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High Level Dialogue in Brussels, organized by International IDEA.

The event will be held in a hybrid format, offering both in-person and online participation options. 

Poland’s democracy has undergone severe challenges over the past decade. The erosion of checks and balances and the weakening of judicial independence became a source of political contestation at home and abroad. The 2023 election, however, brought in a new government committed to restoring Poland’s democratic standards and adherence to the rule of law.

We are pleased to invite you to the 11th edition of the International Democracy Day Brussels Conference (IDD Brussels), taking place on 18–19 September 2025 across two venues in the heart of Brussels. The IDD Brussels Conference convenes global thought leaders, organisations and decision-makers in Brussels for high-level dialogue on defending and advancing democracy, marking the UN International Day of Democracy.

Can democracy keep pace with a world on the move? 

In the current geopolitical climate, democracies in Eastern Europe face increasing threats to democratic institutions through opaque political financing, third-party influence, and hybrid interference strategies.

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, in cooperation with the Kofi Annan Foundation and the European Endowment for Democracy (EED), will host a high-level Policy Dialogue on Multilateralism, Democracy and Security, taking place on 20 June 2025, at 14:30 – 16:00 CEST, at the premises of the European Endowment for Democracy.

Electoral processes are conducted in increasingly challenging environments. The Stockholm Conference on Electoral Integrity will serve as an opportunity for policy dialogue between electoral management bodies (EMBs) and electoral stakeholders, emphasising EMB leadership and independence in complex regulatory questions.  

International IDEA will host the workshop Populism in Europe: Its Drivers and Countervailing Forces, sponsored by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (publisher of the Taiwan Journal of Democracy). The event will take place on May 19th at the International IDEA headquarters in Stockholm.

As part of Legitimult, International IDEA is organizing a half-day workshop “Lessons from Covid-19 – Journalism in a Post-Pandemic Future,” taking place on 10 April at International IDEA HQ, Stockholm. 

International IDEA Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora will speak at the opening reception of "Upgrading Local Democracy! Our Europe starts in cities" in Leipzig, Germany on April 7th at 19:00 CEST. The event is organized by Eurocities and the city of Leipzig.

Under the auspices of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG), the European Parliament engages in comprehensive capacity building support for the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (VRU).

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's political guidelines and the Mission Letters for the Commission candidates already gave a sneak peek of what's in the pipeline for democracy, with the announcement of the creation of a European Democracy Shield.

Many parliaments have only recently started engaging young people. Members and staff need unique professional and personal skills to do so effectively. They are likely to face challenges in the early stages, including: concerns around safeguarding, especially when dealing with those under 18; uncertainties around how to best meet young people where they are, including seldom heard groups; and, more generally, hesitation to depart from established ways of working.

Helping parliaments evaluate their performance and strengthen democratic governance through data-driven assessment tools will be in focus at the AGORA Community of Practice Workshop on "Measuring Parliaments’ Effectiveness within Democracy", held online on 23 October 2024, from 14:00 to 16:15 CEST.

Hosted by Human Rights Watch, this panel will explore how economic inequality fuels social unrest and the weakening of democratic institutions. Featuring former heads of state and civil society leaders, this event aims to identify actionable strategies to address economic injustices while promoting democratic governance. 

International Democracy Day Brussels is an annual Brussels-based event organised each September to mark the UN International Day of Democracy. 

Money is an essential resource for politics and voter outreach. However, if not effectively regulated, it can compromise the integrity of political processes and democracies. Effective state regulation of funding of political parties and election campaigns (commonly known as political finance) and their implementation are vital for promoting the integrity, transparency, and accountability of democratic systems of government.

Most countries that have experienced conflict have been through some form of peace or transition process. However, to prevent conflict recurring, peace and transition processes need greater capacity.