Tech for Democracy
Tech for Democracy was a Danish-led multi-stakeholder initiative launched in 2021. The initiative brought together representatives from governments, multilateral organisations, tech industry and civil society to make technology work for democracy and human rights, not against them.
A November 2021 conference marked the launch of a Year of Action during which the Tech for Democracy initiative pushed for ideas, intentions, and visions translating into concrete actions and solutions. The high-level conference launched the Copenhagen Pledge – a multi-stakeholder commitment to make digital technologies work for, not against, democracy and human rights. The pledge was signed by more than 200 governments, civil society organisations, and technology companies.
Critical to Tech for Democracy was also the forming of ten multi-stakeholder ‘Action Coalitions’ that worked through the Year of Action on establishing novel collaborations, producing knowledge and evidence, building principles of democratic technological development and use, and providing input to important international political, regulatory, and normative processes.
Derived from the lessons learnt and experiences gained from Tech for Democracy, Denmark – in partnership with the European Union – launched the Digital Democracy Initiative as a Team Europe Initiative during the Summit for Democracy in March 2023.