Democratic Memories. Democratic Futures. Bring Your Voice to the Round Table!

Application deadline: 15 July 2026
The conference language is English.
No participation fee.

Would you like to contribute your experiences and be part of a conversation about our shared democratic future? Are you looking for an opportunity to share your vision with others and connect beyond your regional contexts?

We invite human rights defenders, NGO representatives, and academics – from Europe and around the world – to Leipzig.

For the fifth time, the Foundation of the Peaceful Revolution, along with its partners, invites human rights defenders, NGO representatives, and academics – from Europe and around the world – to Leipzig for the biennial Democracy and Human Rights Conference Revolutionale – International Round Table Conference 2026 (IRT26).

The IRT26 offers a platform and a safe space for dialogue on shared values, the discussion
of current and structural issues, and strategies for action. Participants from Europe and beyond are welcome, including individuals and organizations working in exile.

Under this year’s theme, »Democratic Memories. Democratic Futures«, the conference explores the conditions and practices of democratic coexistence. Building on the experiences of peaceful revolutions and civil resistance – and marking the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster – we examine how environmental, political, and societal transformations intersect.

Our Round Tables

1. 40 years of Chernobyl – nuclear energy and authoritarianism today
2. The memory of the many – democratisation movements and their view of history
3. Democratizing Memory: The Case of Armenia
4. From Solidarity to Civil Society: Lessons from 1980 and 1989 for today
5. Queer Futures
6. Press and Media freedom in times of Disinformation and Authoritarianism

Your Application

If you are interested in participating, please send us a document answering the following three questions (max. 800 characters per question):

• Why do you want to take part at IRT26?
• Which ideas, projects, or questions from your work would you like to share?
• What does the motto »Democratic Memories. Democratic Futures« mean to you?

Please also include a short CV, a brief description of your home organization (if applicable),
and indicate which two Round Tables interest you the most.

Applications should be submitted by 15 July to internationalroundtable@revolutionale.de

Depending on our funding, we aim to reimburse accommodation and travel expenses for participants who are not able to cover travel costs through their organization/institution. The reimbursement limit for travel costs will probably amount up to 100 Euros for participants from Germany and up to 300 Euros for participants from abroad.

Partners and Sponsors of the IRT26

Saxon State Ministry for Social Affairs, Health and Cohesion / Kolegium Europy Wschodniej / City of Leipzig, Office for International Affairs / CSN Lab / Unite / Erinnerungsort Torgau /
Razam e.V. Leipzig / Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe
(GWZO) / Professur Kultur- und Länderstudien Ostmitteleuropas, TU Chemnitz / European
Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)