Around the world, democracy is under challenge as personal freedoms, the free press, voting rights, and judiciaries are being curtailed by far-right political forces in open pursuit of anti-democratic agendas. We are experiencing the same here in Europe. Under threat of violence and intimidation, people and organizations are deterred from expressing their opinions, from exercising their rights, and from publicly advocating for a just, dignified, and ecological future.
The people, however, refuse to accept that. They continue to champion human rights, democracy, and gender justice, transforming our energy system, and sustainable agriculture and resource management. They insist that courts administer justice and that the population be informed about grievances and solutions. This is what I took away from many of the conversations I led with our partners – be it in Mexico, India, Kenya, Argentina, Chile, Israel, or the Palestinian territories.
Strengthening democratic actors – whether in civil society, political parties, or governments – and democratic institutions is a shared global task; it is central to our work at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.
As a token of our solidarity and as encouragement, we dedicate this issue to people who impressed us with their commitment to democracy. Without dedication and action, there can be no democracy. And without democracy, everything is for naught.
Imme Scholz