Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy 2023 (GFMDD23)

In March 2023, our colleague Gabriel Brezoiu - President of PRISMA European Network took part as a Youth Participation Panelist at the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy 2023, hosted in Mexico City by Democracy International and Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) - Mexico. The Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy is the largest gathering devoted to direct democracy worldwide. It favours a multidisciplinary approach, welcoming participants from academic, political and civil society perspectives. It is attended by activists, organisations and academics from all over the world. The goal is to bring together people with different experiences and backgrounds, so as to give activists and organisations the opportunity to share their insights and connect with others working on the same issues.

"This forum allows us to see the great differences between the challenges of African, Asian, European, North American and Latin American democracies. The different forms of democracy in the world can be inspirational and learning references for others; however, each of them must find its own way, achieving common objectives without leaving aside the particularities that enrich us. The foray into these types of mechanisms and tools brings with it lessons and learnings, sometimes costly, but always of great value to continue building and strengthening the power of citizenship." - Declarations of Mexico’s Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy 2023

More than 600 participants from more than 60 countries and all continents gathered in Mexico earlier this month – in many different venues in Mexico City, as well as Guadalajara, Hidalgo and Mérida. We met with hundreds more local people during the unprecedented eight-day Forum. We witnessed manifestations in the Zócalo for one of our main hosts, Instituto Nacional Electoral, shared stories and drinks at the homes of the Swiss and American ambassadors to Mexico, discussed the perils of elected presidencies in the shadow of the National Palace, and danced in the streets on a Sunday night outside Mérida City Hall.