About the Summit for Democracy
In December 2021, the U.S. Government hosted the first of two Summits for Democracy. In the face of challenges to democracy globally, they brought together government, civil society and private sector leaders to form a global agenda for democratic renewal. The event focussed on three themes: defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and advancing respect for human rights. At the first Summit, governments were asked to make commitments to improving democracy both at home and abroad, to be implemented during a ‘Year of Action’ between the first and second Summits. 16 Democracy Cohorts were organised to connect governments and civil society, supporting the implementation of commitments and raising ambitions moving forward.
A second Summit was held on 29 and 30 March 2023, co-hosted by the governments of the United States, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and Zambia. The Summit events showcased progress made by governments on their commitments during the ‘Year of Action’ and the work of the 16 multistakeholder Democracy Cohorts. The regional summits focused on: ‘Promoting the role of youth and political and democratic spaces’ in Costa Rica; ‘Media freedom for the wider European region’ in the Netherlands; ‘Free, fair and transparent elections in Africa’ in Zambia; ‘Anti-corruption in the Indo-Pacific region’ in South Korea; and ‘Advancing technology for democracy’ in the USA.
A third Summit is anticipated in March 2024, hosted by the Republic of Korea. This website will be updated as more information is known, please check back for news updates. We invite you to explore the Commitments Dashboard and the Democracy Cohorts page on this website to see what work is ongoing and what has been achieved through the work associated with the Summit initiative.
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International IDEA is honoured to support the Summit in its Year of Action by helping to publicise any events associated with the Summit. If you are planning an event, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know about it so that it can be featured on our Events page.
