On 11 July, the Global Futures Forum 2026 convened by the Coalition for the UN We Need will gather in New York & online to shape civil society input on the future of the UN. We are happy to be among the partners & to support institutional UN reform. More on the forum here: 👇 c4unwn.org/gff26/

Lawmakers are backing a call by Parliamentarians for Global Action for the UN to create a Special Rapporteur on Democracy, an independent mandate to monitor democratic governance & address democratic backsliding worldwide @pga-champions.bsky.social www.democracywithoutborders.org/43363/

Civil society warns that the UN's Sustainable Development Goals are off track amid conflict, authoritarianism, shrinking civic space and attacks on human rights. A new declaration makes recommendations including setting up a UN parliamentary body. www.democracywithoutborders.org/43380/civil-...

Democracies’ approach to international cooperation rested on a quiet assumption: that democracy would keep spreading, and that global institutions would increasingly reflect liberal values. That assumption no longer holds, this article argues. www.democracywithoutborders.org/43349/how-th...

Workers’ rights are under growing pressure in many countries. The @ituc.bsky.social's 2026 global rights report warns that attacks on unions, strikes and collective bargaining are weakening democracy. The U.S. has been placed on a new watchlist. www.democracywithoutborders.org/43323/report...

UN80 reform is advancing with major cuts as the 2026 UN Secretariat budget reduces resources by over 9% and posts by 21%. Critics warn efficiency alone cannot address deeper questions of governance, participation and legitimacy. www.democracywithoutborders.org/43233/un-ref...

Former NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen proposes a D7 format for middle power democracies to coordinate on trade, technology, defense, critical raw materials and economic security and to jointly counter authoritarian pressure, including from the United States www.democracywithoutborders.org/43199/

Global Nation’s 2026 Global Solidarity Report finds rising support for international cooperation. It tracks global citizenship identity, tax money for global problems, and enforcement power for international institutions. www.democracywithoutborders.org/43168/survey...

A poll in 98 countries shows democracy remains widely popular. Over 2/3 say it is very important to have democracy in their country. Yet pessimism about national direction is widespread, and the U.S. is now among the most negatively viewed countries worldwide. www.democracywithoutborders.org/43128/

Breaking: @accessnow.org tells @wired.com how the Chinese government pressured Zambia to cancel the world's largest digital rights conference RightsCon, which they did www.wired.com/story/the-ch...

The Zambian government's last-minute move to stop #RightsCon 2026 in Lusaka draws sharp criticism from rights groups and raises concerns over civic space and foreign influence www.democracywithoutborders.org/43063/zambia...

A Freedom House report finds that at least 54 governments have engaged in targeting dissidents abroad in 2025, in particular in Southeast Asia and East Africa. www.democracywithoutborders.org/42972/author...

Online identity checks risk becoming a dangerous slippery slope, making it easier for governments to erode anonymous speech and chill dissent under the guise of safety or accountability, argues Sarah McLaughlin www.democracywithoutborders.org/42724/its-th...

Democracies should not assume middle powers are natural allies, since many are autocracies that do not share their interests, goals, and values, Marie-Eve Desrosiers & Nic Cheeseman @fromagehomme.bsky.social argue in their new book www.democracywithoutborders.org/42637/why-mi...

Artemis II provided spectacular new images of Earth from space. Our common home is a small and precious planet suspended in the emptiness of infinite space. Instead of fighting endlessly, the human species should be cooperating at a planetary scale. www.democracywithoutborders.org/42654/artemi...

In its new Democracy Index 2025, the Economist Intelligence Unit says that global democracy has stopped worsening after eight consecutive years of decline. The report highlights the United States as a negative case. www.democracywithoutborders.org/42392/democr...

After the 8 April election, the UN's NGO Committee remains under the influence of a majority of repressive states. The body helps decide which civil society groups get access to the UN. Only 5 of the 19 newly members are rated free. www.democracywithoutborders.org/42377/

Our director Andreas Bummel argues @globalpolicy.bsky.social that the UN’s renewal requires democratic reform & investment, not austerity. He makes the case that a new UN Parliamentary Assembly can help strengthen legitimacy, oversight, & democracy: www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/02/03/2...

In their new annual assessment, Freedom House in Washington D.C. announced another global decline in freedom scores in 2025. The U.S., Italy, and Bulgaria in the previous year saw the sharpest declines among countries rated as “free”. www.democracywithoutborders.org/41714/

Research across 33 countries shows that short online civic education videos can boost support for democracy, improve knowledge, and reduce openness to authoritarian alternatives. www.democracywithoutborders.org/41702/

Our new brochure on "Reimagining Global Cooperation" looks at shared challenges in an interdependent world, the dilemmas of international cooperation and a new global vision for the 21st century based on democracy. Read and download it here: www.democracywithoutborders.org/reimagining-...

According to a new assessment by V-Dem, democracy is back at 1978 levels for the average global citizen. The gains of the third wave of democratization since the mid-1970s are almost eradicated. The U.S. is downgraded from liberal to electoral democracy. www.democracywithoutborders.org/41651/

The findings of V-Dem's 2025 global assessment of democracy are dramatic: for the average global citizen, the level is back to 1978 and the United States is no longer considered a democracy. V-Dem's report: www.v-dem.net/documents/75... Report in The Guardian: www.theguardian.com/world/commen...

