Democracy: a matter of choice and voice

"In a democracy, each of us carries the responsibility to engage, listen and to contribute. It is more than a political system. It is about choice and voice. How does this resonate with you?"

With these words, opened moderator Ignacio Packer, Executive Director of Caux Initiatives of Change, on Wednesday, 9 October, the second Geneva Democracy Dialogue on the theme "What does democracy mean to you?", before handing over to speakers and participants for an inspiring conversation. 

The event was co-organised by Caux Initiatives of Change, the Kofi Annan Foundation, the Geneva Graduate Institute and the Geneva Democracy Week.

Christine Lutringer, Executive Director of the Geneva Graduate Institute's Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, welcomed the audience which included a mix of all ages from different sectors in Geneva, such as permanent missions, UN agencies, NGO and students.

One of speakers was Dilara Bayrak (27), a member of the Grand Council of Geneva in her second mandate. She spoke about her experience in Swiss politics as a young woman with migrant background, pointing out the lack of diversity in parliament and debates. With low voter turnouts in Switzerland, she also expressed her concern about a certain "apathy" among Swiss voters and challenged people to "be the change from within and make waves. Don't stay in the comfort of a well-oiled system."

Yanina Welp, Research Fellow at the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, presented key findings from her research on youth participation in democratic processes all over Europe, such as the barriers or motivations which influence their participation and strategies which have been successful in fostering greater political involvement among young people. She explained that young people prefer to be engaged in contentious social issues rather than in electoral politics and are willing to support antisystem political parties. Born in Argentina, she also spoke about her personal experience with different forms of government and explained that context matters when looking at the challenges of democracy.

Martin Penov, Vice-President of the Young European Federalists [JEF], spoke about the state of democracy in his country, Bulgaria, which goes to vote for the 7th time in the last 3 years. Although only a third of the eligible population went to the polls, 49% of young people voted. He explained that democracy was still young in his country and underlined the importance to convince people that it is a system worth fighting for: "If we get it wrong, we might not have a second chance."

Ambassador Nasir Ahmad Andisha, Permanent Representative to the UN from Afghanistan, pointed out that that democracy is not a luxury: "It is essential as air. (...) It is like a torch that illuminates the way." He explained that right now, in his country that torch had been dropped and gone out, but he expressed his hope that the torch could be found again to be relighted.

Declan O'Brien, Head of Democracy and Multilateralim Programmes at the Kofi Annan Foundation, insisted on the links between democracy and multilateralism: "If we are serious about talking about the SDGs, we need to be talking more about democracy, also here in Geneva". He also stressed the importance of giving young people the platforms to intergenerational dialogues. He explained how the Kofi Annan Foundation uses a peer-to-peer approach to support young people around the world: "Young people may be frustrated with the systems, but they are not apathetic." He pointed out that in some countries, young people represent up to 70% of the population and underlined that democracy cannot work if they are excluded from the process: "We need to be responsive to their view of democracy. Go where they are and find out what mechanisms work for them!"

In spite of the challenges democracy is currently facing, there was a strong call to invest in democracy. Dilara Bayrak said: "Contribute to enriching democracy, get young people involved and eliminate prejudices."

Ariadna Pop, Head of Democracy Section at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, explained: "Democracy’s underlying values are key to change the narrative and engage the youth. Freedom, equality, diversity and inclusion—this is what speaks not only to young people’s minds, but also to their hearts."

And a young participant from Germany concluded: "Democracy is more than a state form - it's a way of life."

Stay tuned for the full report 

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The Geneva Democracy Dialogues are designed to facilitate open, inclusive, and informed discussions on challenges for democracy, foster collaboration and innovation, and generate actionable recommendations.

They are a part of the wider 3-year programme by Caux Initiatives of Change on “Revitalising Democracy Across Europe and the Wider World”, including its #CauxDemocracy Forum in July 2024.