Program Areas

Program Areas

Mission Statement

The right to democracy transcends national boundaries.

Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Everybody who is affected by a decision of a public institution in a direct and fundamental way should have the opportunity to democratically participate in the decision-making process.

According to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights democratic elections are the foundation of legitimate government authority.

This right to democracy transcends national boundaries because in the era of globalization major public decisions are more and more being taken beyond the nation-state.

Democracy Without Borders supports global democracy and a holistic approach to democracy promotion that spans from the local to the global levels and at the same time embraces the dimensions of representation, participation, deliberation and co-decision.

A key objective is a Parliamentary Assembly at the UN

Democracy Without Borders

  • pursues as a key objective the establishment of a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations as a step towards the development of a global parliament, a world parliament, that is jointly elected by all world citizens.
  • promotes a strong collaboration between all forces that support the establishment and strengthening of democratic principles at the national, regional, and international levels.
  • supports free and general elections at the national and transnational levels and the strengthening of freedom rights in all states and intergovernmental bodies in the world.
  • defends and supports democracy pioneers all over the world and speaks out against a restriction or refusal of democratic rights by national governments or other actors.
  • advocates a strengthening of democracy in regional transnational integration processes in the world.
  • works towards a democratization and reform of the United Nations and intergovernmental bodies in order to enable them to deal with transnational issues and threats successfully and on a legitimate basis.
  • advocates an expansion of democracy-related research and a stronger discussion of democratic principles in the public.
  • provides assistance relative to research, development, and implementation of democratic instruments and processes, among them for example innovative forms of citizen participation such as models of electronic, direct or “liquid” democracy.

Democracy Without Borders strives for a democratic world order in which citizens participate beyond national boundaries in shaping policy that serves their joint long-term interests. Such an order needs to be based on an

equal world citizenship of all citizens as well as on the principles of federalism, subsidiarity, the separation of powers, the rule of law, fundamental human rights, and the protection of minorities.