CIVIL exclusively publishes the Macedonian translation of the key section from the publication “Defending Democracy and Human Rights – Report and Policy Recommendations.”
The translation will be published in 11 installments, starting with the introduction signed by Dr. Wolfgang Ressmann, Heather Roberson Gaston, Roger Casale, and Xhabir Deralla on behalf of the global initiative Defending Democracy, established in December 2024.
Authoritarian rulers and far-right extremist movements are increasingly organizing on a global scale, sharing tactics and resources across national borders. These resources include a vast network of communication and media platforms, particularly social media, through which they spread disinformation, fake news, false narratives, and divisive, hateful content. This rapidly spreading propaganda sows fear, undermines trust in institutions, democratic governance, and even science, while offering deceptive promises of quick fixes and easy solutions.
This alarming trend was the catalyst for the initiative that led to the international conference[1] Defending Democracy and Human Rights in the Face of War, Nationalism, and Authoritarianism. In this spirit, over 80 participants – including 30 keynote speakers and panelists, among them human rights leaders, international experts, and media representatives – gathered in Skopje, North Macedonia, on December 11-12, 2024, to engage in critical discussions on the most pressing issues of our time.
The conference was convened by the partner organizations CIVIL – Center for Freedom (North Macedonia), Media Dialogue, Youth for Media (Germany), and the New European People’s Forum (international). The initiative received financial support from the government of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and an in-kind contribution from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. Participants came from Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Ireland, Kosovo, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The event was part of the NRW Human Rights Week[2], which features various formats on this critical topic. It also marked the International Human Rights Day, and the 25th anniversary of the founding of CIVIL – Center for Freedom.
At a time of rising global extremism and authoritarianism, the fight for human rights and democracy must also be global. Political and societal actors, institutions, and initiatives with democratic and moderate orientations must urgently find ways to strengthen, protect, and elevate one another. They must share experiences, resources, and best practices while ensuring that these efforts reach broader audiences and decision-makers through media, legal action, and civic activism.
The conference conveyed its messages powerfully and effectively communicated key insights, fostering in-depth discussions that led to concrete recommendations. These recommendations were developed through an intensive three-month process, which included correspondence and online meetings among partners, as well as consultations with experts.
The conference program featured closed-door workshops in four working groups, networking meetings, and a press conference on December 11, followed by a four-panel, eight-hour-long conference on December 12, livestreamed in English, Macedonian, and Albanian.
Evaluation meetings with partners and experts on December 13, along with follow-up meetings and correspondence in the months that followed, further refined these recommendations.
This report presents the key outcomes of the conference – actionable policy recommendations that serve as a foundation for sustainable, strategic action to support and defend democracy and human rights globally.
As agreed upon by partner organizations on December 13, 2024, and endorsed by the conference participants, this work continues under the framework of the Defending Democracy Initiative. The initiative’s founding members committed to regularly updating existing recommendations and introducing new ones based on regional and global developments. It will rely on relevant monitoring activities, reports, and analyses from prominent experts and leaders in fields crucial to its mission.
In addition to recommendations, this report includes edited presentations from keynote speakers and panelists, based on full transcripts, as well as a chapter on activities, links, and resources.
The Initiative’s board of founders and the editors of this report strongly believe that this document meets a global need to defend democracy and human rights. They envision it evolving into a global platform for communication, mutual support, and coordinated action. However, its impact depends on broad dissemination and unwavering advocacy. The recommendations in this publication must not remain on paper – they call for urgent implementation, collective engagement, and sustained efforts to counter authoritarianism and safeguard democratic values. We invite all stakeholders – activists, policymakers, media, and civil society – to champion these recommendations and turn them into concrete action.
What is at stake is nothing less than the future of democratic governance and human rights globally. As authoritarianism, extremism, and militant, warmongering imperialism continue to threaten democracy, the need for coordinated, sustained, and inclusive action from parliaments, governments, civil society, academia, and media has never been more urgent.
These recommendations provide a critical roadmap for all who believe in the power of truth, justice, and democracy.
The time to act is now, and the collective efforts of individuals, organizations, and institutions are essential to ensure that democratic values prevail.
(to be continued)
