Statement from President Joe Biden on International Day of Democracy

When I came into office, it was clear that one of the defining questions of our time was whether democracies could still come together to deliver for our people in a rapidly changing world. I believed then—as I do now—that the answer is yes.  Democracyremains humanity’s most enduring means to advance prosperity, security, and dignity for all. And over the last two and a half years, we’ve proved it.

Here at home, we’ve demonstrated that American democracy can tackle the challenges that matter most in peoples’ lives. Through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we made a generational investment to deliver safe roads, clean water, and high-speed Internet to communities across the country. We passed the Inflation Reduction Act—a historic law that lowers healthcare, prescription drug, and energy costs, and takes the most aggressive action to confront the climate crisis in history. I signed the CHIPS and Science Act, which positions U.S. workers to compete in manufacturing today and lead the industries of tomorrow. A year ago today, I hosted the first White House Summit ever to counter hate-motivated violence and foster unity. In January, I signed the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act to protect the will of the people and the peaceful transition of power—democracy’s threshold liberties. And I will remain vigilant in fighting to protect Americans’ right to vote through free, fair, and secure elections.

Abroad, democracy has faced a test for the ages—and the United States and our partners and allies have stepped up. When Russia launched its brutal assault against Ukraine, The United States helped rally the world to stand with the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their liberty. We’ve revitalized the G7’s commitment to drive inclusive economic growth—including by launching the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, which aims to mobilize $600 billion for quality infrastructure projects in low and middle-income countries by 2027.  We’ve elevated partnerships like the Quad, which brings together four key democracies in the Indo-Pacific to deliver for people around the world. For the first time ever, we formally identified corruption—which erodes the ability of governments across the world to deliver for their people—as a threat to U.S. national security, and launched the first U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption. We’ve mobilized an unprecedented government-wide effort to counter the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware that enables human rights abuses around the world. We have dedicated more resources than ever to digital and physical security training for journalists and launched a new fund with global partners to provide defense counsel to journalists facing legal threats meant to silence them — because a free press is essential to democracy.And at the second Summit for Democracy in March, we helped bring more than 100 countries together once again—catalyzing hundreds of commitments to support independent media, empower human rights activists, defend free and fair elections, advance rights-respecting technology, and counter authoritarianism. 

Today we recommit to this important work. Because we know there is nothing inevitable about democracy, just as generations before us stepped up to defend it, we must answer the call to preserve democracy for generations to come. So together, let us continue to remember that government of the people, by the people, and for the people is our greatest strength. And let us continue to build a future of stronger human rights protection and freedom for all.

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