It is our mission as Democracy International to promote and uphold the value of democracy, especially during the current global pandemic. Whereas, some countries have showed themselves to be resolute in upholding democratic standards, others have witnessed varying degrees of democratic backsliding. With most of the world’s citizens having been confined to their homes at some point in the last 6 months, many question marks have emerged in relation to public and private life.
Against this background, we have decided to tackle these issues head-on by organising a series of interactive online discussions with experts covering specific topics that have become relevant during the pandemic. In our discussions, our experts (3-4 per discussion) provide their input of 5-10 minutes, followed by a Q&A for participants to have their say on the topic at hand.
Our first online conversation on 7 July, was a resounding success in creating a dialogue surrounding the extremely important topic of “Direct democracy in times of the Pandemic”. In the discussion, Sam Chang and Bruno Kaufmann expounded the value and importance of direct democracy. After the input from our experts, participants from across the world asked questions and provided an overview of the state of direct democracy in their home countries during the COVID-19 crisis. The recorded conversation is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8xWX8xp767Q. We urge you to take part by registering for the next discussions in the series!
Below a summary and links to registration for the online discussions we will be having over the next month:
- 14 July 2020 Data Security, Democracy & Corona: For this discussion, we will be joined by Maria Paz Canales, Matthijs Pontier, Nadim Nashif and Kamel Gargouri. Our experts will focus on the influence of tracking apps and other COVID-19 related databases on citizens’ rights and liberties in their home countries. Registered participants will also be given an opportunity to comment and share their own national experiences. Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtdOyqrz4rE9xGqKWmP4lA_d2vhcGztP1k
- 21 July 2020 States of Emergency- Separation of Powers in times of crisis: This online conversation pertains to the declaration of states of emergency across the world in response to the pandemic. Our first confirmed speaker is Dr. Zoltan Tibor Pallinger from the Andrássy University in Budapest, Hungary. He is an expert in the fields of Political Theory and Democracy Studies. As usual participants are encouraged to have their say and contribute to the discussion. Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtdu2trT0sGdfJ29G6pu88fnmwCVX-dU42
- 28 July 2020 Fake News, Press Freedom & the Pandemic: This interactive online discussion will provide insights into the introduction of fake news laws to curb the spreading of misinformation about the virus, as well as the risks related to these laws. For this discussion we will be joined by Luis Roberto Castrillon of Verificado and Lutz Kinkel, the Managing Director of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom. Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsceioqT0jGdx9xHIpI6bG9j_Rflyn3HNz
- 4 August 2020 Transparency, Governance & COVID-19: With public life coming to a standstill during the lockdown, experts will be leading an interactive discussion on ways to ensure accountability and transparency in political decision-making. We are thrilled to welcome German MEP Daniel Freund as one of the experts for this session. Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItceCorz4tHNbQA1GqOVu6Wda2Wr-4xC18
- 11 August 2020 Citizen participation under a lockdown: Our final discussion will focus on citizen participation processes that have been delayed or suspended due to the pandemic. We have the honour of welcoming Karl Heinz Lambertz former President of the European Committee for the Regions and current President of the Parliament for the German speaking community in Belgium to lead the discussion about the challenges processes of citizen participation are confronted with. Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUod-GprzwsH9CQB7yC9ErgoIMSFq7EPVKr
For questions please contact
Reiner Duvenage
