Dear friends, partners and supporters of Democracy International,
We don’t have to tell you that 2020 has been a challenging year. Wherever you are on the planet, we know it has been the same for you. Like you, we have had to adapt our plans for this year and like you, we have had to find creative ways to face up to a challenge that we had not imagined possible in January.
So instead, let us look at some of the positive evolutions that we have seen. Yes, 2020 has been difficult, but it has also been a testament to the resilience and imaginativeness of humans everywhere.
In many countries, votes went ahead with extended remote polling options in place, providing a much-needed update for democracy and making the necessity of digital democracy tools abundantly clear. Mail-in voting in the US elections, which included over 120 ballot initiatives, led to a record turnout, proving citizens want to shape their societies. They just need the right tools.
Citizens’ assemblies on climate in France and the UK were able to continue their work online and present their tremendously important conclusions to their respective parliaments. In fact, we are living through a veritable renaissance for citizens’ assemblies, with randomly selected citizens contributing to decision-making in France, the UK, Germany, Denmark and East-Belgium. Even the much-anticipated Conference on the Future of Europe will include citizen panels. We have worked hard this year to guarantee that this participation is meaningful, impactful and leads to binding outcomes.
Protest movements around the world have embraced direct democracy and citizen participation as their natural allies. Environmental activists everywhere are using democracy tools to achieve their goals: Extinction Rebellion is calling for climate citizens’ assemblies, Fridays for Future has launched a European Citizens’ Initiative and activists all over Germany are using local initiatives to enforce more sustainable urban planning.
Social justice movements have succeeded at converting popular outrage into structural change, signed off on by the whole population. In Algeria, citizens approved a new constitution in the wake of the Hirak protests and citizens in Chile have decided that the new constitution will be drafted by the people themselves in a gender balanced assembly. And while these votes were plebiscites, we cannot underestimate their importance in ushering in a new era.
But we need to remain vigilant. Around the world, we have seen autocrats and dictators make misuse of emergency laws to curtail people power. In Hungary, Russia, Hong Kong and too many other places citizens were dispossessed of their democratic rights. And we need to stand in international solidarity with protesters in Thailand, Poland, Belarus and Lebanon to make sure that their commitment to democracy is not denied.
This year, more than ever we have all felt how much we need community – how much democracy needs community. Therefore, in our work we have invested greatly in building these communities across borders and despite the limitations: we organised online conferences attended by thousands of democracy activists and experts, we have created new online spaces for organisers to convene such as the ECI Forum and the International Democracy Community and we are closer to realising our goal of opening an Initiative House for Human Rights and Democracy in our hometown of Cologne.
As you read through this annual report, know that our work would not be possible without your help. You keep us going! So, thank you for your continuous support and please know that our accomplishments are also yours!
The Democracy International team