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Thijs Berman (NIMD, left), Astrid Frey (Eduardo Frei Foundation, centre) and Richard Youngs (Carnegie Endowment, right) during a workshop organised by the FMS
The Hague, 10 November 2022
On Thursday 10 November, civil society organisations Foundation Max van der Stoel, PAX, Netherlands Helsinki Committee, More Democracy, Transparency International and others organised the Democracy Under Threat conference in The Hague. About 150 activists, officials and politicians attended. International guests from Ukraine, Belarus, Hungary and the Western Balkans also contributed. At the event, threats against democracy were discussed and an action plan was drawn up on how we want to strengthen and defend democracy together.
The urgency is great
At the conference, the urgency was palpable. Worldwide, democracy is under serious threat. According to independent organisation Freedom House, there has been a democratic decline for 15 years. Authoritarian regimes actively oppose democratic norms and institutions, both within their borders and beyond.
Atmosphere impression of one of the workshops where input for the manifesto was given by participants
"If democracy is a plane, we have to put thrust back into the engines, otherwise we will crash," Hungarian guest speaker Márta Pardavi said in her opening remarks. Pardavi has been watching the erosion of the democratic rule of law in her own country for years. The other speakers - including former minister Tom de Bruijn, writer Eva Rovers, academic Richard Youngs and Belarusian activist Tasha Arlova - also underlined that it is time for action.
15-point action plan offered
At Theater Diligentia in The Hague, the 100 participants came up with a joint action plan to halt the erosion of democracy, a global trend that is also visible in the Netherlands. Through various workshops on themes such as human rights, war, democracy promotion, anti-corruption and the rule of law, various sides of democracy were highlighted. The result is a 15-point action plan with a variety of recommendations.
Bahia Tazhib-Lie (links) and Thomas Zandstra (right) receive the manifesto from Dion van den Berg (PAX, centre)
This action plan or manifesto was presented to Bahia Tahzib-Lie, Dutch ambassador for human rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Thomas Zandstra, head of the Democracy Department at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. In both their responses, they stressed the importance of constant attention and concern for maintaining democracy. Tahzib-Lie cited the famous statement that "those who fall asleep in a democracy wake up in an autocracy."
There is also ample reason to take a critical look in the mirror. For decades, the Netherlands has failed to modernise democracy. Trust in our system has now reached a dangerous low. An important task therefore lies ahead for the Ministry of the Interior, Thomas Zandstra agreed.
Kati Piri (left) in conversation with moderator Naeeda Aurangzeb (right)
Lower House member Kati Piri (PvdA) also received the manifesto on behalf of the Dutch parliament. She underscored the points in the manifesto, and said she would highlight the document in parliament. "If you send me the final manifesto, I will make sure my colleagues in the Lower House get copies," she promised.
Making work of democracy
Both ministries and politicians are now being asked to actually start working on the 15 points. An important opportunity for this is the second Democracy Summit organised by US President Joe Biden in early 2023. Probably around 100 countries will participate in that summit, including the Netherlands.
The fact that the Netherlands is of the party and will contribute offers our country a unique platform to stand up for democratic rights worldwide, and a moment to reflect critically on the state of democracy at home.
