Kátia Cacilda Pereira Lima is a Brazilian public policy and democratic participation specialist with more than 20 years of experience in social participation, participatory governance and democratic innovation. Throughout her career, she has worked to strengthen democratic institutions by promoting citizen participation, social dialogue and collaboration among governments, civil society and academia.

She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Brazilian Participatory Budgeting Network and currently serves as Coordinator-General for Mobilization and Articulation of Social Participation at the National Secretariat for Social Participation, within the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

Her professional experience includes the design and implementation of participatory methodologies, Participatory Budgeting, territorial mobilization, institutional strengthening, and mechanisms for citizen participation in public decision-making. She has contributed to initiatives aimed at expanding participatory democracy and strengthening cooperation among different levels of government, civil society organizations and academic institutions.

At the International Democracy Day Brussels 2026, she will share the Brazilian experience in strengthening participatory democracy and discuss the opportunities and challenges governments face in scaling democratic innovations.