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Biden Democracy Summit: guest list puts event in check

US President Joe Biden is preparing to fulfill an important campaign promise by convening the Summit for Democracy: an unprecedented gathering of more than 100 countries to help prevent democratic setbacks and the erosion of rights and freedoms in Worldwide.

But human rights activists are dubious whether the virtual event will force guest world leaders, some of them accused of authoritarianism, to take meaningful action.

“If the summit is more than just another meeting, every participant, including the United States, will need to make important commitments on democracy and human rights issues in the coming year,” said Annie Boyajian, vice president for social policy and advocacy at Freedom House, a non-profit group specializing in human rights and democracy.

Government officials say the December event is just the “launch” of a long talk about democracy and that countries will need to stick to the reforms they have promised if they are to be invited to the next summit next year.

The event – ​​to be held on December 9 and 10, and announced in his first foreign policy address as president in February – is a test of Biden, who promised that the United States would return to global leadership under his mandate to face the forces authoritarian authorities led by China and Russia.

A provisional guest list first reported by Politico and confirmed by a source familiar with the matter shows that the event will bring together mature democracies like France and Sweden, but also countries like the Philippines and Poland, where activists say democracy is under threat. In Asia, some US allies such as Japan and South Korea were invited, while others such as Thailand and Vietnam were not.

Reference: CNN Brasil

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