DRI STRATEGIC DIRECTION - Updated 2020 - Democracy ...

DRI STRATEGIC DIRECTION
          Updated 2020

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THE WORLD WE LIVE IN: DEMOCRACY CHALLENGED
Democracy has shown for a long time to be the best form of government. Its intrinsic value is the respect of the
human being. Overall it delivers better on peace and economic progress because it includes citizens in decision-
making, tends to provide more equality and fairness and is based on the same rules for all.

The question of democracy continues to arouse passions. Across the world people go to the streets to express
their opinions: They protest against corruption, against their government or its policies or in favour of more
rights. Some political movements question current democratic practice and institutions. Voter turn-out is
increasing in many countries while it remains low in others. For many people democracy remains an unfulfilled
hope. In recent years, governments and opinion-makers have increasingly attacked democratic institutions,
silenced journalists, dismissed judges, undermined elections and intimidated citizens that demand a voice.

In existing democracies, some citizens feel that their voice is not heard. Some say that they do not have a real
choice, either because international business calls the shots or because political parties have become too
interchangeable or disconnected from their popular bases. Some disengage, others become extremist or seek
to polarise society in extreme ways.

We live in a time where democratic ground rules are challenged. Even democratically elected governments
attack independent courts or media in the name of democracy. This corrosion of democracy and the disregard
displayed for democratic and human rights standards are worrying trends across the world, including in
European Union countries. We see increased polarisation in democratic discourse. It is fundamentally changing
through the digital space with effects and threats that we only begin to understand.

DRI believes in the dignity of every human being and everybody’s right to play a role in public life. We work to
support democracy and people’s participation in the governing of their countries and the shaping of their
communities. Democracy cannot be exported, but it can grow everywhere, based on rights that apply for
everyone. It does not imply a specific lifestyle; it is merely a form of political organisation that allows conflicts
to be settled peacefully through agreed procedures. Religious believers or atheists, the ‘mainstream’ or
minorities, conservatives or progressives; they all have a place in a democracy. We believe in open, democratic
discourse, based on reason and specific arguments. It is a democratic virtue to discuss with everyone, including
with political opponents.

Equality is integral to democracy, including the equality between genders, religious, ethnic, and socio-economic
groups, and people of different ages and abilities. DRI seeks to ensure equal opportunities in all our activities.

Democracy is based on institutions. As the European founding father Jean Monnet noted: “People make change,
but institutions are needed to sustain change”. Democracy is also based on rules; majority will and minority
protection do not emerge spontaneously, they are codified in every democracy. The rule of law is an integral
part of democracy.

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OUR VISION: CITIZENS, NOT SUBJECTS
THE WORLD WE ARE WORKING FOR
DRI envisions a world where informed citizens use their power and are free to elect their governments,
independent of their social status, their genders, their religious beliefs, their ethnicity and their age or ability.
Citizens participate actively in politics; they are vigilant in the defence of open, accountable, constitutional and
representative institutions that work for people.

Many people contest the concept of democracy, but its essential elements are anchored in international law.
On this basis we envisage democracy as the only acceptable form of government based on justice and the rule
of law, with legislation applying fairly and equally to everyone and where governments and politicians will be
responsible and held accountable through democratic elections, courts, free media and other checks and
balances. Democratic institutions will be strengthened, and governments, politicians and citizens will defend
institutions and public debate against threats and attacks. The core of democracy will be tangible: the dignity of
every human being and their right to participate in public life without fear of intimidation.

For ourselves, DRI commits to a high standard of governance, competence, transparency and effectiveness.

DRI’S MISSION:
DRI is an independent organisation that supports the building of democracies through public debates,
participation and accountable policy-making and helps defending democratic governance.

DRI supports and engages people who are working to build, preserve and defend democratic and accountable
institutions, especially in moments of significant change. We believe that institutions are critical. People make
change, but institutions preserve change.

We support political transformations towards democracy, strengthen democratic processes and institutions,
and defend democracy and its institutions against attacks. We work with governments, politicians, citizens,
businesses, institutions, journalists and others who have a stake to raise awareness about democratic processes.
We enable citizens to make themselves heard and participate in public life.

In a polarised world, DRI helps local actors to preserve and expand the democratic space we all share,
independent of our political opinions, religious beliefs or personal preferences. DRI offers support that it is
grounded in globally agreed principles of democracy, rather than promoting specific models. We provide
independent factual analysis and expertise as a basis for decision-making.

