World Forum for Democracy 2019 – “Is democracy in danger in the information age?”

DATE: 6-8 November 2019

PLACE: Strasbourg

Information is changing. The volume, the content, the platforms: each of these has evolved beyond recognition in a short period of time. This evolution continues. Twenty-five years ago, most of our information came from print publications, television and radio. Today, these are complemented, rivalled and often eclipsed by websites, blogs and social media. Well-known outlets have been joined by a plethora of new sources – including millions of individuals – that spread news with the click of a share button.

The 2019 edition of the World Forum for Democracy tackled the question “Is democracy in danger in the information age?”. It gathered over 2000 participants from over 80 countries, including 400 graduates from the Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe. Preliminary conclusions were shared and debated at the Paris Peace Forum 2019.

There was widespread consensus at the Forum that the technological progress entailed challenging transformative impacts on our democratic societies, so it is essential that democracies cooperate to safeguard their values and to face up to the new challenges.

The Forum addressed a few key questions in this regard, notably tech regulation, confronting disinformation and supporting quality journalism.