Societies around the world are facing complex challenges – such as climate change, the rise of political populism, increasing inequality, and global migration and refugee flows – that are putting democratic processes under pressure. Within this weakening of democracy, citizens increasingly mobilise into social movements trying to defend or expand democratic values and participation. Notably, more and more youth are becoming the driving forces behind these democratic struggles, not just in the realms of environmental or gender and reproductive rights, but also in international peace and justice movements – as seen in recent student encampments at university campuses around the world. In all these settings, democracy is not just a backdrop, but a dynamic force that both shapes and is shaped by these critical issues. These developments underscore the critical need for academic research capable of providing deeper insights into how democracy functions in diverse contexts.

The Platforms of Institutions for Open Societies (IOS) organises a workshop that aims to explore and critically analyse the dynamics of democracy across the Global North/South divide, focusing on themes like activism, rights, and inequality. It brings together research from IOS, Pathways to Sustainability, and Dynamics of Youth with an aim at fostering an interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboratively draft an IOS Think Paper on the abovementioned issues. The workshop will employ a participatory and interdisciplinary approach, ensuring that all participants contribute their expertise and perspectives. Participants are expected to commit to attend all three sessions and to collaborate in the collective writing process to draft the final document. The workshop will be organized into three sessions – each held monthly, and structured as follows:

Session 1: Identifying Key Issues and Framing the Dialogue

Session 2: Delving Deeper and Building Connections

Session 3: Writing and Finalizing the IOS Think Paper

The sessions will be designed to foster an environment of open dialogue and collaborative problem-solving. The goal is to draft an IOS Think Paper, which will be published on the IOS website, synthesizing the insights and recommendations generated through the sessions.