What Is Liberal International?

Updated

Liberal International (LI) is the world federation of liberal and progressive democratic political parties. It describes itself as an organisation composed of members spanning five continents — political parties, think tanks and NGOs — that works with parties in both government and opposition to promote liberal values at the international level. In short, it is a global political network rather than a single party: it does not contest elections itself, but connects and coordinates liberal organisations that do.

Who belongs to it

LI's membership is not limited to parties in power. Its own description emphasises cooperation with "parties in government and opposition," which matters if you are trying to understand its role: it functions as a standing international forum for liberal politics across different national contexts, not as a campaign vehicle for any one government.

Membership categories visible on the site include:

  • Political parties — the core of the federation
  • Think tanks — policy and research organisations
  • Co-op organisations — affiliated bodies
  • Individual members — individuals who join directly

Members are grouped by region: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East & North Africa, North America, and a "Worldwide" category.

What it actually does

LI's activity falls into a few recurring areas, each with its own structures:

Policy and resolutions

The organisation produces resolutions and policy documents through several channels: Congress Resolutions, Executive Committee Resolutions, and broader Policy Documents. There is also a "World Today" section presenting resolutions in context.

Human rights

Human rights work is organised around stated Human Rights Priorities, a Human Rights Committee, and published outputs including Human Rights Publications and a Human Rights Toolkit. Recent news items on the site show this in practice — for example, an LI appeal to the UN Human Rights Council regarding persecution as state policy in Venezuela and a call to renew the Fact-Finding Mission there.

Climate justice and fair trade

Two further standing areas are Climate Justice (with its own committee) and Fair Trade (also with a committee).

Events and meetings

LI runs a recurring calendar including a Congress, Executive Committee Meetings, LI HRC Parliamentarians' Meetings, and the Isaiah Berlin Lecture Series. A Congress is listed for 2026.

Awards

The organisation confers several honours: the Prize for Freedom, the Hans van Baalen Medal of Liberalism, and the Climate Justice Award.

How to engage with it

If you want to follow or participate in LI's work, the site points to several concrete routes:

  • Newsletter — LI publishes a quarterly newsletter you can sign up for
  • Membership — via the "Become a member" section, covering parties, think tanks, co-op organisations and individuals
  • Internships — listed under "Get Involved"
  • Events — a public calendar of events

The site also maintains a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and Threads, and lists a contact page.

What LI is not

Two distinctions are worth keeping clear:

  1. It is not a political party. It does not field candidates or hold office; it is a federation that its member parties belong to.
  2. It is not a single-issue NGO. Its remit spans human rights, climate justice, fair trade, policy resolutions and parliamentary meetings, which is why its membership includes think tanks and NGOs alongside parties.

If your question is whether a particular party, think tank or individual can join, or what a specific resolution says, the membership pages and the resolutions sections are the places to check — the categories above tell you which one applies to your case.