The year 2024 has become an important year for democracy, with half of the world’s population will be holding elections– the EU, UK, US, Indonesia, Iran, India, Rwanda, South Africa, Tunisia and many others. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index, among over 70 countries that will hold national elections, 43 out of the 71 countries studied will enjoy fully free and fair votes, and the other 28 do not meet the essential conditions for a democratic vote, and 8 of the 10 most populous countries in the world will hold elections that are considered neither free nor fair, and many other prerequisites of democracy, such as freedom of speech and association, are absent.

This session aims to gather North, South, East, West perspectives from all across the globe to discuss the state of democracy in respective country and region, and issues surrounding public trust, corruption, quality leadership, money politics, rule of law, disinformation, civil society participation, and the still existing barriers to the participation of young people in politics across the globe.