IDU Forum
IDU Forum
IDU Forums bring together policy makers, senior party officials, and thought leaders from our global membership and beyond. IDU gatherings allow an open exchange and vigorous debates in a unique environment among like-minded partners committed to shared values of freedom and democracy.
Our Forums create value for participants by building relationships, discussing policy challenges, sharing best practices for campaigning and governing, and supporting parties in emerging democracies.
The IDU holds two Forums annually: our marquee IDU Forum in Washington, D.C. and a regionally focused Forum that alternates location. At our past Forums the IDU was deeply honoured to host high-level participants such as Chilean President Pinera, Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, Former Taoiseach of Ireland Enda Kenny, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, U.S. Senators Romney, Young, Barrasso, and Toomey, and many others.
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IDU Forums welcome an abundant number of insightful speakers who are helping to shape the global conversation.
The Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom
The IDU, the world’s global alliance of the centre-right, created the Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom as the IDU’s highest honour. This award bears the name of two of the IDU’s principal founders, both historic leaders of their time, whose legacies embody the IDU’s core mission of supporting freedom and democracy globally: President George H.W. Bush and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. President Bush and Prime Minister Thatcher led the creation of the IDU in 1983 and were signatories to the London Declaration, the document that brought the IDU into existence. The IDU’s Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom recognizes outstanding contributions made by an IDU member-party or individual towards advancing the core values for which the IDU stands; freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The IDU is deeply grateful to the custodians of President Bush and Prime Minister Thatcher’s legacies for their collaboration in establishing this honour.
At the IDU Forum 2019 Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony held December 5th, 2019 in Washington, D.C., IDU Chairman Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister, announced the recipient of the inaugural Bush-Thatcher Freedom Award was the Maldivian Democratic Party for their tremendous accomplishment in restoring freedom and democracy to the Maldives.
At the virtual IDU Forum 2020, the Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom recipient was Presidential Candidate and Vice-Chairman of the CHADEMA Party Tundu Lissu. The Award was presented by IDU Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the European Parliament David McAllister to the leadership of the main opposition party, CHADEMA, for fighting for a democratic and free Tanzania. Having survived an assassination attempt in September 2017, Mr. Lissu has lived in exile in Belgium since January 2018, where the award ceremony took place.
The 2021 recipient of the Bush Thatcher Award for Freedom was the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu and the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS). Preserving her country’s young democracy while fighting endemic corruption, modernizing Moldova’s economy and turning its focus towards the European Union and away from Russia, Sandu is the country’s most serious reform-minded leader since the break-away from Soviet Union three decades ago.
The 2022 recipients of the Bush Thatcher Award for Freedom were the 5th President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, and former Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoshenko. Both President Poroshenko and Prime Minister Tymoshenko have been tireless fighters for Ukrainian freedom in the face of the brutal and unprovoked Russian invasion of their country. We were pleased to honor their parties, European Solidarity and Batkivshchyna.
In 2020, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya fulfilled the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people by defeating Lukashebko in a legitimate democratic election, only to be denied her rightful place as the leader of her people. On December 6, H.E. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya accepted the Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom at the IDU Forum Washington D.C. The IDU is grateful for her continued dedication to the democratic voice of the Belarusian people.
Since the Venezuelan presidential election in July 2024, Maria Corina Machado and Delsa Solórzano have been fighting against Maduro’s oppressive regime and calling out his election fraud in Venezuela. Despite Maduro’s crackdown on civil liberties, these two women are leading the Venezuelan people in pursuing democracy and freedom. On December 5, Maria Corina Machado and Delsa Solórzano accepted the Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom at the IDU Forum in Washington, DC, presented to the people of Venezuela. The IDU is pleased to award Machado and Solórzano its highest honour for their unwavering dedication to the democratic voice of the Venezuelan people.
WELCOME TO THE IDU FORUM
Impressions
Past IDU Forums
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On May 13th – 15th, 2025, the IDU convened in Brussels, Belgium for its spring Forum. The event united delegates from over 60 member-parties, who reaffirmed their shared dedication to defending freedom and democracy. Against the backdrop of a changing global political reality, delegates explored strategies for center-right parties to safeguard democratic institutions and promote their values.
On December 3rd – 5th, 2024, the IDU convened in Washington, D.C., for its flagship IDU Forum. This event brought together leading conservatives from across the IDU’s membership for three days of engaging discussions on how centre-right parties can craft effective policies to deliver the change expected by their voters and strengthen their trust in democracy.
On April 3rd – 5th, 2024, the IDU hosted its annual IDU Forum in Wellington, New Zealand. The Asia-Pacific Forum focused on regional security, economic innovation, and strategies to address global challenges like geopolitical instability and economic uncertainty. The IDU emphasized the importance of the Indo-Pacific region in shaping global democratic stability.
On December 3rd – 5th, 2023, the IDU concluded its 40th anniversary celebrations in Washington, D.C. Centre-right leaders, parliamentarians, and thinkers from around the world gathered to discuss how IDU member-parties can continue to support democratic countries which are the forefront of the fight against authoritarianism, such as Ukraine, in the years and decades to come.
On June 19th – 21st, 2023, the IDU celebrated its 40th anniversary in London, where Margaret Thatcher and George H.W. Bush founded our global alliance of the centre-right at the height of the Cold War. Delegates from member-parties and distinguished guests reflected on the IDU’s four decades of uniting conservatives and promoting freedom and democracy around the world.
On December 6th – 9th, 2022, the IDU brought together conservatives from across the globe to discuss how our member-parties can best support democratic countries around the globe against authoritarian aggression, especially Ukraine, whose people have been bravely fighting against Russia’s brutal and illegal invasion of its territory.
On June 27th – 29th, 2022, the IDU was excited to hold its Berlin Forum, a memorable three-day conference in the German capital. The discussions focused on working with our global partners to support Ukraine against Russia’s unprecedented aggression. Particular attention was drawn to the authoritarian roots of the conflict, highlighting the importance of democracy for maintaining international peace.
On December 2nd – 4th, 2019, the IDU welcomed member-parties and centre-right activists to our inaugural IDU Forum in Washington, D.C. This event brought together conservative participants from around the world to gather and discuss how IDU member-parties can support and communicate our shared values of democracy, freedom, and free markets to voters everywhere.
On April 12th – 13th, 2019, the IDU was excited to hold its first IDU Forum Latin America, a highly- successful two-day conference in Santiago, Chile. The conference focused on the success of the conservative movement in Latin America, comparing its record with the suffering and deprivation Nicolás Maduro’s socialist dictatorship has unleashed in Venezuela.
