Welcome & Introduction

The workshop opened with a three-hour session of general introductions. Dr. Hoda Mitkees, Director of the Center for Political Research & Studies at Cairo University, welcomed the participants, including the 10 BGD programme conveners, 12 authors, 20 discussants and a number of local participants. Heba Raouf Ezzat, the BGD Programme convenor for the Middle East and North Africa region, provided participants with a brief introduction to broad questions that the workshop could explore in the coming days.

Conceptualising Global Democracy: Emergent Workshop Themes

The first substantive session of the workshop was chaired by Anand Kumar, of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and BGD convenor for the South Asia region. 

The session looked at identifying some of the important questions about the general nature and purpose of democracy and about the nature of global democracy more particularly. These issues, which later workshop sessions will address in more detail, include:

• broad definitions of democracy

• democracy as a core value in the governance of global affairs

• the relationship between democracy and other possible core values of a good society such as liberty, material welfare, peace and social justice

• the relationship between democracy and social categories such as age, class, ethnicity, faith, gender and race

• whether traditional definitions, principles and practices of democracy need to be adjusted when it comes to governing global affairs

• if so, what kinds of changes would be suitable and feasible

Specific remarks that arose in the discussion included the great diversity of concepts of democracy and the illusion of thinking that this workshop (let alone the wider world) could reach a single understanding of global democracy.

At the same time, several speakers cautioned, respect for 'diversity' should not extend so far as to violate the core principles of democracy. Also, diversity must be a basis for solidarity rather than a cause of fragmentation in global politics. It was also stressed to conceive of democracy in a holistic fashion that goes beyond mere political procedures to include wider economy, society and ecology.

Other commentators urged the need to make concepts of global democracy accessible and convincing to 'ordinary' people. In particular, given the large proportion of the world's people who young, global democracy must appeal to and prominently include youth.

Another recurrent concern was to interconnect global democracy with democracy in regional, national, local and household spheres. And it was vital that the discussions should treat goals, principles and ideals of global democracy in ways that could feed into concrete political practice.

A closing commentator noted a lot of confusion surrounded ideas of global democracy and that we are just at the beginning of making the history of global democracy. The moderator summarised in conclusion that the session had left participants more confused about global democracy, but also more committed to it. 

Following this session the workshop broke for the day. Day 2 will start at 9am on Monday. Highlights of Day 2 will be posted on our website on Tuesday.

Read more about the Conceptualising Global Democracy workshop:

Summary of Day 2

Summary of Day 3

Conceptualising Global Democracy Workshop

Participant’s comments on Global Democracy

After the workshop – The Next Steps

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