
Welcome to the News and Resources Portal for the Summit for Democracy
Hosted by International IDEA & funded by the European Union
This is the News and Resources Portal for the Summit for Democracy, an EU-funded resources portal to support broad engagement in the Summit for Democracy and related 2022 Year of Action. It provides information on the Summit, Summit commitments, related events and publications and democracy data.
The Summit for Democracy is an initiative headed by the US Government in response to serious challenges to democracy and increasing authoritarianism globally. The initiative will bring together in December 2021 and again in December 2022 leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies today through collective action.
Commitments
A potentially major contribution of the Summit in revitalising democracy and countering corruption and authoritarianism is its call for concrete commitments made by governments. The commitments will be updated on a regular basis.

Croatia connected the three pillars of the Summit with ongoing initiatives, committing to implementing specific actions and cooperative measures, especially in Southeast Europe. To fight corruption, Croatia commits to continuous improvement of its anti-corruption framework, detailing objectives and measures associated with their Strategy for the Prevention of Corruption 2021-2030, the full implementation of which will begin in 2022 across a variety of initiatives. In defending against authoritarianism, Croatia commits to upholding free and fair elections, supporting technical assistance projects in the region, opposing internet shutdowns, enshrining protections for civil society, and supporting vulnerable peoples in fragile contexts. To advance human rights, Croatia will promote best practices for responsible business conduct and increased accountability for human rights violations and law enforcement practices, and support the full participation of underrepresented and vulnerable populations.

Denmark’s commitments build upon existing domestic initiatives, especially regarding new technologies, and their considerable international engagement. Internationally, Denmark has launched the Tech for Democracy initiative, a multi-stakeholder push to protect democracy and human rights in technological development. Nationally, Denmark is pursuing three initiatives regarding new technologies: a White Paper which sets out nine principles for a more responsible society with big tech, a series of proposals for stricter requirements for tech giants and social media, and an inter-ministerial and expert group on big tech. Denmark aims to explicitly pursue synergies with US initiatives and other international partnerships, with annexes outlining areas of cooperation under the Summit’s three main pillars.

Germany made a specific set of commitments, setting out a number of initiatives targeted towards the three pillars of the Summit and committing funding. Key approaches include fighting antisemitism, racism and extremism, supporting social cohesion, supporting the rule of law, media freedom and diversity, addressing the opportunities and challenges associated with digitisation, involving sub-national governments, supporting renewed civic education, promoting beneficial ownership and other forms of digital transparency, systematically mainstreaming anti-corruption measures in development cooperation, continued engagement in international anti-corruption fora, supporting internet freedom and the right to online privacy, increased due diligence and human rights-centric business practices, promoting the human rights and protection of various vulnerable groups, and fighting the death penalty.

Spain released a series of actionable objectives with accompanied expectations and dedicated funding. For a New Social Contract: Renewing Democracy with the Objective of Leaving No One Behind will open a discussion on the present and future of Latin American democracies by sharing common experiences throughout 2022, with the lessons learned channelled towards renewing cooperative projects. Meeting Our Commitments – Accountability Report sets out reporting requirements and parameters for open access to data on the government’s work and initiatives. Quality Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean to help develop the capacity in participating countries to counter corruption and create a more reliable environment for investment. Ellas+ Fund: Women’s Political Empowerment will aim to promote and support initiatives that raise the ability for women to participate and benefit equally from systems of governance.
HIGHLIGHTED PUBLICATIONS
Global State of
Democracy Indices

Explore the data on democracy over the past 45 years across 166 countries with the Global State of Democracy Indices.
Visit website
Global State of
Democracy Report 2021

The world is becoming more authoritarian: International IDEA is calling for bold democratic renewal. Explore the report, its findings and our recommendations.
Visit website