Democracy Summit: India Participated in first Summit for Democracy

Democracy Summit- Relevance for UPSC Exam

• GS Paper 2: International Relations- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Democracy Summit- Context

• Recently, the Indian Prime Minister attended the first Democracy Summit convened by the U.S.A.
• Participating in the first Summit for Democracy, Prime Minister said that the “democratic spirit, including respect for rule of law and pluralistic ethos, is ingrained in Indians”.

Global State of Democracy Report 2021

Democracy Summit 2021- Key Outcomes

• India’s observations at first Democracy Summit 2021
  • The international community must jointly shape global norms for technology such as “social media and cryptocurrencies” so that they are used to empower democracy, “not undermine it”.
  • While accepting the technology’s ability to affect democracies, India said that technology companies should contribute to preserving open and democratic societies.
  • At the U.S Democratic Summit, India conveyed that the democratic spirit is integral to Indian civilization ethos by highlighting that the elected republican city-states such as Licchavi and Shakya flourished in India as far as 2,500 years back.
  • While speaking at the virtual summit for democracy, Indian PM said that the democratic spirit, including respect for rule of law and pluralistic ethos, is ingrained in Indians.
• Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal: US President at first Democratic Summit announced the establishment of the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal that will provide foreign assistance initiatives.
  • Funding: The initiative for Democratic Renewal will be powered by $424.4 million.
  • Key Objective: It will be aimed to support free media, fight corruption, strengthen democratic reforms, for use of technology for democracy, and for defence of free and fair elections.
• Pakistan, China and Democratic Summit 2021:
  • Pakistan skipped the Democracy Summit hosted by US President, who invited around 110 countries to a virtual summit on December 9-10.
  • China was not invited by the US President at the Virtual Summit for Democracy while Taiwan was invited at the Democratic Summit 2021.

Global Methane Pledge

Democracy Summit- Important Details

• About: The Summit for Democracy is an initiative the US President with an aim to “renew the spirit and shared purpose” of the nations of the Free World.
  • Global Summit for Democracy is to be an annual summit. Summit for Democracy 2022 is expected to be an in-person meeting.
• Key Objective: Global Summit for Democracy aims to bring together the world’s democracies-
  • To strengthen their democratic institutions,
  • Honestly confront the challenge of nations that are backsliding, and
  • Forge a common agenda to address threats to our common values.
• Key Themes of Democratic Summit: Global Summit for Democracy will be held around three themes:

1. 1. Defending against authoritarianism,
   2. Fighting corruption,
   3. Promoting respect for human rights.

• Participation: This virtual Democratic Summit envisages the participation of leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector.
  • The invitees from the Asia-Pacific region to the Democratic Summit 2021 included India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Pakistan, Maldives, and the Philippines.
  • Countries like China and Bangladesh were not invited to the first Summit for Democracies.

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