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We’re living in a time of record-high conflict, a level of violence not seen since World War II. The past four years have been marred by deadly battles in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, and beyond, with approximately 14% of the planet’s population now impacted by war.
Ambassador Paula Narváez Ojeda warns that when powerful actors break norms without consequences, young people lose faith, further pushing societies toward tribalism and away from respectful debate, amplified by toxic social media dynamics. The fix: put institutions above individuals and make accountability real.
Why is trust in democracy so low? Iain Walker, executive director of the newDemocracy Foundation, argues that the incentives of modern elections, which reward demonization and five-second public opinion, make it difficult to solve complex problems. The fix: create spaces for public judgment where citizens have time, information, and a mandate to deliberate.
Are there more autocracies than democracies in the world today, and why does it matter? María del Carmen Sacasa (UNDP LAC) argues we’re in a paradigm shift, not a terminal crisis.
Citizens’ assemblies helped Northern Ireland transform a violent past into today’s deliberative politics. Ambassador Fergal Mythen traces the arc from the New Ireland Forum (1983–84) through national roadshows and town halls to today’s independent citizens’ assemblies, processes that fed into parliament, broadened public understanding, and built “losers’ consent.”
Journalists are often the whistleblowers exposing high-level corruption. UNODC’s Delphine Schantz explains why we must engage and protect reporters, equip them with investigative tools, and strengthen criminal justice systems so accountability isn’t optional.
Public trust isn’t a “nice to have," it’s the foundation of democracy. Ambassador Agnes Mary Chimbiri-Molande explains how citizens’ juries in Malawi bring people into local budgeting and development decisions, building transparency and trust by design.
As the United Nations turns 80, the urgency to rethink global cooperation has never been greater. In a live broadcast from the UN headquarters and moderated by GZERO Media’s Global Chief Content Officer, Tony Maciulis, an expert panel gathered to discuss if AI and data can reshape a strained multilateral system to meet today’s crises.
"It’s the only space right now that the Global South has for multilateralism," says Ambassador Philip Thigo, special envoy on technology for the Republic of Kenya.
"India must leverage this technology to become a developed country by 2047. If not, we risk growing old without ever having grown rich," says Secretary S. Krishnan, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for the Government of India.
