Next year, the Netherlands will co-organise the Democracy Summit

The Netherlands is co-organizing the Democracy Summit in March. Representatives of European countries, media, private organizations and activists will meet in The Hague to discuss freedom of the press. “With this, the Netherlands underlines the importance of access to reliable information, freedom of the press and the safety of journalists for a democracy,” says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Those interested can follow the summit online. US President Joe Biden, who opened the summit last year, will not be present in The Hague.

South Korea, Costa Rica and Zambia are the other countries from which this second edition comes the top will be held on 29 and 30 March. In addition to freedom of the press, topics such as climate change and wars of aggression are also on the agenda. World leaders speak to each other digitally.

According to the United States, democracies must be resilient to the challenges of our time. “We look forward to demonstrating how transparent and accountable governance remains the best way to achieve sustainable prosperity and peace,” the White House said.

The summit was held for the first time in December last year, then completely digital due to the coronavirus measures. One of the main themes at the time was the fight against corruption.

The summit has already led to tensions in advance. China and Russia, among others, were not invited. Taiwan, which is viewed by China as a renegade province, has received an invitation, much to Beijing’s dismay.