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Bangladesh is at a crucial juncture with significant reforms being proposed to its constitution. This period presents a challenge and an opportunity for Bangladesh’s democratic transition.

International IDEA’s Asia and the Pacific program and the Applied Democracy Lab (ADL) at the University of Dhaka will implement the Youth Democracy Academy to selected Dhaka-based students through online learning and dialogues. This joint activity aims to enhance knowledge about democracy and provide space for students to discuss their country’s current political landscape.

This International Day of Democracy, as International IDEA releases its Global State of Democracy report, Democracy on the Move

Over the past decade, information integrity has emerged as a cornerstone of healthy democracies, underpinning public trust, accountable governance and meaningful citizen participation. As digital spaces have become increasingly polluted by disinformation and fake content, exacerbated by the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence, societies face growing challenges in distinguishing fact from fiction.

The Youth Democracy Academy (YDA) program in Bangladesh redefined democracy as a living practice, blending academic learning with real-world application. Upon completing the online course, YDA students are empowered to initiate youth-led action projects that promote democratic values within their communities.

El programa de la Academia Juvenil de Democracia (AJD y Youth Democracy Academy, YDA, en inglés) en Bangladesh redefinió la democracia como una práctica viva, combinando el aprendizaje académico con la aplicación práctica. Al completar el curso en línea, los estudiantes de la YDA se empoderan para iniciar proyectos de acción liderados por jóvenes que promueven los valores democráticos en sus comunidades.

In many parts of the world, Indigenous Peoples maintain a profound relationship with their lands—a connection that often has deeply political, social, cultural, spiritual, and religious dimensions. Yet all too often this relationship is undermined (or even disregarded) by legal and political systems that fail to recognize Indigenous rights.

This discussion paper is a result of the work performed at the Democracy in South Asia Outlook Forum in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 28–30 November 2024, convened by International IDEA and the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA). The forum brought together a multidisciplinary group of experts from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

This case study explores Bangladesh’s migration trends, highlighting its status as the sixth-largest source of international migrants in 2020 and underscoring the significant impact of migratory movements on the nation.

Legislatures are vital institutions at the heart of any democracy. They not only enact laws and approve budgets, but also act as representative and deliberative assemblies, and as bodies that scrutinize and oversee the actions of the executive. In order to perform these functions effectively, legislatures need to be organized, in terms of their internal leadership, their committee structures, and the rules by which they transact public business.

With nearly 2 billion voters expected to head to the polls, 2024 has been dubbed a ‘super election year’. In fact, over the next 12 months, more than 70 countries will head to a presidential, legislative, or subnational election. Among them are seven out of ten of the world’s most populous countries, including India, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russia, and Mexico. Similarly, in South Asia, five out of its eight countries have held/are also planning to hold elections in 2024.

This Case Study is part of The Global State of Democracy 2023 Report.