Democracy is a universal value whatever the shape of local political systems. Every country and community that is working to build its democratic resilience or that is fighting back against those trying to abuse political power is part of a global effort to solve the problems that matter to its people.
We know from WFD's work that sharing experiences with other communities and countries can help make progress in our own country. There are also some challenges that need international attention and action, especially as technology changes democratic practices and the expectations of citizens rise. So international partnerships matter to progress at national level.
There is significant global respect for the UK’s democratic institutions and political culture. WFD ensures that a UK voice is present in international democracy discussions – sometimes the only UK representation. Our dedicated International Partnerships programme ensures that WFD can contribute to shaping an open and stable international order through building trusted relationships with democratic leaders in a wide range of countries, focusing on democratic renewal, peace and prosperity.
We do this by:
A set of international networks and events is working to support country-led democratic resilience. Through our unique position as a UK public body, WFD contributes to this by acting as a convenor between international non-governmental organisations, local stakeholders who identify challenges and champion democratic values in their communities, and the UK government, through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
We want to ensure that international collaboration on democracy is grounded in the issues that matter to communities around the world. Their leadership in deepening and sustaining democracy where they live is at the heart of WFD’s work and their voices need to be core to international partnerships on democracy.
In March 2025, WFD collaborated with FCDO and Wilton Park on an event exploring the future of international cooperation on democratic governance.
The Democracy Action Partnership (DAP) is a flagship regional event designed to catalyse action to solve democratic governance problems in the Indo-Pacific region. It is an initiative launched by WFD in partnership with the FCDO and the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
WFD participates in several groups and projects working to reinforce a robust global democracy support system and to set international democratic standards.
Supporting democracy in Europe and around the world through the collective knowledge and capacities of European democracy support organisations.
A multi-stakeholder alliance of over 140 democracy organisations worldwide, working together to advance and protect democracy globally.
A global consortium which supports parliaments around the world to collaborate with civil society on themes of transparency, access to information, accountability and integrity.
A platform for actors to strengthen electoral integrity norms and practices.
WFD is a founding member of this platform convened by International IDEA for dialogue, knowledge exchange, experience sharing, and coordination around the nexus between climate change and democratic governance.
WFD spearheads the world’s first and only professional network focused on the practice of monitoring the implementation and evaluating the impact of laws.
Re-establishing parliamentary development as a key component of governance work, through highlighting and sharing innovative practices as well as helping ensure the funding levels necessary for effective support to key democratic institutions.
WFD is part of the project team, led by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which developed a tool for measuring parliamentary performance.
WFD contributed to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE’s) guidelines.
WFD contributed to these principles collated by the IPU over a decade ago, and continues to implement these principles in practice.
WFD’s research on the Cost of Politics was part of the evidence base for Transparency International’s standards.
