What happens when people participate, but cannot see their participation shaping what comes next? Our Partner @oidp_org has published a new reflection on the GDC Global Forum 2026, taking us back inside the Trust and Participation conversations in Athens. Representing @uclg_org, Adrià Duarte and Julia Guimarães joined the working group, alongside OIDP Advisory Committee member Silvia Cervellini, exploring one of the Forum’s central tensions: civic energy remains strong, but participation does not automatically translate into influence, institutional change or greater democratic trust. From the #RenunciaYa movement in Guatemala to the role of local and territorial democracy, the article reflects on what it takes to bridge that gap: stronger civic ecosystems, transparency, continuity, inclusive participation and institutions capable of turning public demands into meaningful response. The bigger challenge emerging from Athens is therefore not simply how we create more participation, but how we make participation matter. Thank you to our partners at OIDP for bringing their expertise to the GDC Global Forum and for carrying this important conversation forward. Read their full reflection at the link in the comments. #GDCGlobalForum #GlobalDemocracyCoalition #ParticipatoryDemocracy #DemocraticTrust #CivicParticipation #KeepDemocracyAlive

Athens reminded us what becomes possible when we make space not only to speak, but to truly listen to one another. Almost a week on from the #GDCGlobalForum 2026, we are still reflecting on the energy, openness and extraordinary collective spirit that filled the room. To everyone who joined us in Athens: thank you. Thank you to our Regional Forum hosts @mayvnne of @NuruTrustKenya, Olga Caballero of @AlmaCivica and Dr. James Gomez of @asiacentre_org for carrying the conversations from Nairobi, Asunción and Seoul all the way to Athens. And although Ľubica Kováčová of the @WeAreEDYN, who hosted our Europe Forum in Prague, was unable to join us, she and the Europe Forum community were very much with us in spirit. Together, these four Regional Forums laid the foundations for the global conversation we brought together in Athens. A very special thank you to @Pita_MFP for opening our Forum and challenging us to think deeply about democratic participation and trust, and to @IngvillBR of the @NobelPeaceOslo and Pavle Cicvaric for helping us bring an extraordinary day of conversations to a close. To our incredible facilitators, Jaco Roets of @AccountLab, @LauraLThornton of @Princeton, Lina Antara, and Kourtney Pompi of Democracy Renewal Group: thank you for creating the conditions for meaningful exchange, guiding conversations across different experiences and perspectives, and ensuring that every voice had space to be heard. And to our note-takers, thank you for listening closely throughout the day and capturing the ideas, insights and reflections emerging from these conversations. Your work was essential to a Forum intentionally built around equal voice, deep listening and participation. Above all, thank you to every GDC partner, democracy practitioner, civil society leader, researcher, advocate and friend of the Coalition who joined us. You arrived ready not simply to attend another democracy conference, but to participate: to question, challenge, listen, share experiences across regions and think collectively about what comes next. From the Regional Forums in Nairobi, Asunción, Prague and Seoul to our gathering in Athens, this Forum has always been a collective effort. The success of the day belongs to everyone who brought their ideas, experience, honesty and commitment into the room. Thank you for making the GDC Global Forum 2026 what it was. Athens may be behind us, but the work we began together continues. #GDCGlobalForum #GDCForum2026 #Democracy #DemocraticTrust #CivilSociety #CollectiveAction #RenewingDemocracy