Efforts to strengthen the world’s democracies are working, Biden says

By Donald Judd and Maegan Vazquez, CNN

President Joe Biden addressed the second Summit for Democracy on Wednesday from the White House, building on what he billed as his administration’s “enduring commitment to boost democracy globally,” where he sought to assure participants that democratic institutions work.

This year’s multi-day summit is being co-hosted by Biden, as well as the leaders of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia.

Biden led a virtual summit event in Washington focused on democracy delivering on global challenges, calling on democracies to continue to stand together amid global challenges.

“Here’s what I hope what everyone gathered here and everyone watching around the world takes away from this summit: it’s working. It’s working,” Biden said. “When we gathered here in December 2021, the sentiment in too many places around the world was that democracy’s best days were behind us. Democracy declined by some measures for 15 consecutive years. But this year, we can say there’s a different story to tell.”

The role of the summit, the president said, “is to keep building on our progress so we don’t start heading in the wrong direction again.”

“Democracy is hard work,” he continued, adding that “it must be protected constantly.”

Among the steps Biden announced Wednesday was a coalition of international partners joining the United States in regulating the use of commercial spyware.

“US taxpayer dollars should not … support companies that are willing to sell their products to abet human rights violations,” Biden said. “This effort is one of many my administration is leading in the digital space for strengthening tools for internet freedom to better protecting activists and journalists from cyber threats, harassment, abuse, and shaping emerging technologies like artificial intelligence so that they deliver and develop things that are in line with our values.”

The announcement came days after the president issued an executive order banning US government agencies from using spyware that is deemed a threat to US national security or are implicated in human rights abuses. On Monday, CNN reported at least 50 US government officials are suspected or confirmed to have been targeted by invasive commercial spyware designed to hack mobile phones, revealing a far bigger number than previously known.

Each host nation is focusing on a separate so-called “pillar” of democracy during plenary sessions throughout the summit: supporting free and independent media, combating corruption, bolstering democratic reforms and supporting human rights, advancing technology for democracy, and defending free and fair elections.

The US announced a number of other initiatives during the summit, including an additional investment of $690 million in new funding over the next two years to the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, which was launched at the first summit in 2021.

Ukraine is taking part in the summit, with President Volodymyr Zelensky participating in a Tuesday session virtually with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Zelensky spoke during Biden’s plenary session Wednesday along with other leaders who also appeared virtually.

“It is Ukraine that tyrannical Russia is able to reach with its bloody hands, with missiles, artillery, bombs and tanks. But the Kremlin’s ambitions (do) not end just where its hands reach,” Zelensky said during the event led by Biden.

“Russia has been at war with all of you for a long time, with the democracies of the world,” Zelensky added. “It fights via disinformation, election interference, espionage, corruption, exploiting, cyber crime, trying to trigger an energy crisis and price explosions in (the) market that will hit your people with insane electricity or gas bills.”

He also called Russia’s efforts to squeeze food markets as another act of war against democracies.

Enemies of democracy, Zelensky emphasized, “channeled all their time and their unlimited money, which they gained in trade with the free world, to weaken and to corrupt and to undermine democracy.”

Ahead of Zelensky’s remarks, Biden celebrated the “unprecedented unity” among the world’s democracies in support for Ukraine, pledging the US would continue “standing in solidarity with the brave Ukrainian people as they defend their democracy,” against “Russia’s brutal war of aggression.”

Biden hosted the first Summit for Democracy in 2021, bringing together more than 100 participants representing governments, civil society and private-sector leaders virtually amid continued precautions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 2021 summit focused on combating corruption, defending against authoritarianism and promoting human rights.

The establishment of the summit, led by Biden, was largely seen as a show of force in opposition to autocracies — a broad theme he’s reinforced throughout his time in office.

This story and headline have been updated to reflect additional developments.

The-CNN-Wire
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