World leaders have launched an initiative, “Democracy Now,” on the sidelines of the UNGA to counter far-right extremism and defend multilateralism. As the UN faces skepticism, a new initiative by Brazil, Spain, Chile, Uruguay, and Colombia is gaining support among member states.

New York

World leaders have come together at the United Nations to launch an initiative aimed at countering the global rise of authoritarianism and reinforcing democratic principles. The movement, supported by figures such as Brazil's president Lula da Silva and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, highlights concerns over the erosion of free press, speech, and academic freedom in many countries. 

The initiative, named Democracy Now!, proposes measures including global digital governance to address manipulation of public opinion and calls for digital platforms and artificial intelligence to be grounded in human rights and accountability. The effort seeks to strengthen, rather than compete with, the United Nations and has attracted interest from nations across Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa.

Leaders at the U.N. push reforms to counter authoritarian rise

confronting extremism head-on. That's the goal of a growing number of world leaders. They've joined forces in an initiative to preserve multilateralism and democracy. Founding member Lula da Silva, Brazil's president, began by asking the hard questions. Why did we allow the far-right to grow with the strength that it is growing? Is it their virtue or is it our incompetence? One after the other, leaders warned that liberal democracies were backsliding towards authoritarianism, almost unopposed. Economist Joseph Stiglitz spoke on behalf of 43 other Nobel laureates. We are especially concerned about the chilling effects on free press, free speech and academic freedom that have occurred in many countries. Many presented a series of what they call antidotes, including global digital governance, to counter manipulation of public opinion on divisive issues, from immigration to climate change to women's rights. Free speech also serves as a powerful antidote to grievances that may fuel violence. Digital platforms and artificial intelligence need to be grounded in human rights, transparency and accountability. The message here is that democracy is not a permanent state of mind or value. It's constantly evolving and constantly in danger of regressing. And that's why it's not a coincidence that this initiative is gaining traction precisely here at the United Nations, which, as its Secretary General has been saying all week, is also under siege. Architects of the initiative recognize it's a work in progress. We're seeing increased interest, first from an important number of EU nations, Latin America and the Caribbean, and now African countries. Rather than compete against the United Nations, the initiative, called Democracy Now!, aims to strengthen the multilateral institution, another key component, they say, for the defense of democracy. Lucia Newman, Al Jazeera, at the United Nations.

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