The Digital Democracy Initiative
The Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) is a programme aimed at safeguarding inclusive democracy and human rights in the digital age. The DDI focuses on support to local civil society in the Global South, particularly in countries undergoing democratic regression and where civic space is under pressure.
Digital space has become a central arena in the efforts to expand and protect democratic rights. Digital technologies hold great potential for strengthening pluralist democracy, encouraging civic participation, and for giving a voice to marginalised groups. At the same time, digitalisation exposes human rights and democratic processes to new risks, including censorship, digital surveillance, mis- and disinformation, cyper-attacks, persecution, and harassment.
The Digital Democracy Initiative was launched during the 2023 Summit for Democracy by the Danish Government and the EU Commission as a TeamEurope initiative, with the aim of supporting local organisations and activists in the Global South in their fight for democracy and human rights in the digital age. The programme focuses on organisations representing women, youth, and marginalised groups as well as informal actors and social movements with limited access to funding and other resources.
The Digital Democracy Initiative works closely with trusted civil society partners CIVICUS, Global Focus, Digital Defenders Partnership, Access Now and WITNESS.
Welcome to the new projects!
The winning projects of our recent Call for Proposals have been found, with focus on three thematic areas:
- Combatting Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV)
- Leveraging digital technologies for climate activism
- Strengthening youth engagement in the digital democratic space
The DDI is pleased to welcome the following new initiatives to the programme.
Fondo de Mujeres del Sur will be leading a consortium of feminist funds collaborating on the initiative: “Women’s and Feminist Funds Solutions for a Life Free of TFGBV in Latin America”.
IWGIA will lead a consortium implementing the initiative: “Amplifying Indigenous Activists Voices: Countering Climate Disinformation” across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Finally, the initiative “Digitalise Youth” focussed mainly on West Africa and the Horn of Africa and will be run by a consortium with European Partnership for Democracy in the lead.
Read more about our three new projects here.
The DDI Team is always open to dialogue with potential new partners and donors. Please get in touch at: [email protected]