Democracy is facing unprecedented challenges around the world. Since the first Democracy Summit took place in December 2021, we have witnessed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – which poses one of the most serious threats of our time – and have faced a rise in authoritarianism, foreign interference and increasing polarization. However, what we have also seen since the last summit is the collective determination of democratic countries to join forces to protect our common values ​​and build a better future.

Today, at the second Democracy Summit co-hosted by the United States, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea and Zambia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to building strong democracies and resilient institutions.

Strong democracies did not arise by accident and will not survive without effort. Today Prime Minister Trudeau announced more than $50 million for initiatives to promote and protect democracy in Canada and abroad.

The defense of human rights is an integral part of democracy. That’s why more than $28 million of this funding is aimed at supporting the fundamental rights of marginalized communities, particularly women, girls, 2SLGBTQI+ people, indigenous peoples and religious minorities. The funds are used to improve inclusion and representation in democratic processes, including in the digital space.

During the summit, Prime Minister Trudeau stressed the Canadian successes and the significant progress the country has made in fulfilling the 35 national and international commitments it made at the last Summit to advance democracy, fight authoritarianism and corruption, and protect human rights at home and abroad.

Canada has fulfilled many of these commitments, including the following:

We remain focused on its ongoing commitments, whether that be engaging young people, leading the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism that fights misinformation and disinformation, supporting media freedom, or promoting responsible behavior by Canadian companies operating overseas.

Canada’s commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law is unwavering. We will continue to take action at home and abroad to promote and protect respect for these fundamental principles.

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“Today we joined our international partners and reaffirmed our commitment to strengthening democracy. Democracies like ours did not come about by accident and will not survive without effort. If we continue to work together and show people what their institutions can do for them, we can strengthen democracies around the world and create a more prosperous and peaceful world for all. »

highlights

• During the summit, the Prime Minister endorsed the Declaration of the Summit for Democracy (only in English). This is a joint statement by the heads of state and government, reaffirming the support of the summit participants to defend and strengthen democracy, promote respect for human rights, advance democracy-related technologies and fight against corruption.
• Discussions at the Democracy Summit 2023 focused on five themes, each sponsored by a regional co-host:
  • Democracy supports economic growth and shared prosperity (Republic of Korea)
  • Democracy supports justice for all (Netherlands)
  • Democracy supports strong institutions (Zambia)
  • Democracy supports action on global challenges (USA)
  • Democracy supports inclusion and equality (Costa Rica)
• The Prime Minister attended the Virtual Plenary Session on Inclusion and Equality hosted by Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles. During this session, he described Canada’s approach and experiences to inclusion and diversity, both domestically and as part of its international engagement. He also explained how democracies are best placed to promote respect for human rights, equality and racial justice for all communities.
• The Prime Minister issued Canada’s pre-recorded National Declaration in which he provided an update on a subset of 35 commitments we made in 2021.
• Minister Joly will give a pre-recorded speech to open the flagship event on media freedom in the Netherlands.
• Parliamentary Undersecretary Oliphant will deliver a pre-taped address at a Costa Rica-hosted ministerial discussion on Canada’s efforts to encourage youth participation in politics at home and abroad.
• In 2021-2022, Canada’s investments in programs related to international democracy totaled US$157 million, including Ukraine (US$9 million), Honduras (US$7 million) and Myanmar (US$5). million US dollars).
• Canada promotes and protects democracy and human rights through its multilateral engagement and advocacy initiatives within the G7, the United Nations, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Commonwealth and La Francophonie. As part of our efforts, we are particularly active in various multi-stakeholder forums such as the Community of Democracies, the Media Freedom Coalition, the Freedom Online Coalition and International IDEA. In addition, Canada promotes democracy around the world through its international assistance and capacity-building programs and through its network of missions abroad.

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