Democracy International
Democracy International is a Cologne-based NGO registered as a German e.V. (Eingetragener Verein), founded in 2011. It advocates for direct democracy and citizen participation at local, national, and global levels, combining policy advocacy, support for activists, published research, and international convening.
The organisation organises the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy, a recurring international conference for practitioners and researchers. The 2026 Global Forum is scheduled for Gaborone, Botswana — the first time it will be held in sub-Saharan Africa. Democracy International also publishes research on referendum systems, citizen initiative mechanisms, and democratic reform globally.
They also design and run Citizens' Panels at the European level. Their EU for Global project (closed April 2026) engaged 665 citizens across 16 Citizens' Panels in eight EU member states — Germany, Romania, Malta, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Latvia, and Bulgaria — on the question of the EU's role and responsibility in the world. The closing event, LichtLabor Demokratie, was held at the Kulturbunker Köln-Mülheim (source).
Links
- Website: democracy-international.org