Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has highlighted the fragility of democracy in a world grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic and the advancement of technology at a virtual summit hosted by the US President.
Overnight, Joe Biden opened the inaugural two-day White House Summit for Democracy. It brought together more than 100 Government, civil society, and private sector leaders from around the world.
The White House said the summit would “galvanise commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights”.
In her opening remarks, Ardern noted the pandemic had “exposed institutional and social deficits” in mental health, access to housing, social displacement, and inequality.
She said it had exacerbated the distrust many “marginalised groups” already had in Governments.
“Covid has made difficult social justice issues into urgent priorities,” she said.
Ardern also reflected on the “profound effects” developments in digital technology was having on many democracies.
“Many of those are enabling, and strongly positive. Some though, require careful thought, given their impacts on society and democratic institutions,” she said.
“I also believe, as elected leaders, we have a responsibility to act when we see emerging challenges to democratic resilience.”
It was important that democracies helped to foster a media sector that was vibrant and trusted, amid misinformation that was spreading particularly on social media, Ardern said.
“We need to continue facing the challenges of our time, such as Covid-19 and climate change, in a way that reflects our democratic strengths – the inclusivity of societies, preserving the value of a diversity of voices and building enduring institutions and cooperative approaches which help solve challenges and address needs.”
At the summit, Ardern announced an additional $1 million would be allocated to support Pacific countries’ anti-corruption efforts.
During his address, Biden sounded the alarm about a global slide for democratic institutions. He called for world leaders to “lock arms” and demonstrate democracies can deliver.
Biden called it a critical moment for fellow leaders to redouble their efforts to bolster democracies.
In making the case for action, he noted his own battle to win passage of voting rights legislation at home and alluded to challenges to America's democratic institutions and traditions.
“This is an urgent matter," he said.
“The data we’re seeing is largely pointing in the wrong direction.”
The video gathering comes as Biden has repeatedly made a case that the US and like-minded allies needed to show the world that democracies are a far better vehicle for societies than autocracies.
But, the summit also drew backlash from the United States’ chief adversaries and other nations that were not invited to participate.
Ahead of the summit, the ambassadors to the US from China and Russia wrote a joint essay describing the Biden administration as exhibiting a “Cold-War mentality” that will “stoke up ideological confrontation and a rift in the world”.
The administration has also faced scrutiny over how it went about deciding which countries to invite. China and Russia were among those not receiving invitations.
- Additional reporting by the Associated Press.
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