DRI’S APPROACH:
DRI has only one agenda: Safeguarding, promoting and defending the democratic process. DRI is an independent
organisation, impartial and not bound to any party or ideology. We are governed by a board of proven, impartial
democracy champions and are managed by a team of respected democracy advocates.

We stand for democratic processes and institutions and work with all stakeholders towards ensuring that citizens
play a role in shaping their country rather than being subjects governed by a far-away government.

International obligations for democracy and human rights guide our work, our analysis and our engagement
with partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries. We have outlined and explored these obligations that can be
found in international law. We do not export any specific model of democracy.

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We work with all parties and actors who engage within a democratic system and we may also talk to those who
do not. The positions and views we take are based on sound and objective analysis and we are transparent about
our views – we publish our analyses and reports.

We ensure transparency of our work and accountability in the implementation of all our projects and activities.

We promote equality and pluralism in our work and within our organisation.

DRI’S PROGRAMMING:
DRI works to support political transitions towards democracy, strengthen democratic processes and defend
democracy against assaults.

OUR STRENGTHS

We think – analyses, briefings and contributions to debates – and we do – working with different stakeholders
to support political transitions, strengthen democratic processes and defend democracy.

    •    Experience and Professionalism:

For more than ten years, DRI has provided sound analysis and advice on democratic institutions and processes,
contributed to public debate, brought together stakeholders in discussions, supported implementation of
constitutions and laws, and empowered citizens to participate in public life.

    •    Independence and Impartiality:

DRI is an independent organisation and not affiliated to any party or ideology. We are governed by a board of
impartial democracy champions and managed by a team of respected democracy advocates. Its staff body
consists of experienced professionals from many countries. DRI works to safeguard and promote the democratic
process, as outlined in international human rights obligations. We explore options with partners, but we do not
promote specific national models.

    •    Flexibility and Adaptability:

We will work where we can have most impact. DRI seizes strategic moments in support and defence of
democracy in countries around the world, whether they are established democracies or countries in some form
of transition. We focus on timing and are prepared to respond quickly to unexpected change. We can make quick
decisions.

Our main criterion will be our judgment of the right timing for maximum effect, ideally when fundamental
decisions on laws and institutions are about to be made, or when major political, economic or technological
developments threaten to disrupt the democratic process. We accompany democracy-building on a long-term
basis, building capacity and relationships. This adaptability is a defining feature of DRI that we want to preserve
even when we grow.

With offices in several countries, we work hands-on with decision-makers, media and citizen groups. We
develop ideas with our partners, which we publish and spread, but we leave it to decision-makers to act on
them. As an international NGO, we have no nationality restrictions. Our teams mostly come from the countries
in which they work.

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•   Clear Framework and Methods:

We are firm in our conviction that essential democracy obligations, such as equal rights and fundamental
freedoms for all, democratic elections, independent judiciary and free media, agreed in and protected by
international law, are non-negotiable. These obligations, mostly anchored in international human rights treaties,
underpin and inform our interventions. We have laid them out in various reports.

We work on constitutions and laws, elections and participatory processes, parliaments and other democratic
institutions together with citizens, citizen groups, politicians, government representatives and other actors in a
democracy.

Global rules work different in different contexts. In many cases, to have an impact, we must work on the ground,
closely with our partners – as far as security and logistical considerations allow. In all countries, technology is
changing politics fast, we analyse such changes and innovate to respond to technological and political change.

We create space for dialogue between different actors and adapt the format of the dialogue to the specific
situation. We build and invest in relationships and long-term partnerships.

    •    Analysis, Commentary, Advocacy:

We will continue to strengthen our efforts to become and remain respected thinkers on key issues, drawing on
deep on-the-ground experience and expertise in our countries of engagement. We will continue providing
analysis and assessment as a basis for debates and advocacy in the countries we are working in while also
contributing to larger, more global debates. DRI will continue to strengthen its role as a policy analyst and public
commentator, shaping debates on politically relevant issues. All our research is publicly available and translated
into many languages, providing a clear picture of what DRI stands and advocates for.

We are called Democracy Reporting International because we provide facts-based analysis and policy
recommendations and put these into the specific country or regional context.

