Micha Wiebusch, UNU-CRIS Associate Research Fellow, is attending an Executive Training Seminar on Protecting Liberal Democracy in Illiberal Times at the European University Institute, Florence

Micha Wiebusch, UNU-CRIS Associate Research Fellow, is attending an Executive Training Seminar on "Protecting Liberal Democracy in Illiberal Times: Policy Experiences from Europe, Latin America and Africa" taking place at the European University Institute from 15 until 17 November 2017.

A significant number of regional, international and global organisations across the globe have equipped themselves with mechanisms for protecting democracy and the rule of law, assuming liberal-representative democracy as a standard condition for membership. Today, organisations such as the European Union, the Organization of American States, and the African Union are increasingly challenged by the rise of populist political discourses and the coexistence of a variety of authoritarianisms and defective democracies in their regions of influence. Participants in this Executive Training Seminar will acquire first-hand knowledge about the substantive content of the different mechanisms for the protection of democracy in regional organisations in Europe, America and Africa. They will also actively learn about the internal functioning of these organisations and the policy effects of their application by examining concrete case studies. Throughout the Executive Training Seminar, participants will have the opportunity to network with a set of top officials and experts from regional and international organisations, such as the African Union and Organization of American States, as well as with senior practitioners from NGOs and like-minded colleagues from all over the world.