While democratic governments around the world have continued to make progress to ensure the prosperity and security of their citizens, they have been faced with a period of rapid change and disruption that requires fast and deep transformation. The OECD Trust Survey shows that low trust in government is, for the large part, driven by citizens’ perceptions that they lack a voice in decision making, and that governments are unable to translate long-term and complex policy agendas into tangible results. There is a sense that governments are “stuck” and that a significant transformation is now required to ensure that democratic governments deliver for citizens. At the same time, there is need for governments to act to support the democratic resilience of our societies themselves.
The present moment provides a rare opportunity to reengineer the functioning of government to meet the demands and expectations of a new world – allowing governments to move quickly while ensuring stability and enhancing the resilience of societies and democratic institutions.
The 2026 Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy will provide a platform to explore these challenges and opportunities through the OECD’s Government Unstuck agenda, and a complementary focus on government’s role in nurturing wider societal democratic resilience.