Between 7-10 October 2026, GEYC will take part at the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy hosted by Democracy International together with the University of Botswana in Gaborone, Botswana. The mission of transfer of expertise is supported by the Romanian Government through RoAid - Romanian Agency for International Development Cooperation and contributes to the GEYC's commitment on international development cooperation based on its UN Special Consultative Status.
Our mission
The GEYC delegation will carry out a mission to transfer Romanian and European expertise at the 2026 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy in Gaborone, Botswana, contributing to the strengthening of participatory democratic governance in alignment with Romania’s development cooperation priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa. This initiative addresses the identified need to adapt modern democratic tools (such as the ECI) to local contexts by leveraging existing deliberative traditions (the Kgotla), thereby helping to strengthen democratic institutions and cooperation between authorities and civil society.
GEYC Team composed by Ms Lina Boicu and Mr Gabriel Brezoiu will work alongside Ms Daniela Vancic from Democracy International in delivering a workshop on the topic of "Natural Resource & Democratic Governance: The Democracy Lab" - an interactive Democracy Design Lab blending Kgotla-style consensus circles with a live European Citizens’ Initiative simulation. Mixed taskforces co-draft a water governance initiative, stress-test its legal viability and conclude with a symbolic signing ceremony, linking direct democracy practice to the 2026 UN Water Conference. Check out the full programme here.
The Water4EU Manifesto
The Water4EU Manifesto is a youth-driven initiative that advocates for universal, equitable, and free access to clean drinking water across Europe, framed as a fundamental human right rather than a privilege. Emphasizing the interconnected challenges of climate change, heat stress, and public health, the manifesto calls on European decision-makers to mandate free drinking water infrastructure in high-traffic public spaces—such as transit hubs, educational institutions, and parks—while integrating water resilience into urban planning and ensuring youth active co-creation in water governance.
The Manifesto was developed during the Erasmus+ Youth participation project (KA154) "Thirsty for solutions". Specifically, the manifesto outlines clear demands for policymakers: installing accessible public water fountains and misting stations in every municipality, making tap water freely available in all restaurants and public venues, and establishing strict monitoring systems to guarantee water safety and quality. It further demands targeted investments in sustainable water infrastructure, the elimination of single-use plastic bottles, and the institutionalization of youth advisory bodies to ensure young people have a direct, binding voice in shaping long-term European climate and water management policies.
The Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy
The Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy is the largest gathering devoted to direct democracy worldwide. It favours a multidisciplinary approach, welcoming participants from academic, political and civil society perspectives. It is attended by activists, organisations and academics from all over the world. The goal is to bring together people with different experiences and backgrounds, so as to give activists and organisations the opportunity to share their insights and connect with others working on the same issues.
In 2026, the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy heads to Southern Africa for the first time. We will meet in Gaborone, Botswana, at the University of Botswana, an institution founded through citizens’ collective contributions. The Forum will examine constitutional reform, youth inclusion, democratic resilience, and the connections between democracy, natural resource governance, and climate change. We are especially looking forward to exploring Botswana’s Kgotla system—open community assemblies where residents and leaders deliberate and decide together—and to learning what this living indigenous tradition can contribute to modern participatory and direct democracy.
We also took part as Speakers in the previous two editions of the forum hosted in Mexico-City (2023) and Bucharest (2024).