World Forum for Democracy 2026: speakers

Abrar AHMED Youth Engagement Coordinator, Welfare Association for New Generation (WANG) Pakistan

Aleida ALAVEZ RUIZ Mayor of Iztapalapa Mexico

Liz ALDERMAN Journalist, Former New York Times European Business Correspondent

Miguel ALOR FLORES Executive Director, Plaza Cívica Peru

Ève-Lorie AUGER-GAUTHIER International Studies graduate, Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse Canada

Samia BADANI Co-Founder and Chief Executive, The SPACE United Kingdom

Sally BAILEY Chief Interpreter and Head of Conferences and Travel, Council of Europe

Petra BAYR President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Alain BERSET Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Matias BIANCHI Founder and Director, Asuntos del Sur Argentina

Frédéric BIERRY President of the European Collectivity of Alsace France

Marie BOHNER Head of Development and Partnerships, Digital Investigation, AFP France

Helfried CARL Founder & CEO, European Capital of Democracy (ECoD) Austria

Arthur CHAPMAN Professor of History Education at University College London and Vice-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Council of the OHTE United Kingdom

Ambassador Nathalie CHUARD Director of Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance

Natalia COLOMBO Institutional Development Manager, Factchequeado

Liz CORBIN Director of News, European Broadcasting Union

Prof. Olivier DE SCHUTTER Catholic University of Leuven, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights

Daniele DEL BIANCO Institute of International Sociology of Gorizia

Ambassador Delphine DELIEUX President of Rapporteur Group on Democracy of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers (GR-DEM)

Renzo DIAZ President & Founder of the International Institute for Liberty, Democracy & Progress (IILDP) Peru

Oche Precious EDEH Executive Director, YES Africa Nigeria

Emma NELSON Journalist, broadcaster and presenter

Marie-No GANDZION Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg responsible for equality, combating discrimination, and women's rights France

Natalia GAVRILIȚA Former Prime Minister Republic of Moldova

Wim GEERTS Ambassador for Human Rights the Netherlands

Gerardo GOMEZ CRESPO Project Manager, Diversit Spain

Michèle GRIFFIN Director of Electoral Assistance, UN Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

Anace HEDDAN General Director, Les Citoyens Morocco

Gunn Marit HELGESEN President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

Eirik HOLMØYVIK Vice-President of the Venice Commission

Vera JOUROVÁ Chair of the Task Force Democracy27, former Vice-President of the European Commission

Reda JUTELIAVICIUTE Co-founder, Ribologija Lithuania

Prof. Mary KALDOR Director of the Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit, London School of Economics and Political Science

Oleksandra KEUDEL Founding Director of the Center for Democratic Resilience, Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) Ukraine

Omar KHALED Co-Founder and Executive Director, SpotCast Lebanon

Lorenzo KIHLGREN GRANDI City Diplomacy Lab and German Marshall Fund Germany

Georgios KOLLIARKIS Senior Associate Fellow, Strategic Foresight, Technology & Security, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) Germany

Maria-Andriani KOSTOPOULOU Chair of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO)

Adam LABARAN Founder and Director, ENRMSC Poland

Franck LEROY President of the Région Grand Est France

Richard MAKON Sub-Regional Director for Central and East Africa, Foundation for Innovation in Democracy in Africa

Rodrigo MAYORGA Chief Executive Officer, Momento Ciudadano Chile

Achille MBEMBE Historian Cameroon

Ambassador Sandy MOSS Permanent Representation of the United Kingdom to the Council of Europe United Kingdom

Thibilisse NKURUNZIZA Founder and Editor in Chief, Shikiriza

Aoife NOLAN President of the Council of Europe European Committee of Social Rights

Eric NUSSBAUMER Former President of the National Council of Switzerland Switzerland

Adam NYMAN HelloFuture Founder, citizen insight expert

George PAPANDREOU General Rapporteur on Democracy, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Mark PEARSON Acting OECD Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs

Aikaterini POLYZOU Chair of the Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI)

Jonathan REYES GONZALEZ Head of Design, Democratic Society Ireland

Marja RUOTANEN Director General of Democracy and Human Dignity, Council of Europe

Georgios STAMATIS General Rapporteur on Roma and Travellers Greece

Janis STARTS Director at NATO Strategic Communications Center of Exellence

Lucia ŠTASSELOVA Member of the City Council of Bratislava Slovak Republic

Frixos STEFANIDIS Policy Officer, Oxygen for Democracy Cyprus

Jaana TAPANAINEN-THEISS Expert on democratic foresight, Finnish Prime Minister’s Office Finland

Massimiliano TARANTINO Director of Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli and Corporate Communications and Sustainability Director of the Feltrinelli Group Italy