In a world dominated by rogue big powers, Raphaël Viana David of the International Service for Human Rights argues the UN human rights system still has one last lifeline: strength in numbers through like-minded middle powers & small states www.democracywithoutborders.org/41635/

How can democracy evolve for the 21st century? Join democracy researchers Hanno Scholtz and Doina Stratu-Strelet for an online debate on 19 and 26 March 2026 on rethinking democracy and the future of citizen governance. www.democracywithoutborders.org/events/41602/

The Human Rights Foundation @hrf.org has launched a new index, the Tyranny Tracker, that looks at the performance of the world's countries & territories and classifies them as democratic, hybrid authoritarian, or fully authoritarian www.democracywithoutborders.org/40940/

Transparency International’s 2025 corruption perceptions index shows a global average score of 42 of 100 and connects low ratings to restricted civic space in the countries concerned www.democracywithoutborders.org/40659/

Today, the Trumpian Board of Peace is gathering in Washington D.C. It is not a viable model for international organization. www.democracywithoutborders.org/40334/trumps...

Oxfam, the World Inequality Report 2026 and a G20 panel warn that extreme wealth concentration is accelerating, increasing the risk of democratic erosion worldwide #inequality #democracy www.democracywithoutborders.org/40592/extrem...

Two new global risks reports by Global Challenges Foundation & World Economic Forum highlight rising global threats from planetary tipping points to geopolitical conflict & confirm the need for a new model of global cooperation www.democracywithoutborders.org/40493/

Polling shows that global solidarity is declining. Trust in global institutions depends on them delivering visible results, Anna Hope of Global Nation argues www.democracywithoutborders.org/40434/survey...

The world’s citizens are ready to support & talk about a World Parliament. Leaders need to catch up, former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou comments on our new survey on the subject which revealed 40% in favor, 27% opposed, and 33% neutral globally www.democracywithoutborders.org/40397/

Democracy Without Borders has joined a growing chorus of voices warning against Donald Trump’s newly launched Board of Peace, calling it "an unacceptable and regressive shift toward centralized power" which "blurs the line between public and private affairs." www.democracywithoutborders.org/40334/

A survey we commissioned, covering 101 countries, finds that 40% of respondents tend to support a #worldparliament while only 27% tend to be opposed and 33% are neutral. Support is strongest in the Global South. Here is our report: www.democracywithoutborders.org/40121/

As rights violations rise globally, the UN has slashed funding for its human rights office. Advocates warn this weakens protection for victims and defenders www.democracywithoutborders.org/40083/un-cut...

All human beings are said to be born free & equal in dignity & rights. But in reality rights & opportunities depend very much on citizenship & location. Our new brochure "What is global citizenship?" explores the meaning & future of citizenship in an interdependent world:

A global "mini public" of 105 people selected by civic lottery will deliberate on food systems and climate change in early 2026: What should change in how we grow, share and eat food?

The UN's human rights work is under disproportionate budget pressure, 40 states warned in Geneva, and human rights groups urge no further cuts should be made www.democracywithoutborders.org/39807/uns-hu...

The UN is frozen in time because UN Charter reform is considered impossible. But is it? An international study group has come up with a radical and innovative approach to circumvent possible vetoes. www.democracywithoutborders.org/39791/how-to...

🚀 New global #PeoplePower2025 report shows civic freedoms are under attack globally. A record number of countries are now rated as ‘Repressed’ and ‘Closed.’ See country ratings & data on top violations 🔴🟡🟢: web.civicus.org/PeoplePower2025

Autocratic governments known for their gross human rights abuses are hijacking the UN, Hillel Neuer shows in this piece published by the Canadian National Post. Democratic states must stop pretending this is normal diplomacy, he writes. nationalpost.com/opinion/un-p...

At a seminar in Vilnius our ED @andreasbummel.bsky.social recently spoke about the dire situation in world politics, the dysfunctional international system & the vision of a democratic global federation. Here is a recording on YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSyO...

At an international round table in Berlin hosted by Democracy Without Borders, experts and activists warned that autocratic governments are weakening the UN’s ability to promote human rights and democracy. There was broad support for greater civil society and citizen participation at the UN.

First bluesky post. Will use it to tout amazing book I recently reviewed, by Mathias Koenig-Archibugi. Uses an array of sophisticated methods, incl machine learning, to explore feasibility of global democracy. Can't recommend highly enough: academic.oup.com/book/57306 @democracywithoutborders.org

Together with 160+ groups, we call on UN Member States to support women candidates for the next UN Secretary-General & insist on civil society inclusion in the election process. Open letter launched by 1 for 8 Billion: 1for8billion.org/news/2025/11...

Why the old Mercator world projection must be put to rest explains Olivia Gauvin on our blog. Correct The Map is promoting a much better alternative: the Equal Earth projection. www.democracywithoutborders.org/39474/correc...

Ironically, the issue of revitalizing the UN General Assembly itself has become a ritualistic item on the UN's agenda our Executive Director told @ipsnews.net, adding that innovations like a Parliamentary Assembly, Citizens’ Initiative instrument & Citizens’ Assemblies should be created.

All human beings are said to be born free & equal in dignity & rights. But in reality rights & opportunities depend very much on citizenship & location. Our new brochure "What is global citizenship?" explores the meaning & future of citizenship in an interdependent world.

The World Liberty Congress General Assembly met in Berlin. It was a milestone in the struggle for democracy & against autocratic rule worldwide marked by the adoption of a "Berlin Manifesto". Read our report: www.democracywithoutborders.org/39284/world-... #BerlinFreedomWeek

At its 2025 online congress, the World Federalist Movement discussed a wide-ranging program to advance global change. Topics on the agenda included UN reform, climate protection, nuclear disarmament, strengthening international law, regulating AI & fighting corruption. Here's our report: