From recommendations to action: advancing democracy through multilateral cooperation
Club de Madrid brought the recommendations of the Global Commission on Democracy and Multilateralism to Geneva, engaging with key actors across the multilateral system to identify opportunities for translating the Commission’s proposals into concrete institutional and political action.
Following the launch of the Commission’s report in New York, the Geneva mission marked an important step in advancing its central message: democracy and multilateralism must be renewed together to address the challenges facing global governance.
Led by former President of Slovenia and Commission member Danilo Türk, alongside Commission Vice-Chair Kevin Casas-Zamora, the mission brought together high-level institutional consultations, exchanges with Permanent Missions and a public discussion at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
The public event was organised in collaboration with the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy at the Geneva Graduate Institute and the Kofi Annan Foundation, alongside International IDEA and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
Connecting democracy and multilateral reform
The Commission’s work is grounded in the recognition that democracy cannot be effectively protected through national action alone when many of the forces shaping political, economic and social life transcend borders. At the same time, international cooperation must become more accountable, representative and consistent in its commitment to common rules if it is to retain its legitimacy.
Discussions in Geneva explored how these challenges intersect across different areas of the multilateral system, highlighting the importance of strengthening cooperation between institutions and identifying opportunities to advance democratic governance through existing international mechanisms.
Key priorities included protecting the independence and operational capacity of international human rights mechanisms, strengthening the participation of parliaments and civil society in multilateral processes, and recognising the contribution of social dialogue and decent work to democratic resilience.
The exchanges also addressed the implications of migration narratives, inequality and technological transformation for democratic governance, underscoring the interconnected nature of these challenges.
Across these discussions, a common concern emerged: ensuring that individuals can effectively exercise their rights, participate in decisions affecting their lives and hold those in positions of power accountable.
Turning recommendations into institutional action
Beyond identifying shared challenges, the Geneva mission focused on practical opportunities to advance the Commission’s recommendations through political engagement and institutional cooperation.
This involves safeguarding existing international mandates and capacities, strengthening connections between mechanisms that often operate in isolation, and making more effective use of established institutions, partnerships and multilateral processes.
The consultations also reinforced the importance of engaging Member States, international organisations and other stakeholders in building the political support necessary to move from recommendations to implementation.
Club de Madrid will continue working with its partners to advance this agenda, foster institutional cooperation and strengthen the multilateral system’s capacity to support democracy.
Club de Madrid extends its sincere appreciation to the Government of Switzerland, International IDEA, the Geneva Graduate Institute, the Kofi Annan Foundation and all institutional representatives and partners who contributed to the exchanges.
Learn more about the Global Commission on Democracy and Multilateralism: https://clubmadrid.org/work/projects/global-commission-on-democracy-and-multilateralism/
