The Basel Democracy Foundation looks back on a successful reporting year

In the 2024/25 reporting year, the Democracy Foundation Basel (DSB) set clear priorities in four key areas of activity: Youth + Democracy, collaboration with civil society organizations in Romania, the successful launch of the Conférence platform, and the launch of a social media project focused on pro-democratic content. The debate program “Jugend debattiert,” supported by the foundation, had a particularly broad impact: In the 2024/25 school year, it reached 1,118 students at 178 Swiss secondary schools. A highlight was the national final in Bern, which provided participants with a platform for engaged democratic exchange.

The foundation also made an impact internationally: its collaboration with four Romanian organizations underscored that sustainable democracy-building is most successful when local actors take responsibility and work together to develop solutions. With the launch of Sciences Po’s “Conférence” information platform, a new platform was also created that already features over 200 articles, as well as podcasts and videos, and has been successfully launched on social media.

Another highlight was the well-attended event in January 2025 featuring Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu, held in cooperation with the University of Basel, complemented by a widely circulated interview in a major Swiss media group. These diverse activities demonstrate how the DSB strengthens and promotes democratic values at various levels.

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