Summit for Democracy Cohorts
Anticorruption policies as a guarantee for national security, stability and sovereignty
The Cohort for Anticorruption policies as a guarantee for national security, stability and sovereignty was established to build an informal alliance between States with comparable problems by identifying challenges and overviewing the approaches to overcome them across five topics relating to national anticorruption policies. The Cohort was officially launched at a kick-off event on 19 January 2023, which discussed anticorruption policy solutions in the framework of the S4D process and Year of Action. The discussion featured key commitments and concrete actions to improve democratic resilience and priority areas for action including the establishment of a zero-tolerance environment to administrative corruption;...
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Bulgaria
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Basel Institute
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Center for the Study of Democracy
Civic Space
The Cohort on Civic Space was established to identify common commitments to strengthen support to and protection of civil society actors and civic space for democracy. It was officially launched at an online meeting on 5 December 2022 to clarify the process and how workstreams were selected to stakeholders, and to solicit input and reflections on collaboration moving forward. Civic space is essential for democracy, as democracy is founded in the ability for citizens to organise, participate and communicate to influence the decisions that are taken and structures that emerge in their societies. For citizens to fully exercise their right...
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Czech Republic
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Norway
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International Center for Not-for-Profit Law
Deliberative Democracy and Citizens’ Assemblies
The Cohort on Deliberative Democracy and Citizens’ Assemblies was established to give everyday citizens a more meaningful role in public decisions through citizens’ assemblies, by bringing together a random sample of the community with a wide range of views and giving them access to a diversity of sources as well as ample time to discuss questions and concerns. They aim to inform elected representatives of where informed common ground can be found around difficult trade-offs in a public decision. The cohort was officially launched with a virtual event on 17 January 2023, following active discussion and participation among the cohort...
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Ireland
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European Commission
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New Democracy
Disability Rights
The Cohort on Disability Rights was established to support people with disabilities in participating in government institutions, public policy and legislation, providing the basis for promoting equality in all aspects of society by breaking down social stigmas and increasing accountability. With its event on Disability-Inclusive Democracy on the 26 July 2022, it issued 29 sample commitments. Disability rights are important for democracy because while one out of every seven people in the world has a disability, the interests of people with disabilities remain under-represented in public life and political decision making. Inclusive participation of people with disabilities is key for...
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Australia
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International Foundation for Electoral Systems
Elections Integrity
The Cohort on Elections Integrity was established to provide training and capacity building programmes to Election Management Bodies (EMBs) across the world and technical consultancy as per needs of other EMBs. It was officially launched at a two-day conference on 31 October and 1 November 2022 on ‘the Role, Framework and Capacity of Election Management Bodies’. The event included sessions on the EMB capacity and the current and future challenges faced by EMBs, and recognised the need for mutual cooperation and continuous engagement amidst emerging issues caused by digital technologies. The running of elections in a free, fair and trustworthy...
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Greece
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India
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Mauritius
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International Foundation for Electoral Systems
Financial Transparency and Integrity
The Cohort on Financial Transparency and Integrity (FTI) was established to address deficiencies in financial systems that may enable or facilitate corruption and money laundering. The FTI cohort was officially launched on 21 July 2022, where civil society and government representatives shared initial reactions, recommendations and questions regarding the Cohort’s high-level objectives and activities. Corruption is a threat to national security, economic prosperity and democratic resilience, impacting societies at all levels. It deprives communities of their resources, people and businesses of their services, and undermines public trust in government. It erodes the transparency and accountability that are the foundations of...
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United States
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Open Government Partnership
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Brookings Institute
Gender equality as a pre-requisite for democracy
The Cohort on Gender equality as a pre-requisite for democracy was established to highlight and promote the connection between gender equality and democracy and to develop policy recommendations to bolster women’s participation in and contribution to democracy. The intent to launch the Cohort was announced at the first Summit with the high-level initiative on gender equality and women’s empowerment as the basis for democratic progress, co-hosted by Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. Research shows that the ability of women and girls to participate fully and equally in economic, social and political life is central...
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Romania
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Sweden
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International IDEA
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Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace & Security
Information Integrity
The Cohort on Information Integrity was established to discuss, collect and promote best practices on strengthening a healthy information space and information integrity and reinforcing democracy, and was launched during an online meeting on 13 July 2022. Access to reliable information is a necessary condition for well-governed and peaceful societies. Citizens are subject to huge amounts of information that can spread rapidly without checks or controls. Information online is also often promoted according to its ability to attract attention rather than its veracity or accuracy. Worsening the picture is the increasing number of coordinated influence campaigns that seek to abuse...
