Invitation to a public lecture by Anthony Zacharzewski, co-founder and president of Democratic Society

To mark the start of the new academic year, the DCU Institute for Climate and Society in conjunction with the DCU School of Law and Government is delighted to be hosting a public lecture by Anthony Zacharzewski, co-founder and president of Democratic Society.

Against a backdrop of increasing polarisation, populism and democratic backsliding, this public lecture will examine how our democracies can be made more resilient through innovations in democratic practice.

Anthony Zacharzewski co-founded the Brussels-based international association Democratic Society in 2006, of which he has been President since 2010. He has grown it to a multi-national organisation working across 31 countries to build new models of democracy and improve citizen participation and governance.

Democratic Society’s current projects include Net Zero Cities, the platform for the EU Cities Mission, where it leads the city interface and work on citizen and stakeholder engagement; Networks for Democracy, a global network for participation practitioners, researchers and government; and the global Collaborative for Systemic Climate Action, where Democratic Society is the lead organization on citizen participation and democracy. Since March 2024, he has co-chaired the Democracy for Transition Coalition alongside the European Environmental Bureau.

Before starting Democratic Society, Anthony was a senior civil servant and local government officer in the UK.

Please join us for what promises to be a fascinating talk. All are welcome and no registration is required.

Note on venue: The Polaris Building is the new building located next to the Collins Avenue Extension entrance to the DCU Glasnevin Campus. Click here to view location on Google maps.