Connecting Canadian and Global South expertise: IDRC at DemocracyXChange

 
IDRC is helping to connect experts from the Global South with Canadian changemakers working to defend democratic values at DemocracyXChange. IDRC’s sponsorship is bringing Southern voices to this annual summit for Canada’s democracy sector taking place in Toronto from April 11 to 13, 2024.
Four women stand around a table at the 2019 Knowledge Marketplace in Yangon
Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar initiative

More than 2 billion people are expected to head to the polls this year, making 2024 a watershed year for elections and democracy globally. In a context where democratic forces are increasingly battling shifts towards autocracy, IDRC supports research to promote democratic resilience and people’s participation in governance across the world.

IDRC representatives and research partners will join researchers, practitioners, public servants, community organizers and leaders at DemocracyXChange to learn and forge new partnerships, strategies and actions to reinforce democratic institutions and civil society.

This year’s edition of DemocracyXChange will focus on three pivotal themes related to democracy: integrity of information, economic and social inequality and trust in governance.

IDRC’s contribution to the summit includes insights from Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar (K4DM), a joint initiative between IDRC and Global Affairs Canada. Wa Lone, a K4DM collaborator and Reuters journalist, will speak in the session entitled “Global Election Dispatches” to highlight the impacts of technologies, geopolitics, foreign interference, populism and democratic backsliding affecting the integrity of elections. Wa Lone previously covered a range of stories in Myanmar. His in-depth reporting on the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in 2017 won him and his colleagues several journalism awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in international reporting. 

Wa Lone receiving the Pulitzer Prize in international reporting in 2019.
Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar initiative
Wa Lone receiving the Pulitzer Prize in international reporting in 2019.

Since 2017, the K4DM initiative has bolstered capacity for Myanmar’s civil society to advocate for inclusion, gender equality, respect for diversity and prosperity for all. Following the 2021 overthrow of Myanmar’s democratically elected government, K4DM continues to support civil society and scholars in the diaspora to promote a democratic future for Myanmar.  

IDRC and K4DM research partners attending the conference will share expertise on enhancing voices for Myanmar democratic champions, strengthening capacity to study cybersecurity, promoting a safer digital public sphere and countering misinformation using artificial intelligence and data analytics.

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