More important than ever

The world’s largest conference devoted to direct democracy and citizen participation issues is back as an in-person event. At the end of September, participants from around the globe will gather in the beautiful lakeside town of Lucerne in Switzerland to discuss how to move democracy forward. In times of democratic roll-backs, rising autocracy and unprecedented global challenges, the question of how we organise our societies in a just and equitable way has become more pertinent than ever. As a democracy movement it is now vital that we remain connected, learn from each other and support each other’s work. This year’s Forum will focus specifically on the struggle to protect democracy, supporting youth power and democratic inclusion, fighting climate change and making democracy more digital and more global. The full programme is now available for consultation on the website. 

Experiencing Swiss direct democracy in action

The Global Forum always strives to move beyond the classic conference setting, allowing participants to learn about the local democratic context. This will particularly be the case for this edition, which includes day-long excursions to different cities around the country and takes place ahead of a national voting day. On Sunday 25 September, Swiss voters will decide on issues regarding mass livestock farming, the financing of retirement provisions and a reform of the withholding tax. Participants of the Forum will be able to observe the voting and ballot counting on several locations in and around Lucerne. 

Beat Züsli, Lucerne mayor

A broad coalition of partners

Always a participatory experience, this Global Forum will be a record-breaking edition with over 20 organising partners contributing to the programme and organisation. With a broad alliance of partners, this Forum is gearing up to be a particularly diverse and multifaceted look at direct democracy and citizen participation today. Together with organising partners the Swiss Democracy Foundation and the City of Lucerne, we are looking forward to welcoming participants from all over the globe in presence again, this fall in Lucerne. 

You can find the full programme already here.

Participants at the Forum can book accommodation at greatly reduced prices, more information here.