Luxembourg Declaration on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy
More than 40 countries adopted the Luxembourg Declaration on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy in November 2022, committing to address pressing challenges facing democracies today.
Ahead of signing the Luxembourg Declaration for the Australian Government, former Australian Public Service Commissioner Peter Woolcott AO participated in the first Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy.
The forum brought together over 800 stakeholders from government, business, civil society, the media and academia from more than 60 countries. Participants shared perspectives on solutions to make democracy fit for the 21st century and explored actions to rebuild trust in public institutions.
Former APS Commissioner Peter Woolcott (front right) at the OECD Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy in Luxembourg, November 2022
Image: OECD
Discussions were informed by the results of the first OECD Survey on the Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions. Survey findings indicate that public confidence is evenly split between people who say they trust their national government and those who say they do not. Disadvantaged groups and younger people have lower levels of trust in government.
A strong majority of respondents to the OECD Survey are confident that they can rely on governments to deliver public services like health and education. However, governments are falling short of meeting people’s expectations on participation, representation, responsiveness and integrity.
The Luxembourg Declaration supports action on key governance challenges facing democracies. This includes ministerial action plans on combating misinformation and disinformation, enhancing representation, participation and openness, and governing in a sustainable way.
The OECD has launched the Reinforcing Democracy Initiative to provide evidence-based guidance and good international practices to help countries reinforce democratic values and institutions.
See also
Operating context – Australian public services – trust and satisfaction, State of the Service Report 2022–23
Agency benchmarking – Trust and satisfaction with Australian public services, State of the Service Report 2022–23
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2022) Declaration on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy, OECD website.https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/en/instruments/OECD-LEGAL-0484, accessed 6 October 2023.