Moderated by Fabian Gomond, French journalist, the discussion featured H.E. Vebjørn Heines, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Norway to the Council of Europe; Dr Daniele Del Bianco, Director of the Institute of International Sociology of Gorizia and a Council of Europe consultant; and Surendrini Wijeyaratne, Senior Policy Analyst at Global Affairs Canada. 
Together, they explored how countries can respond to fast-changing threats such as disinformation, while protecting human rights and freedom of expression. The discussion highlighted free and pluralistic media, education, media and information literacy and international cooperation as priorities for building resilience. 
The Council of Europe’s RESIST methodology for assessment of societal vulnerabilities and strengths to disinformation offers a framework for assessing democratic resilience and identifying gaps. Its 49 indicators examine institutional responses, policy implementation and alignment with international standards. The framework considers education and digital citizenship, media and information literacy, youth participation and empowerment, and cultural participation and policy. It can help connect institutions, policies and civil society around evidence-based action. 
When discussing democratic resilience, Daniele Del Bianco highlighted the Council of Europe’s role in finding efficient solutions:  
“It’s a global issue so no single ministry can take it; no single country can take it. To have a common way to assess, to look at things, to try to mainstream policies and their efficiencies is a way to depict vulnerabilities. (…) It requires co-operation such as the one proposed by the Council of Europe: supporting countries to find a shared understanding of the issues and shared solutions”. 
 

Youth delegates asked how people could distinguish disinformation from protected freedom of speech. Wijeyaratne suggested that while disinformation cannot always be prevented, it can be exposed without compromising the right to free expression.
“Freedom of speech and of expression need to be protected, and this can be done while there is disinformation. (…) We can’t always attribute intent, but we can demonstrate and unpack for public audiences that information is false and where that false information is coming from.”
 

 Ambassador Heines highlighted Norway’s approach with a five-year strategy setting out six areas of action: strengthening critical media competence; improving accountability for digital platforms; supporting media freedom; funding research; coordinating government action; and expanding international cooperation. In this vein, he highlighted international cooperation through the Council of Europe’s RESIST initiative funded by the EEA and Norway Grants, a mechanism worth around €3.2 billion that supports cooperation across Europe, including with civil society.
Referring to questions whether efforts to address disinformation and AI focus too heavily on young people, he noted that “libraries and local media are among the places where other groups, such as the elderly, could be reached”.

 The session’s central message was that no single institution or country can tackle disinformation alone. Building resilience requires sustained investment in education, independent media and civic participation, supported by shared methods and international cooperation.
Gallery and the video recording of the panel is available on the World Forum for Democracy website: Parallel session 8: Strengthening Societal Resilience to Disinformation - world-forum-democracy