Democracy IDEAs

Young people are engaging with democracy in different ways, from elections and protest movements to grassroots organising, digital spaces and demands for accountability. On the sidelines of the recent 'Reimagining Democracy' workshop in Kathmandu, Senior Programme Manager Adhy Aman sat down with Tashi Lhazom from Nepal and Alans Ademba from Kenya to discuss how young people are engaging with democracy today.

In this podcast, they move beyond elections and institutions to explore what meaningful democratic participation looks like for a generation shaped by lived experience, civic frustration and new forms of mobilisation. Tashi and Alans reflect on why many young people are turning to movements and informal networks, whether traditional political systems are keeping pace, and how technology is both opening and complicating democratic spaces.

Drawing on their experiences, they discuss the importance of participation, active citizenship and critical questioning. They also look ahead at what needs to change for democracies to become more responsive, inclusive and accountable to the next generation.

At the heart of the conversation is the importance of questioning, participation and active citizenship. As Tashi Lhazom says: “The stronger the critical questions are, the stronger democracy will be.”

Guest: Tashi Lhazom from Nepal and Alans Ademba from Kenya

Hosts: Adhy Aman

Background Reading: 

• Reimagining Democracy: From backsliding to resilience in Asia and Africa

In this episode of Democracy IDEAs, Gavin Charles, Speechwriter and Governance Officer at International IDEA, sits down with Therese Pearce Laanela, the Head of Electoral Processes at International IDEA, to discuss her new book, Trustworthy Elections: The Role of Electoral Management Bodies. Drawing on nearly 35 years of experience supporting elections around the world, she reflects on why trust remains fundamental to democratic legitimacy and resilience.

The discussion explores trust as a fundamental aspect of "Renewing Democracy," which is also the 2026 advocacy theme for the Institute.  Learn more by visiting www.idea.int.

In this episode of Democracy IDEAs, Amanda Sourek sits down with Ambassador Lauri Voionmaa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations for a timely conversation on the role of democracy in today’s multilateral system. As global tensions challenge the foundations of international cooperation, Ambassador Voionmaa shares Finland’s perspective on defending democratic values at the United Nations, advancing peace and security, and navigating an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. The discussion also explores Finland’s priorities, including its upcoming United Nations Security Council campaign, and what principled yet pragmatic diplomacy looks like in practice.

In this episode of Democracy IDEAs, Amanda Sourek speaks with Ambassador Maritza Chan, Costa Rica’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and a leading voice on gender equality, disarmament, and AI governance. 

Ambassador Chan reflects on her historic leadership roles, Costa Rica’s principled multilateral engagement, and the future of Women, Peace and Security in the digital era. 

From advancing consensus on AI governance to championing prevention and women peacebuilders, this conversation explores how small states shape global agendas—and why democracy, human rights, and gender equality remain essential to building a more just international order.

There are many lessons to be learned from what collectively came to be known as the 'Supercycle Election Year' of 2024. Together with the European Partnership of Democracy (EPD), International IDEA have published the report ‘The Election Year 2024 and Tech Policy around the World’, which identifies key features and gaps in tech policy around the world with implications for democracy to synthesize a series of regulatory recommendations for the European Union.

In this podcast, we sit down with Juliane Müller from International IDEA and Sofia Calabrese from EPD, the authors of the Supercycle report. Together, they discuss what institutions, coordination strategies, and regulatory instruments are needed to protect the integrity of elections. 

Drawing on examples from around the world, they share insights on how to address the challenges of web-based election cycles through international regulatory standards, interagency collaboration, and cross-sectoral multistakeholder engagement. 

They also explore how coexisting EU frameworks such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the AI act, the EU Democracy Shield, and the EU Omnibus package can work in contradiction to simultaneously reinforce and undermine democratic protections.

To get the full picture, read the ‘The Election Year 2024 and Tech Policy around the World’.

In this episode, Sharon Pia Hickey Programme Officer at International IDEA’s Constitution-Building and Climate Change and Democracy programmes speaks with Thai lawyer Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, Executive Coordinator, and Co-Founder of Community Resources Centre Foundation about the landscape of climate and environmental litigation in Thailand. 

Drawing on her experience with cases focusing on extractive industries, development projects, and public interest law, Sor tracks her path from realising the importance of protest and shares a message for climate lawyers across the region.

Background reading: Let the courts decide? The Potential and Limitations of Climate Litigation from a Democracy Perspective

Christina Voigt is Professor of Law at the University of Oslo and Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. 

