From the insurrectionist movement that shook our nation on Jan. 6, 2021, to the ongoing war in Ukraine to political turmoil across the world, we are gripped by the increasing precariousness of democracy. In pursuit of this goal, my nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, Keseb, partnered with the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University in May to host the inaugural Global Democracy Champions Summit, which featured 25 speakers from 12 countries. With more than 400 registrants from 48 countries, the summit created a forum to uplift compelling ideas and create a global network of leaders committed to building inclusive democracies.
We have gathered 14 key takeaways from the summit that we hope will spur ongoing dialogue, learning and action.
Navigating this moment in history as citizens, community members and institutional leaders requires us to 1) deepen our understanding of the underlying drivers of democratic regression, 2) identify the solutions that hold promise to counter rising authoritarianism in the short and long term and 3) pave a path toward a more inclusive model of democracy.