Working Group 3: Innovating Democratic Cooperation through Plurilateralism

Led by the Open Government Partnership, this Working Group explored how smaller coalitions of states and other actors can complement universal and regional institutions in supporting democracy. It examined when plurilateral cooperation can help coordinate action, develop standards, share information, test practical solutions and build momentum where broader consensus is blocked. It also considered the risks of fragmentation, duplication, exclusion and weak accountability. Drawing on existing initiatives across the fields covered by the Commission, the report proposes principles for more effective plurilateral cooperation, including transparency, accountability, consistency with international law and human rights, durable support, and broader regional ownership and participation, particularly from Africa and the wider Global South.

Download the working group report

Scope

The Working Group on Innovating Democracy Cooperation through Plurilateralism deliberated on how flexible, interest-driven coalitions of democratic actors can support democratic governance in an increasingly fragmented international landscape, and produced a report on its findings.

Recognising the limits of universal multilateralism in the current geopolitical climate, the Group explored how targeted, voluntary and theme-specific arrangements, such as reform coalitions, peer-learning mechanisms or transnational networks, can provide meaningful support to democratic initiatives.

Drawing on recent examples such as the Summit for Democracy and regional democratic alliances, the Group assesses the institutional value and political viability of these formats. It also considers why many plurilateral efforts have failed to evolve into effective instruments of democratic coordination, citing geopolitical alignment, inconsistent state engagement and lack of dedicated resourcing.

The report concludes that plurilateralism is an essential complement to global and regional multilateralism, not a substitute for it, and that institutional design, in particular formal roles for non-state actors in governance, largely determines whether an initiative changes behaviour or only produces declarations.

Institutional Lead

Open Government Partnership (OGP) is an organisation established in 2011 to strengthen inclusive and accountable governance through structured collaboration between governments and civil society. It supports reform efforts in over 75 countries and 150 local jurisdictions, combining policy innovation with peer learning. OGP’s experience in co-creating action plans, monitoring implementation, and promoting thematic coalitions offers valuable insight into how flexible alliances can advance democratic commitments across diverse political contexts.

Recommendations

Design

• Ensure form follows function, recognising that giving non-state actors a formal governance role is among the most consequential design choices
• Build in independent accountability, rotating leadership, diversified funding and the capacity to respond when a member’s democratic trajectory reverses

Consolidation

• Strengthen, fund and connect existing plurilateral initiatives rather than creating new institutions, expanding their mandates, diversifying their funding and deepening their coordination
• Address gaps or fragmentation in plurilateral coverage of issues critical to democracy, notably electoral integrity and the democratic governance of technology

Coordination

• Strengthen coordination among plurilateral bodies with overlapping mandates, focusing on translation, alignment and accountability rather than new norm-setting

Digital governance

• Overcome fragmentation in AI and digital governance through a standing cross-domain working group of regulators, platforms and civil society, convened by an existing body, that links operational responses to broader platform governance and AI regulatory frameworks

Leads and members

Lead

Alessandro Bellantoni

Director of Policy and Partnerships at the Open Government Partnership

Lead

Joseph Foti

Principal Advisor for Emerging Issues at the Open Government Partnership

Ángel Alonso Arroba

Deputy Director of the Cabinet of the Prime Minister, Government of Spain

Elisenda Ballesté Buxó

Global Democracy Coalition Coordinator, International IDEA

Erica Barks Ruggles

Magro Family Distinguished Fellow in International Affairs, Dartmouth College

Nicole Bibbins Sedaca

Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow, George W. Bush Institute

Véronique Choquette

Foreign Policy Officer, Embassy of Canada in Spain

Paloma Dallas

Senior Program Officer for Democracy around the Globe, Charles F. Kettering Foundation

Dina Fakoussa

Senior Project Manager for Global Issues, Robert Bosch Foundation

Patricia Galdamez

Senior Advisor to Secretary General, Community of Democracies

Lea Kaspar

Executive Director, Global Partners Digital (Secretariat of the Freedom Online Coalition)

Julia Keutgen

Programme Manager, Supporting Team Europe Democracy, International IDEA

Michael McFaul

Director at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University

Content Director

Ted Piccone

Content Director of Global Commission on Democracy and Multilateralism & Club de Madrid Advisor

Francisco Sagasti

President of Peru (2020-2021) & Club de Madrid Member

Emilia Saiz Carrancedo

Secretary General, World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments

Laura Thornton

Senior Director, Global Democracy Programs, McCain Institute

David Yang

Former Vice President for Applied Conflict Transformation, United States Institute of Peace