During the 2026 World Economic Forum week in Davos, the Community of Democracies (CoD) convened a series of public events contributing to global discussions on democracy, security, and resilient development in an increasingly contested international environment.
The flagship panel, “Frontier Democracies – Democracy’s Frontiers,” addressed the structural challenges confronting democratic systems today and highlighted perspectives from democracies facing sustained pressure from authoritarian actors. The discussion featured a keynote address by Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (2022), alongside panelists: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, National Leader of Belarus and Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, Dr. Chung-li Wu, Academia Sinica, and Svitlana Kovalchuk Executive Director, Yalta European Strategy. The session was moderated by Dr. Mantas Adomėnas, Secretary General of the Community of Democracies, together with Dr. Yen-chung Lu, vice president of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
In a separate session earlier that day, Mateusz Mielczarek, Chief Strategy Officer at the Community of Democracies, moderated discussions on economic resilience through the panel “New Sources of Economic Growth: Key Drivers of Resilient Development”. The panel explored how democratic governance and international cooperation can support sustainable growth amid global uncertainty.
Speakers included Marek Górski, President of the Lewiatan Confederation (Poland); Lutfey Siddiq, Lecturer and Chief Adviser’s Envoy for International Affairs to Muhammad Yunus, Head of the Interim Government of Bangladesh; and Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun, Namibian businesswoman and politician, and former President of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI).
Later in the day, the Community of Democracies hosted a Fireside Chat with Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space. The conversation, moderated by Dr. Mantas Adomėnas, focused on the intersection of democratic governance and security, Europe’s strategic priorities, and the challenges democracies face in an era of heightened geopolitical competition.
Across all engagements, participants underscored the importance of democratic resilience not only in political and security domains, but also in economic governance. The discussions highlighted that defending democratic values requires strong institutions and sustained international cooperation.
Through its engagement in Davos, the Community of Democracies reaffirmed its role as a platform for dialogue and cooperation among democratic partners, contributing to global debates on how democracies can adapt, defend their values, and remain effective in a period of profound global change.
About the Community of Democracies
The Community of Democracies is a global intergovernmental coalition of democratic states committed to strengthening democratic norms and institutions worldwide. Established by the Warsaw Declaration of 2000, the CoD brings together governments, civil society, and the private sector to advance and defend democracy around the world.
