts are navigating questions of constitutional rights, environmental protection and government accountability. At its centre is the Supreme Court’s landmark recognition of a constitutional right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change, linked to the rights to life and equality. The ruling emerged from a case that placed renewable energy expansion in tension with the protection of the endangered Great Indian Bustard, showing why climate mitigation and biodiversity protection must be pursued together. ▶️ Swipe through the carousel to explore what India’s experience reveals about the promise, trade-offs and limits of climate litigation, and read the full case study, part of International IDEA’s Climate Litigation Across Asia and the Pacific series, to find out more: https://lnkd.in/eJViXG47 #ClimateLitigation #ClimateJustice #DemocraticGovernance #India #AsiaPacific

What were the key challenges and innovations that shaped elections in 2025? International IDEA’s new report, Review of the 2025 Year of Elections: Inclusivity, Transparency and Trust, produced jointly with the Electoral Integrity Project, provides a global overview of the trends that shaped elections in 2025. From campaign finance and election-related violence to electoral management, the information environment and natural hazards, the report examines a range of challenges, reforms and good practices, offering evidence-based insights to inform future policy, practice and research. We marked the launch of the publication with a reception at our Stockholm headquarters, joined by participants attending the two-day Global Consultation on Protecting Elections, representing electoral management bodies, civil society, donors and the and the broader electoral assistance 📸 Swipe through for moments from the reception. 📖 Discover what the lessons of 2025 could mean for future elections: https://lnkd.in/d-Apnicj 💐 A huge thank you to the authors whose expertise and insights shaped this review: Khushbu Agrawal, Erik Asplund, Bianca Canevari, Sonali Campion, Holly Ann Garnett, Toby James, Tim Murithi, Daniella Paulin, Therese Pearce Laanela, Amali Thanthrige, Julia Thalin, Julian Tucker, and Vasil Vashchanka.