'Democracy needs champions': Biden calls on world to fight authoritarianism, corruption at inaugural summit

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden said preserving and strengthening the world's democracies is "the defining challenge of our time" Thursday morning as he kicked off an inaugural summit of foreign leaders to push back at the rise of authoritarianism.

"In the face of sustained and alarming challenges to democracy and universal human rights all around the world, democracy needs champions," Biden said in remarks from the White House to about 80 world leaders attending the virtual summit.

Biden said he wants the "summit for democracy" to spark a "year of action" for the 110 participating countries to follow through on commitments made during the two-day event. As an example, he pointed to his administration's new "strategy on countering corruption." It proposes rules to make it harder for corrupt actors to create shell companies to launder money or hide assets.

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Biden urged participants to stand for justice, the rule of law, free speech, free assembly, a free press and freedom of religion. In the U.S., the president singled out Democratic-backed voting-rights legislation – the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act – that Republicans in the Senate have blocked.

"We should be making it easy for people to vote, not harder. And that's going to remain a priority for my administration until we get it done," he said. "Inaction is not an option."

Biden said "half of all democracies," including the U.S., have experienced a decline in at least one aspect of democracy over the past 10 years. He acknowledged America's own struggles with democracy. A violent insurrection on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol waged by supporters of then-President Donald Trump sought to stop the certification of Biden's election win.

"Here in the United States, we know as well as anyone that renewing our democracy and strengthening our democratic institutions requires constant effort," Biden said.

Vice President Kamala Harris, addressing the summit in the afternoon, directly addressed the assault on the Capitol. "Jan. 6 looms large in our collective conscience," Harris said. She slammed voting restrictions enacted by Republican-led state legislatures as "part of an intentional effort to exclude Americans from participating in our democracy."

Biden said the summit is an opportunity for countries to "lock arms." He urged leaders to share ideas and experiences in fighting authoritarianism and corruption and in promoting human rights. He called the moment "an inflection point," adding that their choices will "fundamentally determine the direction our world is going to take in the coming decades."

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Biden announced the U.S. would commit as much as $424 million next year to launch a new initiative for “democratic renewal” to support media freedom, combatting corruption, defending elections and pushing other democratic principles worldwide.

The summit includes traditional U.S. allies, as well as some countries that have authoritarian leanings – and poor human rights records – such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq and Pakistan. Countries that were not invited include Russia, China, Turkey and Hungary.

"We don't agree with everything, all of us in this meeting day," Biden said. "But the choices we make together are going to define, in my view, the course of our shared future for generations to come."

The virtual gathering is the first of two, with a second in-person summit slated for late 2022 at the White House. Participants include activists, think tanks, business and union leaders, in addition to government officials.

Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden calls on world to fight authoritarianism, corruption at summit