The World Forum for Democracy 2019 will bring together intellectuals, politicians, activists, experts and young people from all over the world from 6 to 8 November to discuss the theme of democracy and the information age.

Information is changing dramatically. Traditional media are now supplemented by, competing with and often overshadowed by websites, blogs and social media. These new sources of information enable millions of people to share information with a single click, without any filters and without any control.

Faced with these upheavals, the question of the reliability and accessibility of information, which are essential conditions for citizens’ participation in democratic processes, will be central to the exchanges.

All participants will be discussing the following themes:

• Democracy dies in darkness: do we have all the information we need?
• Restoring trust in the media
• Information and Technology: friends or foes?
• Freedom of expression and protection of journalists
• A multilateral response

Ten labs, designed to address the challenges in different forms and to present some of the measures already being taken, will help to provide a democratic response to the problems raised throughout the Forum. The Council of Europe’s Democratic Innovation Award will be presented by the Council of Europe to the most popular initiative presented in these labs (Friday 8 November from 11.30 to 13.00, during the closing session).

In parallel, Forum Talks will be organised on: Artificial intelligence and information, disinformation and fake news, environmental journalists in danger, the safety of journalists, democracy in the digital age, fact-checking and information integrity.

The Forum is organised by the Council of Europe, in partnership with Strasbourg City Council, the Bas-Rhin Département Council, the Grand Est Region and the French Government. The 2019 Forum is being held during France’s Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.