Global progressive leaders gathered in Toronto, Canada, on 8 and 9 May for the Global Progress Action Summit (GPA), a key international moment bringing together political leaders, policymakers, and strategists to advance democratic resilience, international cooperation, and progressive responses to growing geopolitical instability and the rise of authoritarian and far-right forces.
The Party of European Socialists (PES) was represented by its Secretary General Giacomo Filibeck, Deputy Secretary General Saar Van Bueren and Deputy Secretary General Thomas Vaupel, reaffirming the PES commitment to strengthening global progressive alliances and democratic cooperation across continents.
Discussions throughout the summit focused on how democracies can respond more effectively to citizens’ expectations, counter disinformation and authoritarian narratives, and deliver tangible improvements in people’s daily lives.
As part of the summit programme, PES Secretary General Giacomo Filibeck participated in the high-level panel “Geopolitical Strategy for a New World Order”, alongside senior international political and policy figures from Europe, North America, and Asia, discussing the role of democratic cooperation and progressive leadership in an increasingly unstable global context.
PES Secretary General, Giacomo Filibeck, said:
“In an increasingly fragmented world, Europe cannot afford strategic isolation. European sovereignty means building stronger partnerships with like-minded partners across the globe to reduce our dependencies and increase our strategic influence. This is also why initiatives such as the Global Progressive Mobilisation we launched in Barcelona are so important: progressives must organise internationally to defend democracy, social justice, and multilateral cooperation.”
PES Deputy Secretary General Saar Van Bueren also took part in a high-level strategy session on “Lessons from Hungary on How to Fight the Global Far-Right”, bringing together experts and campaigners from across Europe and North America to discuss democratic resilience, political narratives, and progressive mobilisation.
PES Deputy Secretary General, Saar Van Bueren, added:
“The threats facing democracies today are increasingly coordinated across borders, from authoritarian backsliding to organised far-right movements and disinformation networks. As progressives we must be the countering force. But our role cannot stop at resistance alone. We must also be able to convey a clear message: that the future is not hopeless and that politics can still deliver positive, meaningful chang in people’s lives. We must respond with global coordination, ambition, and political courage also with civil society. What we started in Barcelona with the Global Progressive Mobilisation must now translate into concrete political action and renewed democratic confidence. And whatever has been broken by the far right, we will rebuild it. And we will rebuild it better.”
From left to right: Johan Hassel, Senior Fellow and Director GPA at CAP; Saar Van Bueren, PES Deputy Secretary General; David Koryani, Executive Director, Action for Democracy, Hungary/US
The summit featured a strong international line-up, including Magdalena Andersson, Lars Klingbeil, Elly Schlein, Antti Lindtman, Mark Carney, Pete Buttigieg, Anita Anand, and other political and policy leaders from across the world.
Participants also attended a special gathering marking the 20th anniversary of Canada 2020, featuring an exclusive conversation between former US President Barack Obama and Diana Fox Carney, underlining the global significance of the event and the growing momentum behind international progressive cooperation.
Across discussions, participants stressed the need to strengthen democratic resilience, advance economic fairness, rebuild public trust, and deepen international cooperation in response to today’s global crises.
PES participation in the summit underlined its active role in helping shape a stronger global progressive movement based on democracy, peace, social justice, and international solidarity.