    •    Partnerships:

We leverage relationships of trust and build bridges between different actors at the national and international
level as democracy support is not a zero-sum game. Partnerships with relevant institutions and organisations at
international and national levels mutually build capacities, multiply our impact and avoid operating in a narrow
niche. DRI continues to work with many stakeholders and particularly seeks national civil society partners that
want to shape the future of their countries with whom we work as peers. We want to make them strong players
in the support and defence of democracy.

OUR THEMATIC AREAS OF INTERVENTION

We intertwine policy at national level with initiatives and actions at grassroots levels based on the assumption
that people do not work for change alone. They need organisation: parties, media, CSOs, government, courts.
We bring institutions and people together and act as an intermediary between citizens and institutions: parties,
media, CSOs, according to the rules of the game called democracy.

Justice: Constitutions and the Rule of Law

Democracy is based on legal procedures that need to provide justice to citizens and the legal foundations of a
state in the form of constitutions.

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We support constitution-makers and others with: a) constitutional dialogues among stakeholders, b)
constitution building, the technical process of designing and drafting a new constitution; and c) constitution
implementation, which includes the creation of institutions that guarantee the respect of constitutional
principles and the drafting of legislation as well as the application of the constitution by all branches of power.

In the wider rule of law field, we focus on a) the improvement of legal frameworks and b) the support of
institutions such as courts and independent commissions or bodies of judicial self-government such as judicial
councils. Moreover, we c) support civil society groups to better understand how these institutions should work
and d) increasing public interest in the integrity of the justice sector. Our interventions include building
coalitions for reform, broadening and strengthening civil society capacities and engagement in the process of
reform implementation, and empowering key groups and think-tanks in their involvement in such processes.
Where laws are reformed, we sometimes monitor their implementation.

Elections

Electoral support represents one of DRI’s key thematic focus areas. Our interventions in this area are guided by
international obligations on democratic elections and typically focus on a) supporting electoral stakeholders to
assess and, where necessary, reform the legal framework for elections and b) supporting citizen groups to
observe elections and to follow up on their findings and recommendations through advocacy. Furthermore, we
c) provide analysis and advice in the form of briefing papers and briefs for the strengthening of the Election
Administration and d) are engaged in social media monitoring of elections.

Human Rights

DRI works with a range of actors including states, businesses, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), civil
society and citizens on political rights, such as freedom of expression, the right to vote and the freedoms of
assembly and association. While these rights are our focus, we acknowledge that human rights are indivisible.
Our work on human rights focuses on a) human rights compliance of governments, also through alternative
reporting of civil society groups; b) strengthening of human rights institutions (such as human rights
commissions); and c) strengthening capacity of people to advocate for human rights.

Local Governance

Local governance is a fundamental tier of democracy, being the most tangible and visible part of public power
and in charge of delivering essential public services. Without functioning local government, garbage may not be
collected, and medical services may be unavailable. We work on a) decentralisation reforms, helping civil society
and government learn from good practices and plan effective decentralisation, b) increasing civic participation
in existing local democracy mechanisms and c) implement capacity building programmes of local governance
actors.

Democratic Discourse

An open and pluralistic public debate is essential for democracy. This can be threatened when society becomes
extremely polarised, when common ground for pluralistic debate becomes limited and threatened by
manipulation and disinformation. It is no coincidence that virtually all established democracies invest
significantly in public broadcasting to support pluralistic debate. The public sphere is deeply transforming
through digitalisation and the use of social media.

In response, DRI a) works for open debate and against severe political polarisation b) develops methods to
monitor online content and supports citizen groups across the world to do so to assess democratic debate and
detect disinformation, and c) proposes policies to governments and tech companies to make sure social media

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serve democracy. We are working on most of these issues across all our ongoing projects and in all our country
programmes.

A focus of our work is on the role of social media in influencing public discourse. We see this in-depth work on
democratic discourse online as DRI’s key response to digitalisation, mainstreaming digital understanding across
the organisation and maintaining relevance in the face of new challenges.

OUR GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS

We are ready to engage globally based on our strengths and our thematic areas of intervention. We will review
our capacities and plan organisational change in a sustainable manner.

