Council of Europe: “Can democracy save the environment?”, the World Forum physically back in Strasbourg

It’s time for the World Forum for Democracy, the yearly event organised by the Council of Europe and bringing to Strasbourg political decision-makers and activists, including lots of young people, to discuss the latest news that concern democracies all over the world. In 2020, the Forum had been held online, because of Covid-19; now, it will be physically back, from 8th to 10th November, asking: “Can democracy save the environment?”. We are still fighting the pandemic, the organisers explain, but “environmental damage and climate change have not disappeared”; actually, “the greatest existential threat to humankind looms larger than ever”. Because of this, democracy seems to be particularly fragile, hence how can we “make sure democratic leadership will be capable of a quick, inclusive action” to fight the environmental drift? It is this turning point that the three days’ forum will revolve around, with lots of speeches on the agenda (https://www.coe.int/en/web/world-forum-democracy/programme-8-10-november-2021): five plenary sessions; ten workshops about civil society experiences and initiatives (at the end of the Forum, one of them will receive the Democracy Innovation Award) and six panel discussions about such topics as deliberative democracy, human rights, youth activism, health, threats against eco-warriors.
Valentina Bombelli