The Biden administration has said it is working with the US Congress on a new presidential initiative valued at up to $424.4 million (€376 million) to boost democracy and support transparent and accountable governance around the world.
Funding would go towards backing independent news media, fighting corruption and bolstering democratic reformers. It also wants to advance “an open, interoperable, reliable and secure internet”.
The announcement came as US president Joe Biden told world leaders at a special video summit that renewing and supporting democracy was "the defining challenge of our time".
“In the face of the sustained and alarming challenges to democracy and universal human rights around the world, more than ever, democracy needs champions,” Mr Biden said at the start of what has been dubbed the “summit for democracy”.
However, he warned that “the data we’re seeing is largely pointing in the wrong direction”.
He maintained the erosion of democratic values was “being exacerbated by global challenges that are more complex than ever, and which require shared efforts to address these concerns”.
‘Human progress’
“Will we allow the backward slide of . . . democracy to continue unchecked, or will we together have a vision . . . and courage to once more lead the march of human progress and human freedom forward?”
The president's comments came almost a year after an assault by protesters on the US Capitol interrupted the counting of electoral votes arising from the November 2020 election. Democrats in the United States have argued the attack on the Capitol by supporters of former president Donald Trump amounted to an insurrection or attempted coup.
Mr Biden said that, in the United States, “we know as well as anyone that renewing our democracy and strengthening our democratic institutions requires constant effort”.
He urged Congress to pass legislation to counter election restrictions introduced in a number of states led by Republicans since the 2020 presidential election.
He maintained: “We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder.”
More than 100 leaders from countries across the world are taking part in the two-day summit.
Uninvited countries
However, the guest list for the summit for democracy has raised some eyebrows in the US. China and Russia were not invited nor were Nato members Hungary and Turkey.
Critics noted that the Philippines and Pakistan, which the state department in Washington has previously linked to "unlawful or arbitrary killings" by authorities, are taking part.
Also participating in the summit are Brazil and Poland, whose leaders have been accused by human rights groups of harbouring authoritarian tendencies.
The White House said on Thursday that the new presidential initiative for democratic renewal represented "a significant, targeted expansion of the US government's efforts to defend, sustain and grow democratic resilience with like-minded governmental and non-governmental partners".
In the coming year, the US is planning to provide up to $424.4 million towards the presidential initiative, working with Congress and subject to the availability of appropriations.
It said these efforts would centre on five areas considered crucial to the functioning of transparent, accountable governance: supporting free and independent media; fighting corruption; bolstering democratic reformers; advancing technology for democracy; and defending free and fair elections and political processes.
