About us

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, in 1989, we have had a period of more than fifteen years of democratisation worldwide. Yet, in the last fifteen years democracy is under pressure and authoritarianism is on the rise. The war in Ukraine is only the last expression of a whole series of developments that show that non-democratic countries actively oppose democratisation, not only within their borders but also abroad. Authoritarian regimes pose threats to democracy, but so do anti-democratic movements, even in well-established democracies such as the Netherlands, where a growing number of people do not see democracy as the best system of governance.

The urgency is clear. We cannot take democracy for granted. We are a coalition of organisations that want to prevent further backsliding of democracy, and improve democracy both at home as well as abroad.

We have formulated a manifest on behalf of Dutch civil society, including recommendations for the Dutch government on how to improve democratic institutions and practices in the Netherlands and strengthen democracy abroad. 

The upcoming years, the Dutch Democracy Coalition will undertake action on the basis of these recommendations. We have three intervention strategies: lobbying, organising events, and public communication. In this way, we hope to increase democratic awareness and stress the importance of a strong rule of law.

Our goal is to remove the pressure on our democracy. The Dutch Democracy Coalition will do this through collaboration, rather than the division and polarisation that characterises anti-democratic forces.