By Bill W. Cooper
Liberia has joined other countries participating in the ‘Summit for Democracy,’ both in the upcoming virtual programs in Washington and the ongoing in-person events in Zambia.
United States Ambassador to Liberia, Michael McCarthy said this 2nd Summit For Democracy, which is co-hosted by the United States, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Zambia runs from March 29-30, 2023 with 121 foreign partners.
Accordingly, the U.S. Diplomat stated that the summit brings together not only representatives from governments, but also civil society and the private sector to demonstrate progress and reaffirm commitment to democratic renewal, stressing, “Let me be clear: democracy delivers.”
Amb. McCarthy explained, “It improves people’s lives in tangible ways. The United States launched the Summit for Democracy process in early 2021 to put new and high-level focus on the need to strengthen democratic institutions, protect human rights, and accelerate the fight against corruption, both at home and abroad.”
“In the 15 months since we held the first Summit for Democracy in December 2021, the world has witnessed profound events, emerging from a global pandemic, and responding decisively as Russia brutally invaded its neighbor Ukraine in violation of the UN Charter. Liberia has been a strong partner in condemning Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion,” he maintained.
According to him, the events of 2022 put in stark relief that was already known on grounds that democratic governments, grounded in rule of law and the will of the governed, remain the best tools every nation has in order to unleash human potential, maintain international peace and security, grow prosperity, and uphold human dignity.
He emphasized that the upcoming summit followed after the first Summit for Democracy that was held in December of 2021, which kicked off a “Year of Action” for governments to make progress toward their commitments to increase the responsiveness and resilience of their democracies.
Others areas, according to the U.S. Diplomat are to fight corruption, counter authoritarianism, and promote respect for human rights and not just to strengthen democracy, but to also to promote prosperity across the globe.
Ambassador McCarthy added that each participating government in the previous summit, including the United States, made written commitments with specific goals and that the upcoming Summit would ensure that these countries are examined on those pledges as well as their progress acknowledge on some of the issues.
Meanwhile, commenting on the recently released United State Department’s annual Human Rights Report, McCarthy clarified that the report, like other annual reports, is mandated by the U.S. Congress to inform on the status of internationally recognized human rights.
According to him, no country in the world is perfect, and as such, these reports are not meant to be punitive, but rather a sober and fact-based accounting of both positive and negative issues affecting human rights globally.
He added by quoting Secretary Blinken, “Human rights are universal. They aren’t defined by any one country, philosophy, or region. They apply to everyone, everywhere.”
