From Monday 6 to Wednesday 8 November, at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the World Forum for Democracy is bringing together intellectuals, politicians, activists, experts and young people from all over the world to debate how democracy can give better guarantees of peace. The event’s title ‘Democracy = Peace?’ is a highly topical question at a time when war has returned to the European continent and the Middle East, democracy is under threat, inequalities are becoming more pronounced, politics are becoming polarised and governments are facing new challenges such as climate change, pandemics and the proliferation of new technologies.
The programme for the 2023 edition features “Forum talks” on: The truth of war crimes – making use of electronic evidence and open-source intelligence; Memory, memorials and teaching history; Women, democracy and peace; Building peace and democracy across borders; Economics of peace; Sudan’s democratic transition de-railed; International community and democratic insecurity; Learning to wage peace and democracy; Press cartoonist: a profession in danger; Inside Kabul; Seven Winters in Teheran; the 4th branch of government: deliberative democracy.
Ten lab sessions, which will address the challenges from different angles and present some measures which have already been implemented, will help to identify a democratic response to the issues raised throughout the Forum. The Council of Europe’s Democracy Innovation Award will be presented to the most popular initiative put forward in the labs (on Wednesday 8 November, during the closing session).
The Forum is organised by the Council of Europe, in partnership with Strasbourg City Council, the European Collectivity of Alsace, the Grand Est Region and the French Government.
