白宫
华盛顿特区
2023年3月29日
 
拜登总统在民主峰会视频全体会议上关于民主能够针对全球挑战取得成果的讲话
南院礼堂（South Court Auditorium）
艾森豪威尔行政办公楼（Eisenhower Executive Office Building）
美东夏令时间上午11:42
 
总统：各位好。我先说声抱歉，我有点感冒。这是这些日子唯一找上我的事。
首先我要感谢各位参加第二届民主峰会。
但更重要的是，感谢各位在过去15个月里为兑现第一次民主峰会对我们彼此和对我们人民作出的承诺所做的努力。
要知道，这就是这些峰会的力量。不仅有高谈阔论和对关键问题聚焦，而且产生能够转化成给全球各地人民带来具体进步的行动。
我希望在座各位和所有在世界各地观看的人从这次峰会得出这样一个结论：它正在奏效。它正在奏效。
当我们2021年12月在这里相聚的时候，在全球太多地方的情绪是，民主的最好时期已经过去。按某些方式衡量，民主已经连续15年走下坡路。
但是今年，我们可以有不同的说法。由于有承诺——由于有今天聚集在一起的全球领袖的承诺以及全球各地人民坚持要求尊重他们的权利和听取他们的声音，我们看到了真正的迹象——我们正在扭转局面。
正如我经常说的，我们处于历史的转折点，我们今天所做的决定将影响我们世界未来数十年的走向，毫无疑问。
我们将从这次峰会前进。我们的工作是继续扩大我们的进展，使我们不再走向错误的方向，保持势头。这是我们的世界走向更大自由、更有尊严和更广泛民主的转折点。
在美国，我们已经证明我们的民主仍然可以取得巨大成就，给美国劳动人民带来重大进步。
我们正在降低必需品的成本，如处方药和健康保险费用。我们给家庭带来更多——正如我父亲过去常说——更多一些喘息余地。
我们正在重建美国的基础设施，推动创新并应对气候危机，同时创造良好的工会工作，并投资于那些过去经常被落下的社区。
我们也在展示美国民主的韧性。
在去年秋天我们自由、公正和安全的选举中——它是自1月6日袭击国会大厦以来的美国第一次全国选举，选民们响亮和断然拒绝了攻击和破坏我们民主的极端主义叫嚣。
投票的权利、让您的选票算数，是世界各地民主和自由的基本条件。有了它，一切都有可能。没有它，我认为，一切都不可能。
这就是为什么今年早些时候，我骄傲地签署了跨党派的《选举计票改革法案》（Electoral Count Reform Act），确保美国的选举继续反映美国人民的意愿并保护权力的和平移交。
我们在继续为加强保护而努力，争取通过我们叫做的《约翰·刘易斯投票权利促进法案》（John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act）和《投票自由法案》（Freedom to Vote Act）。它们将进一步加强我们的民主。
而且，不仅仅是美国在兑现承诺和展示民主的力量。
安哥拉采取了建立独立司法机构的步骤，建立了三个新的地区上诉法院，从而有助于加快处理案件。
多米尼加共和国已经将反腐败法现代化，在地方上成立了100多个反腐败办公室。
克罗地亚正在执行一项为期多年的反腐计划，以增加政府透明度并更好地监督公共采购。
我可以为每个人举出在许多其他国家的更多例子——但我不准备占时间——从那些迈出改革第一步的国家，到成熟的民主国家，人们都在为保护和加强他们的民主制度作出真正的改变。
我们知道，这不容易。它从来都不容易。民主的努力是艰难的。民主的努力永远不会完成，永远不会一经制定，大功告成，只此而已。它必须始终受到保护。
我们必须不断更新我们的承诺，不断加强我们的机制，哪里有腐败就在哪里根除它，寻求建立共识，并拒绝政治暴力，不给仇恨和极端主义提供任何安身之地。
我们必须继续努力推进包括妇女和女孩在内的所有人的权利和尊严——我强调“尊严”二字，因为在妇女和女孩受威胁的地方，民主、和平和稳定也会面临风险。如果我们把世界上一半以上的人口排除在解决方案之外，我们无法实现我们的目标。
我们刚刚听到了两位不可思议的女士的讲话，她们提出了关于白俄罗斯的不可思议的例子。她们不仅是女性，她们是领袖。她们和所有女性都应该得到代表。
此外，当我们推进平等和种族公正、投资于年轻人、保护LGBTQ+个体时，我们的社会不仅更公平，而且更强大、更成功。
民主要求所有——我们所有的公民全面、平等地参与。这样才能释放出人的潜能、使我们自己处于应对共同挑战的最强有力地位——我要强调“共同”挑战。
当民主国家团结一致时，我们会巩固和放大彼此的努力，产生巨大效果。我们一次又一次地看到，民主国家挺身而出发挥带头作用，共同解决问题，不仅为我们自己的人民，也为世界。
从我们协调全球应对新冠疫情的努力，到加强全球健康安全以便更好地预防和应对未来的全球健康威胁；到我们致力于提高气候目标的抱负，以便保护我们的星球——名副其实地为了我们的后代保护我们的星球；到确保父母有能力喂养孩子，通过建立更具可持续性和韧性的全球粮食系统加强粮食安全；以及我们在民主国家间看到的史无前例的团结——一致谴责俄罗斯对乌克兰的残酷侵略战争，并与勇敢的乌克兰人民站在一起，捍卫他们的民主。