Our regional focus is on the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), Europe and Asia. Working on democracy issues
in EU Europe is essential for our credibility and there are significant challenges and needs. We are also looking
to become more active in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, depending on needs and specific moments of change.
Here we could leverage our European networks and the EU’s role in the region. In Asia, we are active in three
countries, and are looking to consolidate our programmes there. We will also review future opportunities to
engage in other countries in the region and looking into more regional linkages.

On the issue of democratic debate our commitment is global, and we would consider projects anywhere. In this
field and on this subject we intend to grow further.

OUR INTERVENTION APPROACHES

We provide analysis, thoughts and recommendations on different
topics related to democracy and shape discussions. We also work
with and bring together different stakeholders, including:
government, civil society, political parties, government
administration, election administration, NGOs, civil society
organisations, universities. We regularly talk and consult with these
different actors and engage in discussions to identify their needs and
support them in their work to strengthen democracy. For this we
have five approaches:

Awareness-raising: activities which seek to put an issue on the
agenda of the target group or publicly advocate for an issue.

Capacity-building: activities which seek to enable members of the
target group to perform better in carrying out their work, e.g.
training.

Engagement: interventions which seek to enable members of
different target groups to come together to express and exchange views and positions on relevant policy issues,
e.g. joint workshops for government, civil society and academic experts or facilitating meetings among several
CSOs to develop joint positions.

Improving processes and relations: activities which seek to create new – or improve existing – processes and
relations among target groups, e.g. the creation of multi-stakeholder committees, the set-up of NGO networks
or dialogues of civil society and parliament and recommendations for changes.

Supporting drafting and implementing policies and laws: interventions which seek to translate democratic
orientations into the design of policy or law, e.g. expert and legal reviews and briefings.

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We use monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) to monitor the impact of our projects and engage in
continuous learning. This helps us to make evidence-based decisions. We learn from the implementation of our
projects and activities and determine successes and failures to continuously improve our work. For more, see
our MEL manual.

We use gender and diversity mainstreaming to ensure our organisation and our programming represent and
reach different people, irrespective of their gender, age, ability, socio-economic background, religion or sexual
orientation. For more, see our gender and diversity policy.

OUR FUNDRAISING APPROACH

Since its establishment DRI has mostly approached funders with our own ideas. This remains essential to
implement our mission, rather than only responding to public tenders or calls for proposals. The latter remains
an option where they fit our priority. We will review opportunities in line with our areas of thematic
interventions and our intervention approaches.

We have broadened our funding base to reduce dependency on few funding partners. We will continue doing
so. We use core funds to support a management structure that delivers quality work, maintain reserves that
guard us against risks and invest in a strong organisational structure. We also want to use our core funds for
training, professional development, research and reaction to democratic changes. To achieve these goals, we
will consider broadening our consultancy work and pursue service contracts in our areas of work within the
limits of regulations governing German non-profit companies.

Service contracts have fewer geographic limitations as they follow a different logic. To decide on engagement
with these, we will use the criteria of strategic interest, financial interest, level of necessary engagement and
internal capacity. We avoid working on the ground in immediate post-conflict or conflict countries, because our
operational, security and high-level diplomatic capacities may not suffice to efficiently operate in such contexts.

Based on this, our country offices and programmes will develop and implement their own strategic approaches
to fundraising and relations with core donors.

OUR STRUCTURE

An accountable organisation

The organisation’s set up provides checks and balances and accountability of the executive side through the
independent supervisory board with pro-bono members who have three key functions: internal governance,
resource development and participation in the setting of strategy. Its independence and role are enshrined in
DRI’s contract and further detailed in its manual.

The shareholders of the non-profit company (gGmbH) own DRI. They can ultimately decide the purpose and
direction of DRI. They are experienced democracy practitioners who regularly provide the organisation with
advice, networking support and visibility without drawing any profits. Sometimes they undertake expert services
under specific projects. At DRI’s annual General Assembly, they review, ratify and thereby validate selected
board decisions, such as DRI’s annual activity and financial report as well as the exoneration of the Executive
Director.

DRI is led by an Executive Director and managed by an Executive Team that takes strategic and day-to-day
decisions on operations, fundraising, financial, programmatic and administrative issues.

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Democracy Reporting International

Prinzessinnenstraße 30

10969 Berlin / Germany

T / +49 30 27 87 73 00

F / +49 30 27 87 73 00-10

info@democracy-reporting.org

www.democracy-reporting.org

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