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Programming for Democracy: A how-to guide for different areas of democratic support


Support for democratic governance is key to unlocking the potential of international partnerships and long-term sustainable development. The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of effective leadership, transparency and accountable government in moments of crisis but the lessons are no less relevant for the long-run. Indeed, the case can easily be made that democratic governance is even more important when thinking long term. It is increasingly hard to imagine effectively dealing with key challenges such as enhanced digitalisation, climate change or growing inequality without robust mechanisms that promote transparency, accountability and inclusion.

This factsheet series brings together insights from the field to provide a simple overview of the different themes that are important for democratic governance. It is designed as a one- stop-shop for understanding the options available to policy-makers, donors and development practitioners when engaging in support.

Each of the thirteen factsheets was developed with the input from a specialist organisation or independent experts. We have drawn upon the expertise of our member organisations across Europe as well as direct experience from donors and policy-makers in compiling each factsheet.

The series is by no means a definitive guide to all of the options available to organisations wanting to support democratic governance but rather a first-port-of-call. How can an EU delegation support journalists and media actors? What options are available for strengthening a Parliament? How to reinforce the role of women in decision-making? What policies support local-level change? These are some of the questions you can find answers to in these pages. Each factsheet also contains links for further reading for more detailed information on a theme.

For more information on the series or on individual factsheets, please contact [email protected]