Global Democracy Coalition Forum 2026
The 2026 edition of the Global Democracy Coalition Forum introduces a renewed structure unfolding in two main phases. The first phase consists of four dedicated Regional Months taking place between March and June 2026, followed by a Global Forum in the fall. This approach ensures sustained visibility and deeper regional engagement, while allowing insights generated throughout the spring to be consolidated into a shared global conversation later in the year.
Each Regional Month will include two preparatory webinars, a dedicated regional episode of Season 4 of the Thank You Democracy Podcast, a hybrid Regional Forum, and a month-long communications campaign designed to amplify regional voices and outcomes.
The GDC Regional Forums 2026 will continue the Coalition’s tradition of convening partners and key democracy stakeholders across Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe. Each forum will create space for dialogue on pressing democratic challenges, emerging opportunities, and innovative practices within its respective region, while contributing to a collective global exchange shaping the Global Forum.
The GDC Regional Forums 2026 are sponsored by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.
GDC AFRICA MONTH
In March 2026, we celebrated Africa with two pre-forum webinars, a hybrid forum, a podcast episode, and a month-long social media campaign. The first pre-forum webinar, Elections, Youth Participation, and Democratic Accountability, took place on March 4 and examined elections as moments of heightened democratic risk, highlighting how African youth act as frontline defenders against digital repression, civic space closures, and accountability gaps during electoral periods. The second pre-forum webinar, Democratic Disruptions, Civic Movements, and Digital Democracy, took place on March 19, and explored how youth-led civic movements and digital activism are reshaping participation across Africa, while grappling with surveillance, disinformation, and the evolving power dynamics of digital platforms.
The hybrid GDC Africa Regional Forum was held on March 26 in Nairobi Kenya, co-hosted by Nuru Trust Network and Youth for SDGs Kenya. This event centered on strengthening youth leadership and digital resilience to counter kleptocracy, corruption, and democratic erosion across African contexts. Lastly, we released the Africa Regional Month Thank You Democracy Podcast Episode featuring Cynthia Chigwenya, a political researcher, pracademic, research consultant for Club of Rome, and former African Union Youth Ambassador for Peace for Southern Africa, to unpack what democracy looks like on the ground in Southern Africa.
GDC AMERICAS MONTH
In April 2026, we celebrated the Americas with two Pre-forum webinars, a hybrid forum, a podcast episode , and a month-long social media campaign. The first Pre-forum webinar, “From Dependency to Resilience: Rethinking Democratic Action in the Americas Amid Shifting Funding Landscapes” took place on April 10 and explored how shifting international funding, shrinking civic space, and emerging regional adaptations are reshaping sustainability, collaboration, and democratic resilience across the Americas. The second Pre-Forum Webinar, “From Polarization to Participation: Democratic Narratives in the Americas in a Changing U.S. Context” took place on April 16 and explored how polarization, disinformation, U.S.-shaped media dynamics, and cross‑border narratives are redefining legitimacy, trust, and citizen participation across the Americas, influencing pathways for democratic renewal.
Prior to the Forum, the Programme Manager of the GDC, Elisenda Balleste Buxo, sat down for an interview ‘Un foro para hacer, no solo para hablar: así se impulsa la democracia en las Américas’ with the co-host of the GDC Americas Forum, Alma Civica, on what this year’s GDC Americas Forum was all about. The hybrid GDC Americas Regional Forum took place on April 23 and 24 in Asuncion, Paraguay, co-hosted by Alma Civica. This forum focused on “Democratic Resilience from the Ground Up: Lessons from Crises and New Civic Energies Shaping the Future of the Americas.” This event highlighted community-driven democratic renewal, civic participation, and institutional strengthening at the local and regional levels. Lastly, we released the Americas Regional Month Thank You Democracy podcast episode featuring Kyra Buchko, Co-Executive Director of PartnersGlobal and member of the GDC Steering Group, to explore what democratic renewal looks like across the Americas at a moment of deep polarization, institutional strain, and shifting global influence.
GDC EUROPE MONTH
In May 2026, we celebrated Europe with two pre-forum webinars, a hybrid forum, a podcast episode, and a month-long social media campaign. The first pre-forum webinar, “Governing Democracy in the Age of AI: Open Questions and Emerging Tensions in Europe” took place on May 6 and explored the gap between regulatory ambition and practical implementation, AI-driven disinformation, synthetic media, algorithmic amplification, and more. The second Pre-Forum Webinar, “Between Fragmentation and Coordination: Navigating Cross-Border Democratic Challenges in Europe” took place on May 13 and explored how while regional institutions, national governments, civil society actors, and private sector stakeholders are all engaged in efforts to strengthen democratic resilience, coordination across these levels is often limited, uneven, or reactive.
The hybrid GDC Europe Regional Forum took place on May 19 in Prague, Czech Republic, co-hosted by our Coalition Partner, the European Democracy Youth Network. This forum focused on the growing risks that artificial intelligence, disinformation, and cross-border interference pose to electoral integrity across Europe. Lastly, we released the Europe Regional Month Thank You Democracy podcast episode featuring Dr. Justin Lane, CEO and Co-Founder of CulturePulse, to explore how artificial intelligence, human behavior, and narrative dynamics are reshaping democratic life across Europe at a moment of rising polarization and declining institutional trust.
GDC ASIA MONTH
In June 2026, we celebrated Asia with a pre-forum webinar, a hybrid forum, a post-forum interview and sbsequent article, a podcast episode, and a month-long social media campaign. The pre-forum webinar, “Democratic Openings Without Democratic Consolidation: Rethinking Democratic Renewal in Asia” took place on 4 June and explored why democratic openings so often fail to translate into lasting democratic practice, what has fundamentally changed in the democratic landscape of the 2020s, and whether democratic actors may need to rethink some of the assumptions, strategies, and frameworks that have traditionally shaped democracy support efforts.
The hybrid GDC Asia Regional Forum took place on 10 & 11 June in Seoul, South Korea, co-hosted by Asia Centre, Korea Democracy Foundation, and Indo-Pacific Democracy Forum. This forum addressed democratic governance challenges in Asia, focusing on civic space, regional cooperation, and inclusive policy dialogue. The Post-Forum Interview, “Beyond Seoul: Emerging Lessons and Open Questions for Democratic Cooperation in Asia” took place on 18 June and explored how democratic actors can move beyond fragmented responses, what forms of regional solidarity are most effective, and how networks and alliances can better support democratic resilience and renewal in increasingly complex political environments. The interview was transcribed and developed into a short article, “Cooperation Does Not Happen Automatically: Reflections from Asia’s Democracy Practitioners.” Finally, we released the Asia Regional Month Thank You Democracy podcast episode featuring Annie Zaman, co-founder of Exile Hub, to explore the evolving landscape of democracy across Asia at a moment of growing pressure, transformation, and resilience.
GLOBAL GDC FORUM
The GDC Global Forum 2026, will take place on October 1, 2026 in Athens, Greece. This event will build on a unique global-to-regional-to local model, bringing together the insights, priorities, and solutions identified in the GDC Regional Forums across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, and elevate them to the global stage. The Forum will demonstrate 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.
The GDC Regional Forums 2026 are sponsored by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.
