Athens Democracy Forum 2025 – New Visions for Hard Realities

From 30 September to 3 October 2025, Athens will once again play host to the Athens Democracy Forum (ADF), bringing together an international gathering of leaders, policymakers, scholars, activists, and young thinkers to confront the complex realities facing democratic societies today.

Organised by the Democracy & Culture Foundation in association with The New York Times, the Forum has become a fixture in the global conversation on democracy. Set against the city’s iconic backdrop, ADF offers a rare space for critical reflection and candid dialogue—a setting where ideas are not only debated, but tested.

The theme for 2025, New Visions for Hard Realities, reflects the urgency of the moment: a world shaped by intensifying geopolitical tensions, resurgent authoritarianism, and the accelerating pace of technological change. This year’s programme will explore how democracy might be reimagined—made more resilient, inclusive, and responsive to the challenges of the 21st century.

New elements for this edition include a dedicated day on AI and ethics, a platform spotlighting civic initiatives and NGOs, and closed-door sessions designed for lawmakers grappling with disinformation, cybersecurity, and democratic resilience. Across keynotes, panels, roundtables, and youth-led dialogues, the Forum will ask not just what democracy is, but what it could—and should—become.

In hosting this gathering, Athens once more affirms its dual role: as the historical cradle of democracy, and as a contemporary stage for its renewal.