How can international cooperation be strengthened to support democratic renewal at a time when both democracy and multilateralism are under growing pressure? This question was at the heart of the Geneva launch of the final report of the Global Commission on Democracy and Multilateralism, hosted by the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy and the Kofi Annan Foundation at the Geneva Graduate Institute on 29 October 2026.
The Commission was convened by Club de Madrid together with International IDEA, and supported by the the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and its Peace and Human Rights Division at the State Secretariat, the Open Government Partnership, the European Democracy Hub. It brings together former Heads of State and Government, senior international leaders and democracy experts to develop recommendations for strengthening international support for democracy. After its first presentation during the High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2026, the report was discussed in Geneva with representatives of governments, international organisations, civil society and academia. Participants considered whether its recommendations are politically feasible and how they could be put into practice.
Christine Lutringer, Executive Director of the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy at the Geneva Graduate Institute, opened the event with welcome remarks, presenting the initiative on Democracy and Multilateralism led by the Centre with the Kofi Annan Foundation.
The report’s key recommendations were then presented by Danilo Türk, President of Slovenia (2007–2012), Member of Club de Madrid and Chair of the Global Commission, and by Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General of International IDEA and Vice-Chair of the Commission.
Both then joined a panel discussion on the role of multilateral institutions in supporting democracy, human rights and civic participation. They were joined by Michael Camilleri, Chief of the Rule of Law, Accountability and Civic Space Branch at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and by Katie Sams, Executive Director of the Kofi Annan Foundation.
The event explored how democratic values can be reinforced through international cooperation and more inclusive multilateral institutions. The conversation addressed some of the most pressing questions facing the international community: the governance of artificial intelligence, the challenges facing the next UN Secretary-General, and how multilateral institutions can become more open, transparent and responsive to the people they serve.
This is a challenge for International Geneva and an important part of the work ahead. The event was a milestone for the dialogue, which will continue among partners across the Geneva ecosystem and beyond.
The full report and its background papers are available here.