DSLA Conference in San José
In March, the Forum 2000 Foundation will organize a tenth edition of the regional conference “Democratic Solidarity in Latin America” in San José, Costa Rica. The mission of Democratic Solidarity is to defend and strengthen democracy while promoting good governance in Latin America. The upcoming conference will offer a critical reflection on the development of democracy in the region, the growing authoritarian influence, digital governance, the impact of organized crime, and other important issues. You can find the central topics of the DSLA project in 2025 here.
Protests Intensify in Serbia
“The complete capture of all independent institutions by Vučić’s party, no media freedom, and the absence of free elections leave Serbian citizens with no other option but to go out in the streets to fight for their rights,” writes Srdjan Cvijic of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy. “The tragic collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad railway station, which claimed 15 lives, has vividly exposed the deep corruption within the system in Serbia,“ writes ICDR member Sonja Biserko in her comment on the current situation in Serbia, where this disaster was also a trigger for wider discontent with the increasingly autocratic rule of populist President Aleksandar Vučić.
Explore Your Life: Karen Mukwasi on Digital Inclusion, Resilience, and Community-Centered Democracy
As part of the 28th Forum 2000 Conference, we conducted a series of interviews with members of our wider Forum 2000 network. These conversations aim to highlight the inspiring work they do while offering an insight into their lives, hopes, and dreams. This interview features Karen Mukwasi, a member of DSA, and co-founder and director of the Pada Platform, a nonprofit promoting digital inclusion for young women and girls. Karen shares details of her journey, highlights the importance of patience in resisting repression, and underscores the need to listen to local communities in democracy promotion efforts
What Lies Ahead for Latin American After the 2024 Super Electoral Year?
The 2024 electoral super cycle in Latin America leaves the region with many question marks about the future of its democracy. “Undoubtedly, 2025 will be a very interesting year to observe whether, in the context of global polarization, Latin America manages to become a set of democracies that resist or falls into a pit of authoritarianism and institutional debacle,” writes Hernán Alberro, an associate fellow of the Forum 2000 Foundation.
The Forum 2000 Editor’s Pick
A selection of essential articles, opinions, ideas, and news from the Forum 2000 community.
Chinese Surveillance – Cameras in Georgia | Aksana Akhmedova | Civic IDEA | The illegitimate Georgian Dream (GD) government’s increasingly anti-Western foreign policy is becoming more evident in the evolving dynamics of Sino-Georgian relations. Civic IDEA focuses on a specific aspect of law enforcement cooperation: the growing prevalence of surveillance cameras produced by Chinese companies in the Georgian market.
Belarus: Continued Oppression and Fake Elections | Jakub Przetacznik | The European Parliament | The human rights situation is worsening in Belarus, with a continued climate of oppression in the country. Meanwhile, presidential “elections” took place on 26 January 2025. The democratic forces of Belarus call this vote a “self-reappointment of Lukashenka” and urge the international community not to recognize it.
A New Book Dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ales Bialiatski | Belarusian Radio Racyja | For three and half years, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski has been innocently imprisoned in Belarus. A new book dedicated to Ales Bialiatski, a former Forum 2000 Conference participant and the chairman and founder of the Viasna Human Rights Center, contains conversations between Mikhal Androsiuk and Ales Bialiatski from the series “Eyes to Eyes,” which were broadcast on Belarusian Radio.
Venezuela: International Community Must Reject Maduro’s Power Grab and Support Edmundo González Urrutia | Gerardo Berthin | Freedom House | No inauguration ceremony can legitimize Nicolás Maduro’s fraudulent claim to have won the July 2024 presidential election.
Global Risks Report 2025 | World Economic Forum | The 20th edition of the Global Risks Report 2025 reveals an increasingly fractured global landscape, where escalating geopolitical, environmental, societal, and technological challenges threaten stability and progress.
The views expressed in these works/in the framework of these projects are the responsibility of their authors/organizers and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forum 2000 Foundation or its staff.