The Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy is the "oldest and largest global conference on participatory and direct democracy." A Global Forum focused on a different issue and located in a different country takes place each year.
Problems and Purpose
As democratization gains traction around the world, governments of all jurisdictions have begun creating more room for citizens to engage in decision-making directly—whether by organizing referendums, other participatory initiatives, or granting legal protections to civil rights. This development has facilitated new “practical applications, legal interpretations, administrative procedures, organizing techniques and information frameworks surrounding modern direct democracy”—all of which the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy seeks to probe. [1]
The Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy was therefore launched in 2008, making it the oldest and largest conference on citizens’ democratic rights worldwide. Every year, a Forum focused on a different issue and located in a different country takes place each year; past host countries include Switzerland, South Korea, the USA, Uruguay, Tunisia, Spain, Italy, and Taiwan. Topics of discussion have included civilian rights, economic development, freedom of information and transparency, and democratic infrastructure, among others.
Background History and Context
The Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy was launched in 2008 with its inaugural meeting in Aarau, Switzerland. Since then, the Forum—the oldest and largest conference on citizens’ democratic rights worldwide—has taken place annually in various cities, including Seoul, South Korea; San Francisco, USA; and Montevideo, Uruguay. Since its inception, it has brought together scholars, journalists, government officials, and political figures around the world that "work to strengthen global knowledge about direct democracy and improve the procedures and practices of citizens’ rights." [2] At the Forums, citizens convene to provide their insights and produce recommendations on various topics; historical themes have included civilian rights, economic development, freedom of information and transparency, and democratic infrastructure.
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
The Forum is coordinated by an international consortium under the leadership of the Swiss Democracy Foundation, chaired by Adrian Schmid, and Democracy International, where Global Manager for PR & Community Building Caroline Vernaillen brings together the threads from all over the world. The conference is jointly chaired by the two founders of the Forum, the Californian journalist Joe Mathews and the Swedish-Swiss journalist Bruno Kaufmann. Notably, the Global Forum is also always co-organised by a local organizing committee in the host city. [3]
Participant Recruitment and Selection
The Global Forum is open to all participants and free to attend, though participants are responsible for their own accommodations and travel to the event. For the 2022 iteration of the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy, “committed actors from the fields of politics, administrations at all federal levels, journalism, research, non-profit organizations, economy and civil society” were specifically encouraged to attend. [4]
In addition to individual citizens, many civil society, university, private sector and state actors participate in the Forum. These have included—among others—the Council of Europe, the European Union, the World Bank, the United Nations, ASEAN, International IDEA, Arizona State University, the University of California, Catholic University in Uruguay, the University of Carthage, The Catholic University of Daegu, Korea Democracy Foundation, the Centre for Democracy Aarau, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Balkan Assist Association, the Swiss Confederation, Mehr Demokratie, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, the Initiative and Referendum Institute, the Omnibus for Direct Democracy, the Liechtenstein Institute, the Forum of Federations, Swissinfo, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Bergische Universität Wuppertal and the Atélier pour la Démocratie Directe in St-Ursanne in Switzerland.
Methods and Tools Used
At the time of writing, no further information could be found.
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
2008: Aarau, Switzerland
The first Global Forum took place in October 2008 in Aarau. In the same year, the Centre for Democracy (ZDA) opened its doors there as one of the world’s first university competence centres for issues of modern (direct) democracy. More than 150 participants from 30 countries attended the four- day event at the Aargauer Grand Council Building and the Aarauer Congress Centre to examine the rich potential for developing citizens’ rights within the framework of representative democracies. The participants also decided to hold the Global Forum regularly in the future.
2009: Seoul, South Korea
In South Korea, the following year the Global Forum focused on questions of the economic importance of modern direct democracy. From 14 to 16 September 2009, 200 experts from over 30 countries and five continents gathered for talks on the economic potential of a strong participatory democracy. A particular focus was given to successful democracies and economies in Asia, such as South Korea and Taiwan. The Global Forum was hosted by the Korea Democracy Foundation, one of the first state-funded democracy support organisations of its kind in the world. An important partner of the forum was the Swiss economic umbrella organisation Economiesuisse.
2010: San Francisco, USA
In 2010, the third Global Forum took place at another hotspot for citizens’ rights, in the state of California on the American West Coast. More than 500 participants from all over the world (42 nations) registered for the conference at the University of California in the centre of San Francisco. The fi ve-day event focused on the question of citizens’ rights in constitution building processes at various levels of government. The final declaration of the Forum underlined three important aspects: transparency and freedom of information, open access to the instruments of direct democracy, and the central importance of dialogue.
2012: Montevideo, Uruguay
The fourth Global Forum took place in Montevideo from 14 to 16 November 2012. While much of Latin America is dominated by plebiscitary forms of direct democracy, where popular votes are decided in top-down ways that are inherently vulnerable to manipulation, Uruguay actually has deep experience with bottom-up direct democracy. The 2012 Forum, organised in cooperation with the Latin American Association of Political Scientists, developed guidelines for a democratic infrastructure. The final declaration of Montevideo stated, “In accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we firmly believe that modern direct democracy is a fundamental human right.”
