Democracy IDEAs

In this episode of Democracy IDEAs, Amanda Sourek speaks with Ambassador Maritza Chan, Costa Rica’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and a leading voice on gender equality, disarmament, and AI governance. 
Ambassador Chan reflects on her historic leadership roles, Costa Rica’s principled multilateral engagement, and the future of Women, Peace and Security in the digital era. 
From advancing consensus on AI governance to championing prevention and women peacebuilders, this conversation explores how small states shape global agendas—and why democracy, human rights, and gender equality remain essential to building a more just international order.

There are many lessons to be learned from what collectively came to be known as the 'Supercycle Election Year' of 2024. Together with the European Partnership of Democracy (EPD), International IDEA have published the report ‘The Election Year 2024 and Tech Policy around the World’, which identifies key features and gaps in tech policy around the world with implications for democracy to synthesize a series of regulatory recommendations for the European Union.
In this podcast, we sit down with Juliane Müller from International IDEA and Sofia Calabrese from EPD, the authors of the Supercycle report. Together, they discuss what institutions, coordination strategies, and regulatory instruments are needed to protect the integrity of elections. 
Drawing on examples from around the world, they share insights on how to address the challenges of web-based election cycles through international regulatory standards, interagency collaboration, and cross-sectoral multistakeholder engagement. 
They also explore how coexisting EU frameworks such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the AI act, the EU Democracy Shield, and the EU Omnibus package can work in contradiction to simultaneously reinforce and undermine democratic protections.
To get the full picture, read the ‘The Election Year 2024 and Tech Policy around the World’.

In this episode, Sharon Pia Hickey Programme Officer at International IDEA’s Constitution-Building and Climate Change and Democracy programmes speaks with Thai lawyer Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, Executive Coordinator, and Co-Founder of Community Resources Centre Foundation about the landscape of climate and environmental litigation in Thailand. 
Drawing on her experience with cases focusing on extractive industries, development projects, and public interest law, Sor tracks her path from realising the importance of protest and shares a message for climate lawyers across the region.
Background reading: Let the courts decide? The Potential and Limitations of Climate Litigation from a Democracy Perspective

Christina Voigt is Professor of Law at the University of Oslo and Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. 
In this podcast episode, she discusses the concept of climate justice, the evolving legal landscape around climate change, and the role of international courts therein, with Sharon Hickey, Program Officer with the Climate Change and Democracy and Constitutional Governance and Rule of Law programs at International IDEA, in light of her Stockholm Series lecture 'Repainting the Climate Justice Canvas: How the World's Highest Courts are Leading the Way'.
Background Reading: Let the courts decide? The Potential and Limitations of Climate Litigation from a Democracy Perspective

The regulatory landscape surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Latin America is evolving rapidly, and with it, the role of AI in elections is also changing. The issues of AI-amplified disinformation and political polarization have become top priorities throughout the electoral cycle. However,  addressing these challenges is placing an immense strain on governments and electoral institutions across the region. Compounding the issue is the fact that AI technologies are largely developed and controlled by private companies, creating barriers to accountability and transparency that undermine electoral integrity. 
If governed in ways that uphold democratic values, AI can enhance efficiency and reliability in electoral management. It can also be leveraged to fight-fire-with-fire and counteract AI-based threats. The key question is: how can Latin American governments develop long-term strategic visions that harness the benefits of the technology while keeping its risks at bay?
Sit down with Juliane Müller, Associate Programme Officer at International IDEA's Digitalization and Democracy Programme, and Natalia Zuazo to examine the need for holistic AI-frameworks in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean. 
Natalia is a digital policy expert, founder of the digital transformation consultancy SALTO, and a senior consultant for UNESCO's regional office in Montevideo. She is based in Argentina, and works regionally with the intersection of technology, human rights, and governance. Natalia collaborated with International IDEA as a regional expert during the AI for Electoral Actors workshop in Panama in May of 2025.
This episode is the third in a series for the AI for Electoral Actors project that aims to raise AI literacy among EMBs in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
Listen to the first episode here and the second episode here.
Background reading:
AI for Electoral Actors