In December 2021, the United States Government hosted a virtual Summit for Democracy that focused on challenges and opportunities facing democracies around the world and included participants from governments, civil society, and the private sector. The Summit for Democracy focused on three key pillars:

• Strengthening democracy and defending against authoritarianism;
• Addressing and fighting corruption; and
• Promoting respect for human rights.

The Summit kicked off a year of action by participants to respond to these three pillars. The US Government announced actions and commitments to bolster free and independent media; fight corruption; defend free and fair elections; strengthen civic capacity; advance civic and political leadership of women, girls, and members of marginalized communities; and harness technology for democratic renewal.

These efforts include an initiative by the US Government to advance worker empowerment and support trade union rights, new policy and guidance to support human rights defenders, funding to support journalists confronting frivolous lawsuits, and funding to support open, secure, and inclusive digital technologies.

Civil society have called for stronger commitments from governments and the private sector and more proactive engagement with civil society to achieve the goals of the Summit.