因此，今天，美国正在加强我们对促进全球民主的持久承诺。
在首届民主峰会上，我启动了总统民主复兴倡议（Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal），承诺投入4亿多美元支持透明和负责任的治理、支持媒体自由、打击国际腐败、支持民主和民主改革者、推动促进民主的技术、捍卫选举。
现在，与美国国会密切合作，我们计划在未来两年内为总统倡议新增6.9亿美元资金。
在未来三年中，我的政府准备与国会合作，为推进全球民主的所有努力承诺95亿美元。达到这个目标让我们所有人都更安全。
我们正在美国国际发展署（USAID）创建一个新的民主、人权和治理局（Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance），实施其中许多资金承诺，以增强我们对全球民主倡议的支持。
我们民主工作的一个关键重点是确保技术的持续发展被用于推进民主治理，而不是破坏它。
为此，本周早些时候，我在美国签署了一项行政命令，限制美国政府使用商业间谍软件，这些软件已被滥用于针对全球各地的异议人士、活动人士和新闻工作者，包括在美国。
美国纳税人的钱不应该——不应该支持那些愿意出售产品去助长践踏人权的公司。
我要感谢本周和我们一起承诺监管商业间谍软件使用的国家。
这一努力是本政府在数字领域正在领导的许多努力之一，旨在加强互联网自由的工具；更好地保护活动人士和新闻工作者不受到网络威胁、骚扰和践踏；并且让像人工智能这样的新兴技术能够带来和发展与我们的价值观一致的成果。
正如你们可能已经看出，加强民主是我相当热衷的一个主题。我认为这是我们时代的一个决定性挑战。
今天，我们可以自豪地说，世界上的民主国家正在变得更强大，而不是更虚弱。独裁国家正在变得更虚弱，而不是更强大。
这是我们所有人努力的直接结果——我们所有人怀着自信和对我们的事业的坚强信念聚集在一起：来自世界各地的政府、公民社会和商界代表、民主活动人士和工会成员——那些在遭遇侵蚀他们权利的企图时拒绝保持沉默的人们。
我们大家在选择成为我们世界的领袖，以及我们的世界需要如何使民主国家更强大，使自由的火炬为我们自己和为子孙后代持续燃烧。
我们必须继续前进，我们定将这样做。
感谢大韩民国出来举办下一次民主峰会。我们将继续让这个论坛成为进步的驱动力和我们彼此承诺的根基。
再次感谢大家的参与。我期待听到你们每一个人的意见。
现在我将把讲台交给斯洛伐克总统。总统女士，请。
 
[与会领导人开始讲话]
[与会领导人结束讲话]
 
拜登总统：谢谢总统先生，感谢您最后的评论。我完全同意您的看法。
让我在结束前再次感谢各位把带来更多民主作为各位国家和全球的优先事项。
我们今天在这些会议中讨论了许多问题，民主的各方面所能——这是我们希望实现和为我们的人民所做的一切的核心：促进经济增长；共享繁荣；伸张正义和维护正义；加强我们的机制；迎接全球挑战——迎头面对它们；促进对我们所有人的包容和公平。
民主的伟大力量在于，它为我们提供了自我治理和自我完善所需要的一切工具。我自豪地与各位站在一起，捍卫我们大家共同拥有的基本价值观：正义，法治，言论自由，集会自由，新闻自由，宗教自由，以及我们对世界每一个人的人权利益的核心信念。
我们已经共同取得了很多成就，但我们都知道前面还有很多工作要做。我们已经证明我们有能力应对挑战。但是，在大韩民国主持的下一届民主峰会上，我们要继续前进，所有人共同前进。
我非常感谢你们所有人。我将不再占更多时间。但是你们的话令我印象深刻。非常、非常感谢大家。
美东夏令时间下午12:37
欲查看原稿内容: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/03/29/remarks-by-president-biden-at-the-summit-for-democracy-virtual-plenary-on-democracy-delivering-on-global-challenges/
本译文仅供参考，只有英文原稿才可以被视为权威资料来源。

South Court AuditoriumEisenhower Executive Office Building
11:42 A.M. EDT
PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Hello, everyone.  Let me start by apologizing for the slight cold I have.  That’s the only thing that’s happening to me these days.
