The Kofi Annan Foundation and the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy co-hosted on 14 May 2025 a high-level policy dialogue at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Costa Rica and Switzerland, and with the support of Chile, The Gambia, Kazakhstan, The Bahamas, and the Universal Rights Group. The event marked the latest in a series of expert roundtables produced in the context of the Centre’s joint project with the Kofi Annan Foundation on the role of democracy in addressing global challenges.
The dialogue gathered over 100 participants, including ambassadors, UN officials, academics, and civil society leaders, to reflect on how UN human rights mechanisms can better contribute to democratic resilience. The roundtable drew on an issue brief prepared by the Albert Hirschman Centre and led to a comprehensive outcome document, structured around four themes.
The discussions highlighted a critical gap: while democracy and human rights are deeply intertwined, democracy is increasingly absent from multilateral human rights discourse. Participants called for greater institutional willingness to confront democratic backsliding, and for stronger use of tools such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and Special Procedures to support national democratic reform.
Drawing on national experiences from The Gambia, Kazakhstan, Chile, Costa Rica, and The Bahamas, speakers emphasized the potential of the human rights system to strengthen civic space, institutional trust, and participatory culture. They also stressed the importance of democratic education, local ownership, and youth inclusion.
The outcome document’s recommendations call for:
- Explicit reintegration of democracy into UN human rights mechanisms,
- Enhanced coordination between UN bodies and national institutions,
- Expanded support for civic education and inclusive participation, and
- A renewed commitment by multilateral actors to model democratic values in their own processes.
The full outcome document, including detailed recommendations, is available here.
Read the policy brief that informed this roundtable, authored by Christine Lutringer and Kilian Tixador, here.
