In December, 110 states will convene in a virtual Summit, organised by the US, to discuss the state and future of democracy globally. The Summit for Democracy will take place on 9–10 December 2021, and one year later, a second Summit will be organised in order to assess the progress made and discuss the way forward. Finland is one of the participating states.
Democracy organisations around the world have formed a Global Democracy Coalition to strengthen the message on the need to defend and renew democracy. On 7 December, a Global Democracy Coalition Forum will be organised which hosts several webinars on different aspects of democracy. To date, 14 democracy support organisations have also signed five messages for the Summit for Democracy. Demo Finland is part of the Global Democracy Coalition and supports the joint messages for the Summit.
Five Messages for the Summit for Democracy:
- Show solidarity with the world’s democrats. Democracies must deploy resources more effectively to assist the citizens of autocracies and weak democracies.
- Renew international settings. Democracies must reform international institutions so that they reflect and promote democratic values.
- Scale-up support to independent, ethical media and the overall information ecosystem to ensure access to accurate information while addressing mis-/disinformation. Democracies must promote independent, verified, and fact-checked information.
- Strengthen and support existing structures and encourage the creation of new structures and systems to enable greater transparency, accountability, and co-ordination among governments, technology companies, and civil society. Democracies must address the business models of internet platforms and algorithms that actively push harmful, violent content.
- Put our own house in order. Democracies must restore their credibility.
Read the full “Five Messages for the Summit for Democracy” here (opens in a new tab).