2015: Tunis, Tunisia
In May 2015, over 700 experts from more than 60 countries gathered in the Tunisian capital Tunis for the fifth Global Forum. Tunisia is regarded as the only country that managed to successfully reform in the wake of the Arab Spring. The Forum, which took place on the campus of the historic University of Carthage, was also attended by the Tunisian civil society groups that shared the Nobel Peace Prize for Tunisia’s democratisation, such as the Confederation of Trade Unions, the Employers’ Association, the Human Rights League and the Lawyers’ Association. The final declaration focused on modern representative democracy on the local level.
2016: Donostia/San Sebastian, Spain
In November 2016, the Basque port city and European cultural capital Donostia hosted the Forum. The city government addressed the cultural dimension of direct democracy in the form of cooperative and collective action at the local and regional level. More than 400 participants from 50 countries found their way to San Sebastian to discuss how direct democratic reforms can make representative democracy more representative. The painful and relevant experiences of the Basque people in the struggle for self-determination were an important theme of the conference, which was co-organised by the Donostia/San Sebastian city government.
2018: Rome, Italy
Two years later, at the end of September 2018, the seventh Forum took place on the Roman Capitoline Hill. Its central focus: the city as the engine of modern democracy. Inspired by the Mayor of Rome and the world‘s first national Minister for Direct Democracy, more than 800 participants and experts from over 200 cities and 80 states drew up the first draft of a Magna Charta for Democracy Cities. It outlines what it means to be a “democracy city” and touches on diverse indicators such as public infrastructure, civic education, youth development, technology, civic participation, initiative and referendum rights, minority protection and participatory governance. Representatives of the city governments of Seoul, Taichung, Vienna, Milan, Bern, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid and Reykjavik took part in the Roman Forum.
2019: Taichung, Taiwan
The Forum took place from 2 to 5 October 2019 at the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan‘s second largest city, Taichung. It focused on opportunities to develop democratic movements in Asia, as well as ways to build institutionalised modern representative democracies with comprehensive citizen participation rights.
2020: Online (Originally Bern, Switzerland)
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Global Forum met online from September 21-27, 2020. The Forum featured 27 sessions and was attended by over 500 people from 5 different continents. In four different tracks, the Forum explored themes of direct democracy practice in Switzerland, how to use citizen participation to protect the environment, innovations in democracy and how democratic institutions hold up in times of crisis.
2022: Lucerne, Switzerland
The 2022 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy will take place from September 21 to 25, 2022, in Lucerne, Switzerland. It will feature panels, workshops, networking events, a City Summit, and excursions centered around 4 main tracks of discussion: 1) How to democratize democracy in the 21st century; 2) Fixing the climate through democracy – solutions and obstacles; 3) Democratic inclusion and infrastructure; and 4) Beyond borders – Building transnational democracy. [5]
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
Each forum ends with a final declaration drawn up and adopted by the participants, which summarizes the content of the conference and defines proposals for further cooperation.
Additionally, according to the Direct Democracy Navigator database, the most important joint “products” of the Global Forum have included the “Global Passport to Modern Direct Democracy” (a guide containing basic information about the tools of direct democracy) and a networking platform, democracy.community, hosted by Democracy International. The 2019 iteration of the Forum also facilitated the establishment of a new International League of Democracy Cities: a network of global cities committed to working together to promote democracy at the local level. [6] [7]
Analysis and Lessons Learned
At the time of writing, no further information could be found.
See Also
New Website Global Forum: www.democracy.community
Website Democracy International: https://www.democracy-international.org/
Website Swiss Democracy Foundation: https://www.swissdemocracy.foundation/index.php/start
All Declarations: https://2019globalforum.com/en/Declaration
References
[1] Kaufmann, Bruno. "The Global Forum's History." International Democracy Community. https://www.democracy.community/stories/global-forums-history.
[2] Kaufmann, Bruno. "The Global Forum's History." International Democracy Community. https://www.democracy.community/stories/global-forums-history.
[3] "The Board." Swiss Democracy Foundation. https://www.swissdemocracy.foundation/index.php/home/foundation/board-of-management
[4] "2022 GLOBAL FORUM ON MODERN DIRECT DEMOCRACY - REGISTER NOW!" Swiss Democracy Foundation. https://www.swissdemocracy.foundation/index.php/home/events/2022globalforum.
[5] "GLOBAL FORUM." Swiss Democracy Foundation. https://www.swissdemocracy.foundation/index.php/home/projects/global-forum
[6] Kaufmann, Bruno. "The Global Forum's History." International Democracy Community. https://www.democracy.community/stories/global-forums-history.
[7] Paust, Andreas. "Magna Charta for an International League of Democracy Cities." Partizipendium.de. https://partizipendium.de/magna-charta-for-an-international-league-of-democracy-cities/