Biden opens second Summit for Democracy with $690M pledge

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden kicked off the second Summit for Democracy on Wednesday with a pledge of $690 million to bolster democracy programs worldwide.

Biden, who is co-hosting the summit with the leaders of Costa Rica, Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia, said democracies "are getting stronger, not weaker. Autocracies of the world are getting weaker, not stronger."

"That's a direct result of all of us, all of us coming together with confidence in ourselves and conviction in our cause. Governments from around the globe, representatives of civil society and business, democratic activists and trade unionists, people who refuse to stand silent at attempts to erode their rights," he said.

"All of us are making the choice to be leaders of our world and what our world needs to make democracy stronger, to keep the torch of liberty burning for ourselves and generations to come. We have to keep going, and we will," he added.

Biden's pledge will be directed toward his Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, which will include what the White House said is a "groundbreaking new suite of policy initiatives intended to advance technology that works for, and not against, democratic societies."

In all, the White House is seeking $9.5 billion from Congress to advance democracy worldwide.

"We're all safer when that occurs," said the president.

A total of 120 nations have been invited to the virtual summit, including eight that are participating for the first time.

A National Security Council official said the gathering includes "an incredibly broad swath of countries invited to participate in this process," including "deeply consolidated democracies all the way through governments that have some democratic institutions and some non-democratic institutions."

"But in all cases, what we're looking for is positive will to move in the right direction and we really want to use the summit itself and the process to put wind in the sails of actors who are interested in positive steps in this regard," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Following Biden's remarks, the US is slated to host a leader-level plenary session with speakers including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum and Moldovan President Maia Sandu, among others.

South Korea is slated to host the third Summit for Democracy in 2024.