This was the 2018 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy

The 2018 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy took place from 26 until 29 September in Rome, Italy and it was a record-breaking edition in every sense! On the tenth anniversary of the very first Global Forum in Aarau, Switzerland, over 800 participants from more than 80 countries joined us in Rome to discuss the future of direct democracy and the role that cities can play in amplifying the voices of their citizens on the international stage.

The Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy is the largest event worldwide gathering experts, activists and officials working on direct democracy and citizen participation. In Rome, we spoke with many of them on the state of direct democracy in the world. You can watch these interviews here.

For the first time, the Global Forum also offered an extended range of activities. Alongside plenary sessions, panels and workshops, Democracy International offered targeted practical sessions, where participants could deepen their knowledge on concepts like Citizens’ Assemblies or Democracy Developers. The European Public Sphere held several Dome talks in the sidelines of the Global Forum and even hosted a HomeParliament, a new form of citizen participation that Democracy International is launching in Europe together with Pulse of Europe. Finally, the German Omnibus for Direct Democracy traveled to Rome for the occasion, making stops along the way to discuss a democratic Europe of the regions.