US: Biden administration to co-host second democracy summit in 2023, says White House

The White House announced this year that the United States will co-host a second democracy summit in 2023. The conference will aim to strengthen democratic institutions and fight corruption in the world.

The White House issued a statement Tuesday announcing that the Biden administration will co-host the second democracy summit alongside Costa Rica, South Korea, the Netherlands, and Zambia. This followed the inaugural meeting that took place in December 2021, with President Joe Biden hosting 100 leaders and urging his counterparts to “lock arms” to boost democracy and prevent a “backward slide.”

“During the ‘Year of Action’ following the first Summit for Democracy in December 2021, the United States and over 100 partner governments around the world have taken meaningful steps to build more resilient democracies, combat corruption, and defend human rights,” said the statement.

“Summit participants have undertaken important pro-democracy reforms at home, contributed to impactful multilateral initiatives, and worked together to resist authoritarian aggression, including Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine,” said the statement.

Leading up to the midterm elections in November, Biden said that democracy was on the ballot in the face of election denialism and that violence that such claims incited in the country. This stemmed back to the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, with armed supporters of Biden’s predecessor attempting to stop Congress from formally certifying Biden’s election victory in the 2020 elections.

In the upcoming summit, world leaders will get the opportunity to tout the progress in their respective countries from their commitments during the first summit, as well as laying out new goals and initiatives.

Meanwhile, Biden on Wednesday announced that there would be an increase in spending and consultation on issues affecting the Native American community as part of his commitment to respect “nation-to-nation relationships.” In his remarks at the White House Tribal Nations Summit in the Interior Department – the first in six years – Biden stressed the effects of climate change on Indigenous communities.

Biden announced a $135 million commitment to help 11 tribal communities in Maine, Louisiana, Arizona, Washington state, and Alaska to move their communities into safer ground due to climate-induced calamities. The US leader also announced his plan to ask Congress to allocate $9.1 billion in mandatory funding for Indian Health Services.