On Monday, 21st July, the leaders of Brazil, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva; Chile, Gabriel Boric; Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi; and Spain, Pedro Sánchez; met in Santiago, Chile for a gathering organised under the banner of “defending democracy”. The meeting had three main pillars: strengthening democracy and multilateralism, reducing inequalities, and combating disinformation as well as regulating emerging technologies. These themes highlight the importance of such a working meeting in the current climate, which aligns fully with the agenda upheld by CLACSO in favour of multilateralism, the defence of a more robust democracy, the reduction of inequalities, the fight against disinformation, the regulation of emerging technologies, and international cooperation based on social justice.
The proposals resulting from this meeting will be presented and developed within the framework of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September of this year in New York City, United States.
Democracy Always: Leaders release joint statement with concrete proposals on issues such as disinformation, democracy and inequality
President Gabriel Boric stressed the importance of defending democracy and working together at the high-level meeting held at the La Moneda Palace with the leaders of Brazil, Colombia, Spain, and Uruguay.
The high-level meeting “Democracy Always” concluded with concrete proposals on issues such as strengthening democracy, and combating disinformation, inequality and violence. The meeting was chaired by President Gabriel Boric, and attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi and Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
The summit, held at the La Moneda Palace, began with President Boric welcoming each of the invited leaders. The heads of state then held a working meeting, which culminated in a joint declaration reaffirming their “commitment to defending democracy, multilateralism and working together to address the underlying and structural causes that undermine our democratic institutions, their values and legitimacy.”
Outcomes of the high-level meeting Democracy Always
President Boric stated that the meeting was an important opportunity to share experiences, discuss challenges and present concrete proposals on issues such as disinformation, democracy, inequality and violence.
“We want vibrant democracies, active democracies, which defend the social rights that have been won by the people over such a long time, which defend gender equality and promote citizen participation, because without citizenship, without society, there is no democracy that unrestrictedly respects human rights and no democracy that guarantees the common good above particular interests”, President Boric said.
According to the leaders’ joint declaration, the following initiatives were agreed upon:
- The commitment to consolidating a network of countries and civil society organisations to promote participatory mechanisms that foster mutual learning and the collective construction of a more open, inclusive democracy that is connected to the realities of citizens.
- To support the establishment of a global network of think tanks that generate rigorous analysis, foster data-driven debate and contribute to the search for proposals in defence of democracy.
- International collaboration for algorithm and data management transparency in the digital sphere, and technical cooperation for democratic digital governance.
- To strengthen the United Nations and UNESCO Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change.
- To monitor the Seville Commitment as a constructive step toward strengthening financing for development.
- To support the initiative to form a coalition to promote and facilitate the establishment of progressive and fair taxation, as well as to strengthen international tax cooperation based on the principles of transparency, equity and sovereignty.
- To promote a Multilateral Youth Observatory against Extremism, led by the Organización Iberoamericana de Juventud (Ibero-American Youth Organization, OIJ), to generate data, exchange best practices and design inclusive policies from an intersectional and participatory perspective.
Ahead of the meeting, the five leaders signed a joint column in the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, in which they stated: “In different corners of the planet, democracy is facing a moment of great challenges. The erosion of institutions, the advance of authoritarian discourses pushed by various political sectors, and growing public disaffection are symptoms of a deep malaise in broad sectors of the citizenry. To this are added persistent inequalities, the rollback of fundamental rights, the spread of disinformation and hate speech on digital platforms, and the expansion of criminal networks that challenge the legitimacy of the State.”
“Faced with this scenario, inaction and fear are not an option. We defend hope. In an increasingly polarised world, as progressive leaders we have a duty to act with conviction and responsibility against those who seek to weaken democracy and its institutions. Because it is not enough to pay lip service to democracy or to speak in its name: we must strengthen it, renew it and make it meaningful again for those who feel its promises have been broken. It is with more democracy that we will create more opportunities for people, and how we will best adapt to global challenges such as artificial intelligence or climate change. Solving the problems of democracy with more democracy, that is the principle that brings the governments of Chile, Brazil, Spain, Uruguay and Colombia to the High-Level Meeting ‘Democracy Always’, to be held in Santiago this 21st of July,” they continued, adding: “This shared effort is not only a continuation of the meeting promoted by the governments of Brazil and Spain during last year’s United Nations General Assembly, but it goes a step further. Because far from being an isolated or symbolic gesture, it is an initiative that seeks to defend democracy as a common good.”
“We know that democracies are not built by governments alone. Building joint and effective proposals that strengthen social cohesion, citizen participation and trust in institutions is work that cannot be reduced to letters of good intentions or fall solely to incumbent governments and their representatives. That is why this initiative also brings together social organisations, think tanks, youth groups and diverse actors from civil society, because their participation and action is essential for democracy to regain its transformative capacity.”
“We also know that defending democracy requires us to be capable of condemning authoritarian tendencies and, at the same time, speaking positively, proposing structural reforms to tackle inequality in our countries and the world. History has shown us time and again that democracy is the best possible path to guarantee peace, social cohesion and opportunities for all. Driving common strategies in favour of multilateralism, sustainable development, social justice and human rights is an ethical and political imperative. Because democracy is fragile if it is not cared for.”
“Today we are united by the shared certainty of the need to improve the State’s response to the demands of our peoples and to govern effectively, with justice, with rights, with democracy always. And with the conviction that defending democracy in these difficult times is not only about resisting and protecting, but also about proposing and moving forward. That is the urgent task of our time.”
Gabriel Boric Font, President of the Republic of Chile
Luis Inácio Lula Da Silva, President of the Federal Republic of Brazil
Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, President of the Government of Spain
Yamandú Orsi Martínez, President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
Gustavo Petro Urrego, President of the Republic of Colombia