The United States launched the program Democracy Delivers last year to support rising democratic movements in countries around the world. “We started in nine nations across South America, Europe, Asia, Africa [and] the Caribbean,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“Places where citizens rejected corruption, demanded respect for human rights, called for accountable governments and elected leaders who shared their vision for the future. ... Moments of opportunity come with high expectations to make change fast, to prove that democracies can indeed deliver for their people.”
But now, warned Secretary Blinken, “our countries also face monumental challenges, including threats posed by the climate crisis and very different challenges posed by emerging technology, reshaping every aspect of our societies and our government's capacity to create responsive and effective policies.”
Nonetheless, “we are united by the conviction that democracies are best placed to meet this challenge, to meet this moment, to address these different challenges head on, to help our people in times of change and in times of uncertainty,” declared Secretary Blinken.
“What I'm hearing from people as well as officials is they're not losing faith in democracy. They want more of it. They want more tools. They want more partnerships. They want more help to make sure that their countries can thrive.”
Because no country or single sector of society has all the answers, “we all have a lot to learn and a lot to gain when we work together,” said Secretary Blinken.
“One of the things I've been convinced of doing for more than 30 years is that for any given problem, somewhere in the world, someone's probably found the answer . ... The power of these partnerships, these groups, as we're learning from each other, we're getting best practices, we're finding solutions to problems that are common to all of us, and that somewhere around this table or somewhere around the world, someone has figured out a good way forward.”
During the past year, the United States has worked alongside its partners in government, the private sector and philanthropy to demonstrate the power democracies have to deliver concrete results in an increasingly interconnected world, said Secretary Blinken. “That's good for our people. It's good for our countries. It's good for the planet that we share.”
