Governments, media and civil society take over Bali to discuss democracy
BALI is widely known for its beaches, green rice paddies and rich and diverse culture. But this past week, hundreds of politicians, civil society organisations, journalists and delegates took over the ‘Island of the Gods’ to discuss democracy in the 21st Century. 
It is the 7th time Indonesia hosts the Bali Democracy Forum. BDF brings together government representatives from around the world to share different lessons and experiences with democracy. A fundamental point at BDF is that democratic governance is not a “one size fits all” but takes different forms and shapes. By talking about uncomfortable questions in a comfortable manner, BDF offers the possibility for countries to listen and learn from eachother.
Parallel to the BDF, the Bali Media Forum and Bali Civil Society Forum brought together key civil society and media representatives to discuss their essential roles in safeguarding democracy, transparency and accountability. The Danish Embassy was there for all three Forums and had meetings with stakeholders from media and civil society. The Danish Embassy has signed a 4 year agreement with the operational ‘arm’ of BDF, the Institute for Peace and Democracy.
In the margins of the BDF the Ambassador and the Deputy Head of Mission met IPD-Head Pak Ketut and discussed the organisations ongoing activities to increase the dialogue between ASEAN countries on the promotion of democratic and state institutional reforms.
Source: Embassy of Denmark in Indonesia
