Secretary-General launches Global State of Democracy Report in Oslo

On 28 November, International IDEA Secretary-General Yves Leterme launched International IDEA’s flagship publication, The Global State of Democracy: Exploring Democracy's Resilience, in Oslo, Norway, as part of a series of launches around the world. 

The day opened with introductory remarks from Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway and President of the Oslo Center, followed by an address  by the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Ine Eriksen Søreide.  Søreide expressed her satisfaction with the report and noted that it should be "mandatory reading for politicians everywhere."

Subsequently, Leterme gave his keynote speech, presenting the main messages of the report. He noted that In contrast to the bleak view that is often portrayed in the media, democracy has made significant gains in the past 40 years. The number of electoral democracies has steadily grown, the political representation of women, despite persisting deficits, has doubled, and the breakthrough of ICTs has transformed interactions in the political arena.

However, Leterme also stressed that despite these advances, democracy worldwide faces significant challenges, which must be addressed to safeguard the future of democracy. The world, he noted, has witnessed an increase in “modern democratic backsliding” and a rise in the number of "hybrid regimes". Populism and nationalism are still gaining force, while trust in traditional democratic institutions is shrinking. And migration presents democracies worldwide with difficult dilemmas.

“Democracy,” the Secretary-General concluded, “cannot be taken for granted. And each one of us has a responsibility to build, protect and safeguard it.”

Following this, Nathalie Ebead, head of International IDEA's Democracy Assessment, Analysis and Advisory unit presented the key findings of the report.

The launch closed with a panel debate on “The changing nature of political parties and representation – challenges, threats and opportunities”. Jorge Valladares, Senior Programme Manager at International IDEA; Jan-Petter Holtedahl, Senior Advisor at the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation; and Hilde Frafjord Johnson, Secretary-General of the Christian Democratic Party all participated in the panel, which was moderated by Nikolai Hegertun, Doctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Development and Environment.

The launch took place at the House of Literature, and was co-organized with the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights.