NIMD is proud to join 13 other global pro-democracy organizations calling on states at the 2021 Summit for Democracy on December 9-10 to show global leadership and solidarity in defending and advancing democracy at home and abroad.
Seventy percent of the world’s population now live in either outright non-democratic regimes or democratically backsliding countries, compared to only 46 percent ten years ago. Therefore it is more important than ever that democratic states work together and alongside the democracy support community.
Crucial messages for advancing democracy worldwide
A group of pro-democracy institutions and organizations working globally to support human rights defenders, independent media, civil society, and democratic transformations agreed to address these Five Messages to leading democracies on the occasion of the Summit for Democracy.
We believe these issues are of crucial importance for advancing democracy worldwide:
- 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 misinformation and 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 coordination 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.
View the full text of Five Messages for the Summit for Democracy
To date, 14 transatlantic democracy organizations have signed up to support these Five Messages, including: The Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy; European Endowment for Democracy; International IDEA; National Endowment for Democracy; National Democratic Institute; The Carter Center; International Republican Institute; Parliamentary Centre; International Foundation for Electoral Systems; The Oslo Center; European Partnership for Democracy; Westminster Foundation for Democracy; Demo Finland; Forum 2000.