Commitment to Democracy Is Needed Now More Than Ever

Laura Thornton and Annika Silva-Leander consider in GMFUS' Alliance for Securing Democracy the little visible action on commitments after the Summit. Against the backdrop of rising global authoritarianism, the Summit must not be an empty initiative of words with no action or follow-up. The authors believe that the Summit "matters if the momentum created by it is harnessed and turned into ambitious reform agendas both at home and abroad." They make three concrete recommendations for capitalising on the opportunity provided by the Summit:

1. All participating countries should put forth written, innovative, and challenging commitments that are created in collaboration with all relevant democratic stakeholders. Written commitments establish a dialogue to refine goals and hold governments to account.
2. No country is immune from democratic erosion: all democracies, whether old or new, must prioritise reform.
3. The global democracy landscape needs a new approach that is founded in collaboration and mutual learning, instead of one-way technical assistance.

Read the full piece here on the German Marshall Fund of the United States Alliance for Securing Democracy website.