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Putting institutions above individuals: Ending impunity to save trust in democracy

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.


“How can we talk about democracy’s importance if people witness every day that nothing happens to those who don’t respect it?”

Excerpt from a Global Stage livestream at UN HQ on the International Day of Democracy.

Watch more of GZERO Media’s Global Stage series, sponsored by Microsoft, from the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly here: gzeromedia.com/globalstage

More from Global Stage

Can we use AI to secure the world's digital future?

How do we ensure AI is safe, available to everyone, and enhancing productivity? It’s a big topic at this year’s UN General Assembly. That’s why GZERO’s Global Stage livestream brought together leading experts at the heart of the action for “Live from the United Nations: Securing our Digital Future,” an event produced in partnership between the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, or CRAF’d, and GZERO Media’s Global Stage series, sponsored by Microsoft.

Is the Europe-US rift leaving us all vulnerable?

As the tense and politically charged 2025 Munich Security Conference draws to a close, GZERO’s Global Stage series presents a conversation about strained relationships between the US and Europe, Ukraine's path ahead, and rising threats in cyberspace.

How AI is revolutionizing weather forecasting

Artificial intelligence is transforming one of humanity's oldest challenges: predicting the weather. Speaking at the 2026 AI for Good Global Summit, World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explains how AI has dramatically accelerated weather forecasting. Tasks that once required a week of computing can now generate multi-day forecasts in just minutes, making advanced forecasting faster, more accessible, and increasingly available beyond the world's largest supercomputers.

Annalena Baerbock: AI can't replace the basics

Artificial intelligence has enormous potential, but only if people can actually access it.
Speaking at the 2026 AI for Good Global Summit, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock argues that AI should not be viewed as a cure-all for global development. Without reliable internet, telecommunications infrastructure, and access to basic technology, even the most advanced AI tools cannot reach the communities that need them most.

How AI speeds up disaster relief efforts

Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for disaster preparedness and emergency response.
Speaking at the 2026 AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith explains how AI combines predictive modeling, satellite imagery, and public data to help governments identify vulnerable communities before disasters strike and respond more quickly when they do.

Building a safer, more equitable AI future

At the 2026 AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin says the future of artificial intelligence depends on putting the right guardrails in place to ensure AI is developed safely, responsibly, and equitably.