Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026
Location: Athens Conservatoire Amphitheater, Greece
Online Platform: Zoom (Hybrid: will be livestreamed on GDC YouTube channel)
*For this year’s Forum, we are working together with the Athens Democracy Forum which will take place on 29 September.
Executive Summary
Democracy is facing a moment of profound stress worldwide. Authoritarianism is rising, civic space is shrinking, and funding for democracy and human rights is being reduced at a moment when it is most needed. As resources decline, the global democracy ecosystem is becoming increasingly fragmented, with organizations competing for shrinking funds rather than collaborating to address shared challenges.
The Global Democracy Coalition (GDC) Global Forum 2026 responds directly to this moment. It is conceived not as a traditional conference, but as a collective platform for collaboration, designed to strengthen democratic resilience by aligning actors, pooling resources, and amplifying democratic innovations emerging from different regions of the world.
Building on a unique global-to-regional-to local model, the Forum brings together insights, priorities, and solutions identified in regional dialogues across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, and elevates them to the global stage. The Forum demonstrates that collaboration is not only necessary but possible, and that shared knowledge power, co-creation, and collective ownership can produce greater impact than isolated efforts. At a time of geopolitical uncertainty and shifting global priorities, the Forum provides a timely space to reconnect democratic practice with collective action.
For this year’s Forum, we are working together with the Athens Democracy Forum which will take place on 29 September.
Context and Problem Statement
Across regions, democratic systems are under increasing pressure. Authoritarian practices are expanding, civic freedoms are being curtailed, and public trust in democratic institutions is eroding. At the same time, governments and donors are redirecting resources away from democracy and human rights toward short-term conceptions of security and economic stability.
This shift overlooks a fundamental reality: democracy, human rights, and inclusive governance are not separate from security and development, but their foundation. When democratic institutions weaken, societies become more unequal, fragile, and vulnerable to conflict. Restrictions on civic space, often justified in the name of stability, frequently deepen polarization and long-term instability.
The current funding environment has intensified fragmentation within the democracy ecosystem. Organizations with complementary mandates and shared values are increasingly forced to work in parallel rather than together. This weakens collective impact, duplicates efforts, and limits the ability of democratic actors to respond
From regional dialogues to a global agenda
The GDC Global Forum 2026 is the culmination of a structured, year-long global process rooted in regional dialogues. Throughout 2026, the GDC convened four Regional Forums in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, each hosted and co-designed with regional partners. These Regional Forums are spaces where regional democratic challenges, innovations, and priorities are identified, shared and debated from the ground up.
Each Regional Forum addressed democracy under pressure in its specific context, while engaging with a shared set of cross-cutting themes, including democratic resilience, civic space, inclusive participation, digital threats and opportunities, and collaboration across sectors. The insights, experiences, and proposals emerging from these Regional Forums will directly shape the agenda of the GDC Global Forum. This ensures that the GDC Global Forum is a true reflection of regional realities, rather than a top-down exercise detached from local contexts.
Africa Regional Forum, held in March 2026, focused on democratic resilience in contexts of shrinking civic space, youth leadership, corruption, and digital repression, with a focus on locally driven accountability, democratic innovation, and coalition-building.
Americas Regional Forum, held in April 2026, will explore democratic erosion driven by polarization, disinformation, violence, and weakened social contracts, highlighting community-based democratic renewal, inclusive participation and locally driven solutions.
Europe Regional Forum, held in May 2026, will examine democratic backsliding, electoral integrity, foreign interference, and the protection of democratic institutions in an increasingly polarized and technologically complex environment.
Asia Regional Forum, held in June 2026, will discuss fragile democratic transitions, authoritarian pushback, digital governance, and the role of youth and civil society in defending democratic space, with a focus on civic resilience and emerging democratic practices.
Across all regions, discussions will engage with shared questions: How can democratic actors collaborate more effectively under financial and political pressure? How can democratic innovations be scaled without losing local ownership? And how can democracy be defended while remaining inclusive, participatory, and forward-looking? These perspectives will converge at the GDC Global Forum through plenary moments, interactive sessions, and collective synthesis, connecting regional insights into a shared global narrative and set of recommendations.
Programme
Coming soon!