As I complete my second and final mandate as president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), I look back on six years in which the world’s democratic promise has frayed with alarming speed. Not because the ideals themselves have dimmed, but because they have been assailed — by forces old and new, by overt coercion and by subtler decay, by cynicism and fear. The fruit of progress is being prised loose, and we ignore the warning signs at our peril.
Since 2019, the global democratic landscape has suffered six consecutive years of decline, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Elections are increasingly contested or hollowed out; parliaments struggle to exercise oversight; misinformation and the misuse of artificial intelligence corrode public trust. What once felt secure now feels fragile.
The erosion is not confined to states with a long history of repression. In countries that pride themselves on their democratic traditions, practices once unthinkable are now disturbingly normal. Judicial independence has been compromised; political pressure on the media has intensified; civic freedoms have narrowed.
Even nations long considered anchors of liberal democracy have not been immune.
In the United States, partisan gerrymandering, assaults on voting rights, and the violent attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election exposed how fragile democratic safeguards can be when political actors refuse to accept the rule of law. Independent institutions — from the judiciary to local election boards — have held firm in many instances, yet efforts to intimidate officials, restrict ballot access and spread disinformation continue to test the resilience of the system and to erode public trust.
Military juntas
Across the Sahel, coups have replaced civilian rule with military juntas, while elsewhere elections remain only in name, conducted in an atmosphere so tilted that the outcome is predetermined.
This democratic backsliding is often cloaked in the language of legality or security. Surveillance expands under the pretext of public order. Internet shutdowns are justified as measures against disinformation. Laws are drafted so vaguely that dissent itself becomes criminal. Human rights defenders, journalists, and minorities are harassed or imprisoned, their voices silenced precisely because they insist on the universality of rights.
The consequences for ordinary people are profound. Freedoms of expression, assembly, and association — the lifeblood of democratic societies — are hollowed out. International human rights norms, once imperfect but broadly respected, are now openly defied or cynically co-opted. Authoritarian leaders mimic democratic procedures while stripping them of meaning, turning elections into spectacles and parliaments into rubber stamps.
And yet, even in this sombre landscape, hope persists. Grass-roots movements continue to mobilise, often at great personal risk, demanding accountability and justice. Independent judges, where they still sit, have in some jurisdictions struck down repressive laws and ordered the release of political prisoners. Civil society networks, local and global, sustain pressure and create solidarity across borders. These victories may appear modest in isolation, but taken together they illuminate a path forward. They remind us that democracy is not a static achievement but a living practice, renewed by the courage of those who refuse to yield.
At the end of October, FIDH will convene its 42nd Congress in Bogotá. This gathering is more than an organisational milestone. It is evidence that the international human rights movement is more universal than ever, more determined to confront repression in all its forms. In Bogotá we will reaffirm that the defence of rights is not an abstract ideal but a daily, concrete endeavour: supporting human rights defenders, confronting digital authoritarianism, advancing environmental justice, and working to rebuild the trust and institutions that allow democracy to flourish.
Not an optional ornament
Human rights are not an optional ornament of governance; they are its foundation. The past six years have shown how quickly erosion can occur, but also how resilient the human spirit can be. To those who govern, I say: resist the temptation to weaponise fear. Honour the rule of law, protect the independence of the judiciary, and safeguard a free press. To citizens everywhere: remain vigilant and engaged. Participation is the lifeblood of liberty.
Despite the darkening skies, I remain hopeful. Where oppression tries to silence, voices rise. Where institutions weaken, people build anew. As we meet in Bogotá, the world will come together to proclaim once again that human rights are universal, that democracy is indispensable, and that we will not yield. DM