On 10 October, Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy(AHCD) co-organized a Geneva Democracy Dialogue, which are designed to facilitate open, inclusive, and informed discussions on challenges for democracy, during the 2024 Democracy Week. Moderator Ignacio Packer, Executive Director of Caux Initiatives of Change, opened the event with a thought-provoking prompt: "In a democracy, each of us carries the responsibility to engage, listen and to contribute. It is more than a political system. It is about choice and voice. How does this resonate with you?"  Christine Lutringer, Executive Director, AHCD, then welcomed a diverse audience comprising different sectors in Geneva, such as permanent missions, UN agencies, NGO and students to the event and to Democracy Week.

In a series of short interventions, Dilara Bayrak, member of the Grand Conseil de Genève, spoke about her experience in Swiss politics as a young woman with migrant background, stressing the lack of diversity in parliament and a certain "apathy" among Swiss voters. She challenged people to "be the change from within and make waves. Don't stay in the comfort of a well-oiled system."

Yanina Welp, Research Fellow at AHCD, presented key findings from the research project Youth Climate Activism and Local Institutions: Reframing Democratic Spaces at a Time of Polarisation. She explained that young people in several European countries sometimes prefer to engage in contentious social issues rather than in electoral politics, and are willing to support antisystem political parties. 

Martin Penov, Vice-President of the Young European Federalists, then described democracy in Bulgaria, which has held elections 7 times in the last 3 years. He stressed the importance of convincing people that democracy is a system worth fighting for, noting "If we get it wrong, we might not have a second chance." Ambassador Nasir Ahmad Andisha, Permanent Representative to the UN from Afghanistan, then pointed out that democracy is not a luxury: "It is like a torch that illuminates the way." He explained that right now, in his country “that torch has been dropped”, but expressed his hope it could be relighted again.

Declan O'Brien, Head of Democracy and Multilateralism at the Kofi Annan Foundation, insisted on the links between democracy and the UN system: "If we are serious about the Sustainable Development Goals, then we need to be talking more about democracy, including here in Geneva". He stressed the importance of including young people in the conversation: "We need to be responsive to their view of democracy. Go where they are and find out what mechanisms work for them!" In spite of the challenges democracy is currently facing, there was a strong call to invest in democracy. Ariadna Pop, Head of the Democracy Section at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, said that "Democracy’s underlying values are key to change the narrative and engage the youth. Freedom, equality, diversity and inclusion - this is what speaks not only to young people’s minds, but also to their hearts."

A young German participant concluded: "Democracy is more than a state form - it's a way of life."