How to protect democracy? RADA at the World Forum for Democracy 2025
Between November 3–7, Evgeniia Belkina, Board member of the BNYC “RADA” took part in the World Forum for Democracy 2025 in Strasbourg (France) as part of the youth delegation. The Forum, organised by the Council of Europe, this year was held under the theme “Democracy at risk: how can we revive it?”
The youth delegation brought together over 40 representatives of youth organisations from across the world. Ahead of the main Forum programme, the Youth Department of the Council of Europe hosted a preparatory session for the delegation — to reflect on the key messages young people could bring to the event and to discuss how they could contribute to the overall agenda.
The Forum’s programme included a variety of panel discussions and workshops addressing the major challenges to democracy — such as disinformation, polarisation, restrictions on freedom of expression and media, and others.
The main objectives of the Forum were to:
- identify social, economic, cultural and other factors driving people away from democracy, and explore ways to address them;
- discuss approaches to building a strong democratic culture that enables citizens to detect disinformation, resist populist “solutions” and autocratic shifts, and stay ready to defend democratic rights and freedoms through both representative and participatory processes;
- explore ways to strengthen the capacity of public authorities to protect democratic debate and uphold democratic principles in the context of online platforms;
- find solutions to safeguard media freedom, independence and pluralism, and to support artists in contributing meaningfully to public discourse.
Evgeniia Belkina shared her impressions from the Forum:
This year’s Forum focused on the challenges facing democracy. For me, this topic raised high expectations — I hoped to see more focus on finding solutions and ways forward for those who continue to stand for democratic values. However, most discussions this time centred around analysing problems, talking about risks, threats, and the need for more control. I personally felt there was sometimes not enough space and time for questions and exchange.
At the same time, taking part in the preparatory programme organised by the Youth Department of the Council of Europe was a very positive experience. That’s where I found the most valuable discussions, opportunities for cooperation, and common ground with other participants. It was also great to see how much networking potential the Forum offered — I came away with many useful contacts and ideas for future initiatives.
The Belarusian National Youth Council “RADA” expresses sincere gratitude to the Council of Europe, the Youth Department of the Council of Europe and the World Forum for Democracy team for the opportunity to be part of this inspiring global dialogue.
