Part of Salzburg Global's Peace & Justice Pillar

Our Purpose

The Salzburg Global Democracy Resilience Forum is a two-year initiative intended to strengthen the capacities of democracies to defend themselves by building durable, transnational and cross-sector alliances.

In the current political climate worldwide, Salzburg Global is convening diverse groups of leaders from various sectors, including civil society institutions, foundations, investors, and philanthropists who are on the front lines of protecting and upholding the guardrails of democratic systems.

Through a series of programs in 2026 and 2027, the Democracy Resilience Forum seeks to connect these leaders to others with similar experiences and expertise to share the strategies, tactics, and resources required to avoid the full erosion of, and create greater resilience within, democratic institutions, systems, and norms.


Why It Matters

Since our founding in 1947, Salzburg Global has been committed to defending the critical role of democratic governance and the rule of law, upholding a fair and just international rules-based system, and sustaining peace and progress.

Through the Democracy Resilience Forum, we aim to learn from historical precedents and present-day crises and to reinforce alliance networks that are capable of resisting eroding democracies, and strengthening existing ones.

While individual leaders and institutions often understand their own role, collective strategic coordination across borders and sectors remains uneven. Democratic resilience today requires more than moral commitment: It demands strategic foresight and defense-oriented collaboration.



Peace & Justice Update
Welcoming the Second Cohort of the International Law Fellows Network
28 of the world’s rising legal leaders are coming together to safeguard the rule of law
Jun 09, 2026
Peace & Justice
A Coin Mid-Flip: Resilience and Hope in a Fractured International Order
Salzburg Global Fellow Vaishnav Rajkumar on how legal practitioners are reimagining the role of international law
May 20, 2026
Peace & Justice
Workshopping International Law in Troubled Times
Salzburg Global Fellow Andreas Müller reflects on how "international law is sustained by those who practice, critique, and live by it"
Mar 23, 2026
Peace & Justice Update
Charting the Future of the International Rule of Law
At the 2026 Salzburg Cutler Fellows Program, emerging legal scholars and leading practitioners examined the future of international law, democracy, and pluralism
Mar 18, 2026
Peace & Justice Opinion
Gen Z Doesn’t Do Politics the Way We Did - And That Changes Everything
Salzburg Global Fellow Bill Gates attempts to understand Gen Z’s complicated view of America’s place in the world
Jan 16, 2026
Peace & Justice Opinion
The Future of U.S.-International Exchange: Reflecting on My Time as a U.S. Congressional Fellow
Salzburg Global Fellow Mike Videler reflects on the future of U.S.-international exchange as a Dutch national who served at the U.S. Congress amidst the changing realities of American politics in 2017
Jan 14, 2026
Peace & Justice Opinion
Structural Violence and Unfit Leadership
Salzburg Global Fellow Bandy Lee analyzes how structural violence and unfit leadership "co-produce and reinforce each other in a vicious circle that undermines democracy, justice, and human flourishing"
Jan 07, 2026
Peace & Justice Opinion
Internationalism, Not Nationalism: Securing Cultural and Academic Exchange
Salzburg Global Fellow Martina Kohl makes the case for protecting academic exchange in an age of rising nationalism
Jan 05, 2026
Peace & Justice Opinion
Competence Kills the Strongman
Salzburg Global Fellow Eric Ward outlines a universal-rights playbook for a governable multiracial American democracy
Dec 15, 2025


Support Our Work

As a nonprofit organization, we rely on your generosity and support to gather open-minded leaders for breakthrough conversations.

Donations, no matter the size, help us create space for dialogue that overcomes barriers and opens up a world of better possibilities.

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