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Canada
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Latvia
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Alliance for Securing Democracy
Inclusive Democracy
The Cohort on Inclusive Democracy was launched on 28 November 2022 and will hold its main event on 28 February 2023. Further information will follow on this page when it is available. Stable, vibrant democracies are built on full engagement and inclusion of all citizens in public life, not only in elections but also in the other discussions and decisions that take place in the functioning of a society. An increasing body of evidence indicates that excluding minority and marginalised groups from political life is a major factor in political and civil conflict, contributing to democratic instability. Marginalised groups can...
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Spain
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Spanish Committee of Representatives of Persons with Disabilities
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Fundación Triángulo
International Cooperation for Anticorruption
The Cohort on International Cooperation for Anticorruption was established to share knowledge, experience and best practices, discuss and draft recommendations, and increase awareness among S4D participants on corruption prevention and international communication and cooperation in anticorruption enforcement, with a view to joint efforts past the second Summit for Democracy. The Cohort’s first meeting was on 8 November 2022, which provided the opportunity for stakeholders to question and contribute to the scope and results of its activities. Corrupt activities increasingly occur across borders, threatening the integrity of our democracies and necessitating concerted international action to counter illicit flows of money and...
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Moldova
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Basel Institute
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Transparency International
Labour Rights
Democracy depends on the full ability of its citizens to participate in political, social and economic life. This ability is guaranteed and defended in part through the existence of labour rights, which ensure that workers are not taken advantage of or abused by their employers. Labour rights guarantee the freedom of expression and association of workers and the right to collective bargaining, and also establish the standards and procedures which regulate a safe and prosperous workplace. The Cohort worked to help inform the labour-rights related commitments and reforms associated with the Summit process, and fostered diplomatic engagement around labour priorities...
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United States
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American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
Media Freedom
The Cohort on Media Freedom was established to measure achieved progress on the commitments made at the first summit, to bridge gaps on the commitments where progress has been slower to attain, and to spark new, innovative commitments to measurably advance media freedom around the world. It was officially launched during a virtual event on 15 December 2022, with a Call to Action encouraging broad participation and commitment to the principles of the cohort. Free media is one of the cornerstones of a democratic society. It is vital for the creation, development and longevity of a democratic society, providing people...
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Canada
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Netherlands
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Internews
Resisting Authoritarian Pressure
The Cohort on Resisting Authoritarian Pressure was established to build resilience to authoritarian coercion and offer a hand to democrats and human rights defenders from non-democracies. The Cohort was officially announced during the second Future of Democracy Forum in Vilnius on 10 November 2022, which was convened in response to the growing trends of democratic backsliding and authoritarian entrenchment. The cohort was established in response to the growing threat to democratic values and the rules-based international order that has developed over the past decade. According to Freedom House’s annual Freedom in the World report, we are in the 16th consecutive...
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Lithuania
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Freedom House
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Alliance of Democracies
Rule of Law and Access to Justice Champions
The Cohort on Rule of Law and Access to Justice Champions was established to draft and deliver a Joint Statement and Call to Action on People-Centred Justice and Democracy during the Second Summit; engage interested governments, organizations, private sector actors, and donors to participate in the activities of the Cohort to other global rule of law and access to justice processes and facilitate cooperation with the Justice Action Coalition; encourage participating member states and organizations to formulate achievable high ambition commitments; and encourage and facilitate sharing around major achievements and main challenges for rule of law and justice reforms at...
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Dominican Republic
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Kosovo
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Pathfinders for Peaceful Just and Inclusive Societies
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ABA Rule of Law Initiative
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World Justice Project
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Transparency International
Technology for Democracy
The Cohort on Technology for Democracy was established to promote the use of technologies and digital connectivity to strengthen democracies and enhance the enjoyment of democratic freedoms, and ensure technologies are deployed in a free, responsible, secure, resilient way. It was officially launched at the Tallinn Digital Summit in Estonia on 10 October 2022, a yearly event that provided a useful opportunity to communicate the Cohort’s work and plans to the wider community. As the online sphere becomes more central to people’s lives and democratic discussion, keeping the internet free and open and maintaining respect for human rights online has...
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Estonia
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United Kingdom
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Access Now
Youth Political and Civic Engagement
The Cohort on Youth Political and Civic Engagement was established to take meaningful action toward implementing Summit for Democracy commitments on youth political and civic engagement through resources, expertise, research, activities, and achievements. It was officially launched on 12 September 2022 in Brussels on International Democracy Day. The event facilitated meaningful dialogue and collaboration between actors working to advance youth political participation in democracies across the globe. Young people’s participation in social, economic and political life is crucial for a vibrant and healthy democracy. Their meaningful inclusion and political participation is essential to tackle complex challenges and generate lasting and...
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Costa Rica
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Ghana
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Nepal
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European Commission
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Africtivistes
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International IDEA
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European Democracy Youth Network
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European Partnership for Democracy
