To mark the International Day of Democracy, the City of Brussels and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organized a high-level dialogue to explore how democratic innovation can strengthen the relationship between citizens and institutions.
As democratic institutions around the world grapple with polarization, declining public trust, and far-reaching technological and socio-economic change, there is a need for new ways to give people a greater voice in shaping public decision-making.
The dialogue brought together representatives from government, parliament, civil society, academia, youth-led movements, and international organizations to exchange experiences and consider how promising democratic innovations can move beyond individual experiments and become lasting institutional practices.
The event comes at an important moment for Brussels as the city prepares to become European Capital of Democracy in 2027.
“Defending democracy also means defending a model of society based on solidarity and cooperation. Through Eurocities or the Pact of Free Cities, Brussels stands up for a society where people are protected and where we build peace rather than war. And this also means relying on our public hospitals. Through our partnerships with Ukrainian cities and with Panzi Hospital in eastern Congo, we put our expertise and resources at the service of people facing genuine human tragedies. Because when we open our eyes to the conflicts that are tearing the world apart, we become stronger defenders of democracy,” said Philippe Close, Mayor of City of Brussels.
UNDP works around the world to strengthen the institutions that underpin representative democracy. Between 2022 and 2025, we helped more than 911 million registered voters participate in 78 elections across 51 countries. Today, we support an average of 40 to 50 countries every year.
UNDP is also the world’s largest provider of parliamentary strengthening support, working with parliaments in approximately 60 countries through national, regional and multi-country programmes.
“Across the world, we see a profound need to innovate democratic practice—to rethink how governance can give people greater opportunities to participate and influence the decisions that shape their lives,” said Camilla Brückner, Director of the UN/UNDP Office in Brussels. “Together with partners, we are helping public institutions respond by connecting them with new ideas and experimentation in civic engagement and turning democratic innovation into practice.”
In Asia and the Pacific, UNDP is using deep-listening methodologies to ensure development interventions are informed by communities’ lived experiences. In Latin America and the Caribbean, participatory foresight is helping facilitate intergenerational dialogue in contexts marked by high polarization. In Africa, participatory approaches are helping shape just energy transitions. In Armenia, public-opinion polling brings citizens’ feedback into parliament.
In partnership with People Powered, UNDP recently released guidance on digital participation in the age of artificial intelligence, which will soon be rolled out in 10 countries.
Together, these experiences reflect a growing recognition that while representative institutions remain the foundation of democracy, they must continuously adapt to meet rising expectations for participation, voice, and influence. Creating new ways of listening, engaging, and responding to people’s aspirations, particularly those of younger generations, is becoming an increasingly important part of resilient democracies.
The event also introduced the Global Academy of Deliberative Democracy, a new UNDP initiative developed with key partners to promote learning, collaboration and knowledge exchange on participatory and deliberative governance across regions.
The dialogue underscored the importance of democratic innovation in building more resilient democracies. To ensure that ideas and experience travel across and support different regions and democratic contexts, UNDP and its partners will continue to create space for experimentation, exchange and collaboration, helping to translate what works into stronger democratic practice.
