The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the world in all respects, including democracy and fundamental freedoms such as the freedoms of expression and movement, and the right to health. This presents a central challenge for democracies: how to balance mitigating the outbreak and at the same time respecting democratic principles such as accountability, transparency and respect for civil and political rights. Many countries have implemented stringent restrictions to contain the virus, which have implications for human rights and freedoms.

The Embassy of Sweden to the Republic of Korea and International IDEA co-organized a webinar on 9 June 2020 to examine the pandemic’s potential consequences for democracy worldwide using the case studies of Australia, the Republic of Korea and Sweden.