Let me start by thanking everyone for participating in the second Summit of Democracies — for Democracy, I should say.
But more importantly, thank you for the work you’ve put in over the last 15 months to deliver on commitments you made to each other and to our peoples for the first Summit of — from the first Summit of Democracy.
Look, you know, that’s the power of these summits.  Not just to speak high-minded words and shine a spotlight on those critical issues, but to galvanize action that translate to concrete progress for people around the world.  That’s how we make democracy deliver for everyone.
And here’s what I hope everyone gathered here, and everyone watching around the world, takes away from this summit: It’s working.  It’s working.
You know, when we gathered here in December of 2021, the sentiment in too many places around the world was that democracy’s best days were behind us.  Democracy had declined by some measures for 15 consecutive years.
But this year, we can say there’s a different story to tell.  Thanks to the commitment — thanks to the commitment of leaders of global — gathered today and the persistence of people in every region of the world demanding their rights be respected and their voices being heard, we’re seeing real indicatiors [sic] — real indications that we’re at a — we’re turning the tide here.
As I often say, we’re at an inflection point in history here, where the decisions we make today are going to affect the course of our world for the next several decades, for certain.
We’re going forward from this summit.  Our job is to keep building on our progress so we don’t start heading in the wrong direction again, to keep the momentum going.  This is a turning point for our world toward greater freedom, greater dignity, and greater democracy.
Here in the United States, we’ve demonstrated that our democracy can still do big things and deliver important progress for working Americans.
We’re bringing down the cost of essentials like prescription drugs and health insurance premiums.  We’re giving families a little bit more — as my dad used to say, a little bit more breathing room.
We’re rebuilding America’s infrastructure, driving innovation and tackling the climate crisis while — all while creating good union jobs and investing in communities that too often have been left behind in the past.
We’re also demonstrating the resilience of American democracy.
During our free, fair, and secure elections last fall, America’s first national election since the January 6th attack on our Capitol — Capitol, voters resoundingly and roundly rejected the voices of extremism attacking and undermining our democracy.
The right to vote, to have your vote counted, is the threshold of democracy and liberty everywhere in the world.  And with it, anything is possible.  Without it, in my view, nothing is possible.
That’s why, earlier this year I was proud to sign the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act to ensure American elections continue to reflect the will of the American people and protect the peaceful transfer of power.
You know, we’re going to keep working to further strengthen protections by working to pass what we call the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.  They’re just to further strength our democracy.
And it’s not just the United States that’s — that’s delivering on our commitment and demonstrating power — the power of democracy.
Angola — Angola has taken steps to build an independent judiciary, creating three new region- — three new regional courts of appeal, which are going to help process cases more quickly.
The — the Dominican Republic has modernized its anti-corruption law to create more than 100 anti-corruption officesat local levels.
Croatia is implementing a multi-year anti-corruption plan to increase government transparency and better oversee public procurement.
And there are many more examples I could give, but I’m not going to take the time, in many other countries for every person, from countries taking the first steps toward reform to well-established democracies of people making real changes to protect and strengthen their democracy.
Look, all we know, it’s not easy.  It’s not — this has never been easy.  Democracy is hard work.  The work of democracy is never finished.  It’s never laid down and that’s it, all you have to do.  It must be protected constantly.
We have to continually renew our commitment, continually strengthen our institutions, root out corruption where we find it, seek to build consensus, and reject political violence, give hate and extremism no safe harbor.
