In the sixth and final issue brief of our project on the intersection of multilateralism and democracy, we explore how migration governance and democratic principles are deeply intertwined.
The Kofi Annan Foundation and Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy have published the sixth issue brief from our joint project on how democratic principles and multilateral cooperation intersect across major global challenges.
Authored by Valerio Simoni of the Instituto de Ciências Sociais at the Universidade de Lisboa, the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, and the Global Migration Centre, this issue brief focuses on migration as a key site where both democracy and multilateralism are under pressure. The brief shows how migration governance directly affects equality, access to rights, participation, transparency, and accountability, with migrants often among the first to experience the consequences when democratic safeguards weaken.
The brief argues that democratic quality and migration governance shape one another.
Consistent with the broader project’s focus on democracy as a condition for effective multilateral action, the brief argues that democratic quality and migration governance shape one another. Polarised migration debates are often used to mobilise political support and redraw boundaries between insiders and outsiders, while weakened democratic oversight makes rights violations easier to normalise.
At the same time, the brief foregrounds migrant political agency, documenting participation in elections, advocacy, public debate, and grassroots mobilisation. It also calls for reconnecting migration debates to wider struggles over labour, welfare, housing, and territorial inequality that affect migrants and non migrants alike.
Outcome Document
On 26 March 2026, we convened the sixth roundtable around the issue brief. The outcome document published following the roundtable synthesises the main analytical threads and collective recommendations that emerged, organised around four cross-cutting themes.
Held at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, the session brought together experts and practitioners from international organisations, civil society, academia, foundations, and diplomatic circles to discuss the links between democracy, migration, and multilateral governance.
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