SUMMIT FOR DEMOCRACY VIRTUAL
SIDE EVENTS
We invite you to attend the following virtual events Freedom House is participating in leading up to and following the first Summit for Democracy
Hosted by the American Constitution Society, featuring Sarah Repucci, Freedom House's Vice President of Research and Analysis
This month President Biden will convene the Summit for Democracy, which will bring together global leaders to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and tackle some of the greatest threats faced by democracies today. This convening is happening against the backdrop of significant democratic decline both at home and abroad, where longstanding democratic norms related to good governance, judicial independence, and transition of power are being challenged by leaders with authoritarian tendencies. In the United States these trends are particularly troubling with experts arguing that the degree of
democratic erosion we are currently seeing, particularly as it relates to electoral integrity and anticorruption, is customarily assigned to fragile corners of the globe rather than established democracies. In an era where waves of false and misleading information are sowing doubt in the inherent value of democratic governance, what can be done to stem the tide of democratic erosion? And what can we learn from other countries who have faced similar threats?
Hosted by the House Democracy Partnership, Moderated by Freedom House president Michael J. Abramowitz
The House Democracy Partnership is hosting the legislative track of the Summit, specially designed for members of international legislatures. This session will examine the ways legislatures can engage in inclusive, accountable democratic governance that upholds human rights. Discussion will focus on the ways in which democratic processes raise awareness to challenges faced by marginalized communities, and support initiatives that build cooperation between different levels of government to spotlight critical voices and protect human rights.
Hosted by Freedom House, featuring senior research analyst Yana Gorokhovskaia and research analyst Isabel Linzer
Freedom House’s panel discussion will build on existing research into the origins and tactics of transnational repression to analyze its impact on people living within democracies. The discussion will cover how and why both physical and digital attacks occur, their impact on individuals and state institutions, and what democracies can do about the problem.
Hosted by the Council for Global Equality and Marshall College, featuring Sarah Repucci, Freedom House's Vice President of Research and Analysis
Inclusive democracies value the democratic, economic, and social contributions of all citizens, and democracy itself cannot thrive unless the human rights of all people are protected. Advancing rights for the protection lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) people is also closely correlated to broader democratic dividends, including efforts to address democratic backsliding, fight corruption, and build resilient movements to fight authoritarianism.
The Council for Global Equality and Franklin and Marshall College will debut a new Report Card on the Human Rights of LGBTQI Peoples. Panelists will discuss democracy, LGBTQI inclusion, and scoring systems, what they can and cannot tell us about the current state of both democracy and human rights and will also consider broader connections between democracy, human rights, and citizenship for LGBTQI individuals.
Hosted by Human Rights First, featuring Annie Boyajian, Freedom House’s Vice President for Policy and Advocacy
This event will explore how countries can use targeted Magnitsky-style sanctions to support human rights and anti-corruption efforts that are critical to strengthening democracies, and the roles civil society can play in advancing the use of these sanctions tools.
How to effectively tackle democratic backsliding on the regional level?
December 9, 10:00 am EST
Hosted by Forum 2000, featuring Gerardo Berthin, Freedom House's Vice President of International Programs
The global rules-based system for enforcing human rights, peace, and democracy is under stress. As shown by the series of recent developments, including the sham elections in Nicaragua, the anti-democratic actions of the Tunisian president, or Myanmar’s military coup, regional bodies struggle to find appropriate answers to democratic backsliding.
After the Summit for Democracy: Shoring Up the Fundamentals of Democracy
December 15, 12 pm EST
Hosted by Freedom House and Open Society Foundations.
On December 9-10, 2021, President Biden held a virtual summit for leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector to focus on the challenges and opportunities facing democracies and to secure commitments from those leaders to take additional steps to uphold and secure democratic government.
Join us for an assessment of Summit accomplishments. What commitments were made? What gaps remain? What can civil society do over the next year to make sure governments uphold and enact their Summit-related commitments? And, while the Summit focused on symptoms and causes of democratic decline, what about the ingredients of democracy—what can civil society do to make sure governments do more to protect minority rights, ease political polarization, safeguard free speech and independent media and curb the COVID pandemic?
Panelists will offer their takes on what happened at the Summit and what needs to be done in the next year to shore up democracies around the world.
Registration details to follow.
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