In March, the second Summit for Democracy took place virtually and in person in Washington, D.C. and several other co-host cities and brought together leaders and representatives of more than a hundred countries, as well as partners from civil society and the private sector.
During the closing address, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted the world is at an inflection point regarding the future of democracy – “whether we are willing to do what it takes to make sure that democracies continue to deliver for their people.”
Over the past Year of Action since the first Summit for Democracy, he said, “This group answered that question with a resounding yes … We have made – and we have delivered on – over 700 commitments that help us defend and strengthen democratic values and institutions.”
Secretary Blinken pointed, for example, to new laws and initiatives to combat corruption taken up by Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Australia; to steps to support a free and independent press taken by France, Slovakia, New Zealand and the United States through initiatives that help independent news outlets become more financially stable; to the abolition of laws, as in Zambia, that could be used to silence government critics; and to actions to protect civic and human rights, including for indigenous people and those in the LGBTQI+ community.
“As we prepare for summits to come,” said Secretary Blinken, “we’ll continue to help one another, sustain, adapt, and build on our collective efforts.”
“That’s exactly why,” Secretary Blinken declared, “we worked to bring such a wide-ranging group of summit participants together to drive progress on shared priorities – from promoting youth engagement in politics, supporting an independent press, securing free and fair elections - and … shaping the norms around the internet and emerging technologies.”
Secretary Blinken said, “We don’t believe that we hold all the solutions - far from it. But we do know that when we join together with our fellow democracies, we make one another stronger, more resilient, more responsive to our citizens, and better able to do what we’re here to do, which is to deliver for them – and, I hope - for the world.”
