Democracy is more than a way to choose leaders, it protects rights, freedoms, and dignity. That notion framed a panel hosted by the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy during Geneva Democracy Week and featuring Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression and Distinguished Fellow at the Geneva Graduate Institute, and Miloon Kothari, Visiting Professor at the Institute and independent expert on human rights and social policy.

Moderator Christine Lutringer, Executive Director of the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, opened with the question: what can we learn from grassroots efforts that defend rights, and which solidarities can sustain them? Dr Khan underlined the interdependence of democracy and rights. Elections without rights are hollow, and rights without democratic checks remain paper promises. She warned of institutional capture, media concentration, and algorithmic manipulation that narrow civic space. Artificial intelligence, she said, illustrates both the potential and the peril of technology, offering social benefits while concentrating power and displacing workers. The key task, she argued, is accountability: governments must uphold obligations, companies must respect rights, and information must serve the public good.

Responding to a question about how institutions and civil society can ensure the consistent protection of marginalized groups, Mr Kothari pointed to the power of social movements and local organizing. Farmers, indigenous communities, and youth networks, he said, often achieve what formal institutions fail to deliver. He called for a closer connection between these movements and political institutions, which too often ignore popular demands. Institutional reform, he suggested, should prioritize decentralization and empower local authorities that work closely with affected communities. Grassroots energy must be converted into policy influence, and political systems must open space for participation from below.