In this podcast episode, she discusses the concept of climate justice, the evolving legal landscape around climate change, and the role of international courts therein, with Sharon Hickey, Program Officer with the Climate Change and Democracy and Constitutional Governance and Rule of Law programs at International IDEA, in light of her Stockholm Series lecture 'Repainting the Climate Justice Canvas: How the World's Highest Courts are Leading the Way'.

Background Reading: Let the courts decide? The Potential and Limitations of Climate Litigation from a Democracy Perspective

The regulatory landscape surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Latin America is evolving rapidly, and with it, the role of AI in elections is also changing. The issues of AI-amplified disinformation and political polarization have become top priorities throughout the electoral cycle. However,  addressing these challenges is placing an immense strain on governments and electoral institutions across the region. Compounding the issue is the fact that AI technologies are largely developed and controlled by private companies, creating barriers to accountability and transparency that undermine electoral integrity. 

If governed in ways that uphold democratic values, AI can enhance efficiency and reliability in electoral management. It can also be leveraged to fight-fire-with-fire and counteract AI-based threats. The key question is: how can Latin American governments develop long-term strategic visions that harness the benefits of the technology while keeping its risks at bay?

Sit down with Juliane Müller, Associate Programme Officer at International IDEA's Digitalization and Democracy Programme, and Natalia Zuazo to examine the need for holistic AI-frameworks in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Natalia is a digital policy expert, founder of the digital transformation consultancy SALTO, and a senior consultant for UNESCO's regional office in Montevideo. She is based in Argentina, and works regionally with the intersection of technology, human rights, and governance. Natalia collaborated with International IDEA as a regional expert during the AI for Electoral Actors workshop in Panama in May of 2025.

This episode is the third in a series for the AI for Electoral Actors project that aims to raise AI literacy among EMBs in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

Listen to the first episode here and the second episode here.

Background reading:

AI for Electoral Actors

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is spreading to all corners of the world, but its impact varies wildly between the contexts in which it's developed and deployed. If considerations are not made for how AI might interact with national and regional ethics and regulation, it risks exacerbating harmful externalities for already marginalized groups, democratic institutions, and the environment.

In this episode, Juliane Müller, Associate Programme Officer at International IDEA's Digitalization and Democracy Programme is joined by Alia Yofira to discuss these implications and how AI literacy and institutional capacities are crucial to adequately address them. Alia Yofira is an associate researcher at the Jakarta-based Safer Internet Lab (SAIL), a gender, human rights and tech researcher at PurpleCode Collective, and the resident expert on AI regulation and legislation in the Asia Pacific region for International IDEA's AI for Electoral Actors project. She specializes in feminist and human rights-based approaches to policy advocacy in the tech sector.

This episode is the second in a series for the AI for Electoral Actors project that aims to raise AI literacy among EMBs in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkans and Eastern Europe.  

Read more about the project: https://www.idea.int/project/ai-electoral-actors

What do parliamentary buildings really say about democracy? Are they open, welcoming spaces for citizens - or distant symbols of power?

This special podcast episode launches the fourth guide “Parliament as a Space and Place” - in a series of eight Citizen Engagement Guides, by Inter Pares - Parliaments in Partnership, which is implemented by International IDEA and in collaboration with the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN), with support from the European Union.

Timed to commemorate the International Day of Democracy, this podcast explores how parliaments function both as physical spaces and symbolic places that shape public trust, identity, and participation.

Featuring global experts and real-world examples - from Berlin’s iconic glass dome to mobile parliaments that bring democracy to rural communities - this episode shows how architecture and design can either build bridges between citizens and their representatives or reinforce barriers.

Join us as we unpack how parliaments can move beyond walls to become truly inclusive spaces of belonging, connection, and democratic engagement.

Background reading: 

• Parliament as a Space and Place Guide
• Guides on Citizen Engagement for Parliaments 
• More on Inter Pares

Guests: 

• Professor Cristina Leston-Bandeira, Chair of the International Parliament Engagement Network, and Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.
• Anna-Maria Pawliczek, Senior Officer, Division Int 4, International Exchange Programs, International Parliamentary Cooperation, German Bundestag

About the Host: 

Jessica Benton Cooney is a Senior Communications Consultant for International IDEA’s Inter Pares: Partnerships in Parliament project, where she leads strategic communications for this European Union–funded initiative to strengthen global parliamentary development.