---
title: Democracy International
type: advocacy
status: active
country: DE
website: https://www.democracy-international.org
logo: /assets/org-logos/democracy-international.png
contact:
  checked: 2026-08-01
  email: contact@democracy-international.org
  form: https://www.democracy-international.org/contact
  phone: +49 221 669 66 50
  source: https://www.democracy-international.org/contact-us
summary: A Cologne-based NGO advocating for direct democracy and citizen participation
  globally — organises the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy and supports reform
  campaigns worldwide.
concepts:
- direct-democracy
- deliberative-democracy
- participatory-budgeting
- citizens-assembly
- sortition
location:
  latitude: 50.9333
  longitude: 6.95
  name: Cologne, Germany
news_page: https://www.democracy-international.org/news
rss_feed: https://www.democracy-international.org/rss.xml
events:
- date: '2026-08-26'
  title: Democracy Camp 2026 Bulgaria — Erasmus+ youth exchange for 70+ young Europeans
    on democracy and media, Sofia/Veliko Tarnovo
  url: https://www.democracy-international.org/events/democracy-camp-2026-bulgaria
  proof_level: medium
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  end_date: '2026-08-30'
  notable: false
  type: workshop
  location: Sofia/Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
  proof_warning: true
  country: BG
- date: '2026-10-07'
  title: 2026 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy — Gaborone, Botswana
  url: https://www.democracy-international.org/events/2026-global-forum-modern-direct-democracy
  quote: In 2026, the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy heads to Southern Africa
    for the first time.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-13'
  end_date: '2026-10-10'
  notable: true
  type: conference
  location: Gaborone, Botswana
  country: BW
- date: '2011-06-01'
  title: Formally registered as an association, building on a loose network dating
    back to 2002
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_International_eV
  quote: formally established in June 2011
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
activity:
  dod:
    checked: 2026-07-05
    date: 2026-07-05
    note: Site confirmed active; news page shows articles dated through 28 June 2026,
      EU CERV Framework Partner 2026-2028
  rss:
    date: 2026-08-17
    note: RSS feed active
    url: https://www.democracy-international.org/rss.xml
    checked: 2026-08-17
  scrape:
    date: 2026-08-13
    note: Latest news page scraped
    url: https://www.democracy-international.org/news
    checked: 2026-08-17
last_checked: '2026-07-05'
---

Democracy International is a Cologne-based NGO registered as a German e.V. (Eingetragener Verein), founded in 2011. It advocates for direct democracy and citizen participation at local, national, and global levels, combining policy advocacy, support for activists, published research, and international convening.

The organisation organises the **Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy**, a recurring international conference for practitioners and researchers. The 2026 Global Forum is scheduled for Gaborone, Botswana — the first time it will be held in sub-Saharan Africa. Democracy International also publishes research on referendum systems, citizen initiative mechanisms, and democratic reform globally.

They also design and run Citizens' Panels at the European level. Their **EU for Global** project (closed April 2026) engaged 665 citizens across 16 Citizens' Panels in eight EU member states — Germany, Romania, Malta, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Latvia, and Bulgaria — on the question of the EU's role and responsibility in the world. The closing event, LichtLabor Demokratie, was held at the Kulturbunker Köln-Mülheim ([source](https://www.democracy-international.org/news)).

## Links

- Website: [democracy-international.org](https://www.democracy-international.org)

## See also

- [Direct Democracy](../concepts/direct-democracy.md)
- [Citizens' Assembly](../concepts/citizens-assembly.md)
- [Sortition](../concepts/sortition.md)