Wednesday 29 March: Prime Minister De Croo is taking part in the second Summit for Democracy
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo will participate in the second online Summit for Democracy tomorrow Wednesday 29 March at the invitation of US President Joe Biden. The central topic of the summit of government leaders, civil society and the private sector is democracy and human rights.
The aim of the Summit for Democracy is to strengthen democratic institutions, tackle corruption and defend human rights. In many parts of the world, democracy is under pressure from, for example, abuse of power, electoral fraud or censorship. When democratic rights and institutions are undermined, this leads to a violation of human rights and a loss of civil liberties.
Joining democratic forces
Alexander De Croo: "It is important that we unite as democratic countries to protect our open way of life. That means not only standing up to autocrats who attack our free societies from outside, with violence or with more subtle weapons like organised disinformation. We also need to renew our democracy from within by, for example, involving people better in decision-making and protecting individual rights. This second Summit for Democracy, organised by President Biden, is an opportunity to join all democratic forces and stand up for democratic values and freedoms."
Besides the United States, this year Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia are co-hosts. In total, more than 100 heads of government and government ministers and a lot of non-governmental organisations from around the world will participate in the summit.