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Blinken on Safeguarding Democracy
“We come from nations large and small, East and west, developed and developing economies. But we're all united by a fierce conviction that democracy is the single most powerful tool for unleashing human potential and delivering results for our people,” declared Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the recent Summit for Democracy in Seoul.
“There was a powerful wave of political opening around the world after the end of the Cold War, but that has been followed by nearly two decades of democratic backsliding in many places,” said Secretary Blinken:
“Basic freedoms have eroded. Electoral rights have come under assault. Corruption has eaten away at hope. Under the Summit banner, over the past three years, we have risen together to meet this challenge. More than 100 governments from every part of the world have committed to taking concrete action to strengthen and renew democracy, both in their countries, but also working together to tackle shared threats around the world.”
The United States is protecting independent media and journalists, observed Secretary Blinken:
“The United States has supported grants around more than a dozen countries to strengthen the long term stability of media outlets through the International Fund for Public Interest media. And we're improving the security of journalists, including those operating in exile under the journalism protection platform.”
The United States is also launching a new National Action Plan on Responsible business conduct. This plan sets out more than 40 concrete actions across the U.S. government to help ensure that the companies that we work with are actually upholding human rights.
“If we want rising generations to support democratic societies, revitalizing democracy will also require us to shape a technological future that's promoting progress in people's lives,” noted Secretary Blinken:
“As authoritarian and repressive regimes deploy technologies to undermine democracy and human rights, we need to ensure that technology sustains and supports democratic values and norms.”
“Democracy doesn't happen by accident,” declared Secretary Blinken. “We have to renew it constantly. ... We do so secure in the knowledge that democracy is a shared aspiration for people around the world, and that demand for representative democracy remains strong.”