Abbreviation | ADF |
---|---|
Formation | 2013 |
Headquarters | London, England |
Location |
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Website | athensdemocracyforum.com |
The Athens Democracy Forum (ADF), in association with The New York Times, is an international conference organized by The Democracy and Culture Foundation. It is held annually in September or October and has taken place in Athens, Greece since 2013. The forum brings together international business leaders, academics, policy makers, young people and activists to discuss and focus on new solutions to the most pressing issues facing democracy. The aim of the Athens Democracy Forum is "to serve as the North Star on which democracy and society can reorient themselves".
Key events include the Aristotle Address,[1] the City of Athens Democracy Award,[2] the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize, the Democratic Innovators Politicians' Hall of Fame.
From 2013 - 2018, the Athens Democracy Forum was convened by The New York Times.[3] Since 2019, the event has been organized by the non-profit organization, The Democracy & Culture Foundation.[4]
The 11th edition of the Forum took place from September 27–29 and gathered over 450 attendees from all continents. The 2023 Forum was themed under 'Do we Dare to Hope?' and was opened by HE the President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou. Prominent speakers included European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen, Portugal's Former Secretary of State for European Affairs Bruno Maçães, Meta's President Global Affairs Nick Clegg, Filmmaker Amos Gitai, and UNESCO's former Director General Irina Bokova. The New York Times produced a special report,[5] 'Daring to Hope That Democracy Will Prevail' highlighting the main outputs and discussions.
The 10th Athens Democracy Forum took place from September 28–30[6] at the Zappeion Megaron, Stoa of Attalos and the Academy of Athens. 250 international guests attended the event from over 30 countries. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered the Aristotle keynote address[7] and among the many prominent speakers were the 8th United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, American Economist Jeffrey Sachs,[8] Vice President for Values and Transparency, European Commission Vera Jourova, Writer and Academic Yascha Mounk and Founder and Chair, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mo Ibrahim.
Established in 2016 by the Mayor of Athens, the City of Athens Democracy Award is presented annually at the Athens Democracy Forum to individuals with international recognition, whose work and ethics defend democratic principles.