1:1 Democracy Festival

The Festival ran from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 August 2021

1:1 Democracy Festival

Based on Copenhagen Pride’s Human Rights Programme and inspired by the Scandinavian model of ‘Folkemøde’, 1:1 Democracy Festival was open for six days of events as part of the Human Rights Forum.

The 1:1 Democracy Festival brought together politicians, activists and members of the general public in an informal and open setting to create a space of awareness and an understanding of issues and challenges faced by different minorities around the world. We discussed LGBTI+ issues but we also created spaces for a broader discussion on inclusion and anti-discrimination, recognising the need to stand with other minority groups and allies in order to break the normative structures we fight within and against.

Two large tents provided space for debates, panels and talks. The programme in these two tents was put together through an open call to make the final programme as broad as possible. The programme in the two debate tents was digital as well as physical. Civil society organizations located in adjacent tents had a shared workshop tent, in which they could put together workshops or in other ways show the public their work. Furthermore, culture, as an important form of expression, was programmed on a stage, located on the square.

Over the six days thousands of people visited and participated in different ways. The 1:1 Democracy Festival gave participants to the other events the chance to interact with local and international activists and visitors to the square in a less formal setting. It thereby provided the space for open discussions about different topics and enabled the general public to have their voices heard by directly addressing policymakers and give activists a platform to draw the attention of politicians and the public to inclusion-related challenges around the globe.

For the full program visit our Facebook page or the official Copenhagen 2021 App.

Due to COVID19 restrictions, 1:1 Democracy Festival had a maximum capacity of 2.500 people.

Speakers included
  • Minister Thomas Blomqvist, Minister for equality and nordic cooperation, Finland
  • Peter Hummelgaard, Minister for equality, Denmark
  • Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister, Iceland
  • Märta Stenevi, Minister for Equality, Sweden
  • Abid Raja, Minister for Culture and Equality, Norway
  • Jayathma Wickramanayake, Youth Envoy to the UN
  • Danny Annan, Danish Ambassador to Turkey
  • Matt Beard, Executive Director of AllOut
  • Susanne Branner Jespersen, Executive Director of LGBT+ Denmark
  • Kira Peter-Hansen, MEP, Denmark
  • Nikolaj Villumsen, MEP, Denmark
  • Pernille Weiss, MEP, Denmark
  • Marianne Vind, MEP, Denmark
  • Rasmus Andresen, MEP (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), Germany
  • Minister Jeppe Kofoed, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
  • Ole Toft, Danish Ambassador to Poland

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