Introducing the Democracy and Rule of Law Collective

On September 23rd, NIMD and partners launched the new Democracy and Rule of Law Collective, a group of professionals and organizations who come together to exchange ideas, share insights and explore opportunities for collaboration.

Dedicated to promoting and strengthening democracy and the rule of law as the foundation for secure, just, and resilient societies, the Collective aims to respond to the systemic erosion of democracy across the world.

The launch

The Democracy and Rule of Law Collective was launched as part of our most recent #DemocracyDrinks The Hague event. This ongoing collaboration between the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC), The Hague Humanity Hub and NIMD brings together democracy advocates, thinkers and enthusiasts each month.

In this edition, entitled “Charting a Course for Stronger Democracies”, discussion centered on the systemic erosion of democracy across the world, the private sector’s stake in democracy protection, and ways to counter rising autocratic trends.

Protecting democracy

Bringing together democracy advocates from both the NGO private sectors, our Democracy Drinks explored the active erosion of democracies worldwide.

The panel consisted of Tijmen Rooseboom (Director of NIMD), Bas Bijlsma (Director of Democratie Monitor) and Hugo Knoppert (Co-Founder of Kukura Organics), and was moderated by Anne Colenbrander (Partnership Developer at HiiL).

The panelists were in agreement that this erosion “is a process, not an overnight shift”, often first targeting women’s rights and LGBT+ organizations, civil society and media freedom.

Autocratic actors are also increasingly using democratic language as a legitimising tool, and, in Tijmen’s words:

“We must not be fooled by fake users of democratic words”.

How can we respond? There was consensus in the panel that the best course of action is to call these trends out. Name infringements on civil liberties when we see them occurring, support free media and confront legitimizing tactics for anti-democratic measures.

Fundamentally, we must not become complacent about our democracy – whether that’s taking for granted the democratic rights we enjoy or conversely assuming that democracy is failing and giving autocrats the room to attack it.

Democracy and Rule of Law Collective

The launch of the Democracy and Rule of Law Collective is our way of standing up for democracy. Dedicated to promoting and strengthening democracy and the rule of law, the Collective brings together diverse voices from research, policy, civil society, and business to exchange perspectives and spark collaboration.

It aims to create spaces for meaningful encounters – including among unlikely partners – and open up new opportunities to work together, share insights, and strengthen each other’s efforts.

Shared narratives:

The Collective connects fragmented efforts and encourage stronger, unified messages to influence decision makers and engage the public. Together, its members work on cross-sectoral narratives that underscore the vital importance of democracy and rule of law for just societies and sustainable development.

Reflection and Learning:

The Collective offers time and space to reflect and bring together diverse forms of evidence, experience, and perspectives. By engaging academic experts as advisors and businesses as critical reviewers, it tests narratives, challenge assumptions, and build a more complete understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

Innovative Collaborations:

The Collective is a space for connection and innovative ideas. It encourages members to co-create and start projects together. These collaborations can take on different forms, from joint fundraising to thematic collaboration on concrete issues that affect people’s lives.

Being part of this Collective ties in with NIMD’s broader efforts to engage our community, safeguard democracy, and foster collective action. By coming together with changemakers from different sectors and backgrounds, we hope to create opportunities to explore ideas, share knowledge, and co-create new approaches to stand for democracy together.

Other members of the Collective include:
Transparency International Nederland
The Hague University of Applied Sciences
The Hague Humanity Hub
Impunity Watch
Integrity Initiatives International Europe
UpRights
HiiL
VNG International