We have to continue our efforts to advance the rights and dignity — and I emphasize the word “dignity” — of all people, including women and girls — you know, because wherever women and girls are under threat, democracy, peace, and stability are at risk as well.  And we can’t achieve our goals if we’re leaving more than half the world’s population out of the solution.
We just heard from two incredible women who made an incredible case about — regarding Belarus.  They are — they’re not only women, they’re leaders.  They deserve and all women deserve to be represented.
Moreover, when we advance eq- — equality and racial justice, and invest in young people, protect the LGBTQ+ individuals, our societies are not only fairer but they’re stronger and more successful.
Democracy demands full and equal participation of all — all of our citizens.  That’s how we unleash the human potential and put ourselves in the strongest possible position to take on the shared challenges — and I emphasize “shared” challenges.
And when democracies stand together, we reinforce and amplify each other’s efforts to great effect.  And we’ve seen it over and over again — democracies stepping up to lead and to solve problems together, not just for our own people but for the world.
From our work to coordinate a global response to the COVID-19 pandemic to strengthen global health security so we have be- — we’re better prepared to prevent and respond to future global health threats; to our commitment to raise our ambitions on climate goals that we have to preserve our planet — literally preserve our planet for future generations; to making sure parents can feed their children, strengthening food security by building more sustainable and resilient food systems around the globe; and to the unprecedented unity — the unprecedented unity we’ve seen from democracies condemning Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine and standing in solidarity with the brave Ukrainian people as they defend their democracy.
So, today, the United States is building on our enduring commitment to boost democracy globally.
At the first Summit of Democracy, I launched the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, committed more than $400 million to shore up transparent and accountable governance, support for media freedom, to fight for international — fighting international corruption, stand with democracy and democratic reformers, promote technology that advances democracy, defend elections.
Now, working in close cooperation with the United States Congress, we plan to add another $690 million for new funding for the Presidential Initiative over the next two years.
And over the course of three years, my administration intends to work with Congress to commit $9.5 billion across all our efforts to advance democracy around the world.  We’re all safer when that occurs.
We’re creating a new Bureau for — of Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance at USAID to implement many of these funding commitments to enhance our support for democratic initiatives globally.
You know, one key focus of our democ- — of our democracy work will be on making sure that technologies can continue to develop — continue to develop that are used to advance democratic governance, not used to undermine it.
As part of this, earlier this week I signed an executive order here in the United States to restrict the U.S.  government’s use of commercial spyware that has been abused to target dissidents, activists, and journalists around the world, including in the United States.
U.S. taxpayer dollars should not — should not support companies that are willing to sell their products to abate [sic] human rights and violations — excuse me — abet human rights violations.
And I want to thank those countries who are joining us this week in committing to regulate the use of commercial spyware.
This effort is one of many — many my administration is leading in the digital space for strengthening tools for Internet freedom; to better protecting activists and journalists from cyber threats, harassment, abuse; and — and shaping emergency [sic] — emerging technologies like artificial intelligence so that they deliver and develop things that are in line with our values — our values.
And as you can probably tell, strengthening democracyis a subject about which I am somewhat passionate.  I believe this is a defining challenge of our age.
And today we can say with pride that the democracies of the world are getting stronger, not weaker.  Autocracies of the world are getting weaker, not stronger.
That’s a direct result of all of us — all of us coming together with confidence in ourselves and conviction in our cause: governments from around the globe, representatives of civil society and business, democratic activists and trade unionist — people who refuse to stand silent at attempts to erode their rights.
All — all of us are making the choice to be leaders of our world and what our world needs to make democracies stronger, to keep the torch of liberty burning for ourselves and generations to come.
We have to keep going, and we will.
Thanks to the Republic of Korea for stepping forward to host the next Summit for Democracies.  And we’ll sustain this forum as a driver of progress — for progress and an anchor for our commitment to one another.
So thank you all again for participating.  I look forward to all of you — each one of you, to hearing from you.
And I know — I’m now going to turn — turn this over to the President of Slovakia.  Madam President, it’s all yours.
(Participating leaders begin remarks.)
(Participating leaders conclude remarks.)
PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, thank you, Mr. President, for your last comments.  I agree with you completely.
Let me just close by thanking all of you again for making a priority, for your country and for the world, more democracy.
You know, we’re covering a lot of ground in these sessions today on all ways democracy can — is at — at the heart of all that we hope to achieve and for our people: spurring economic growth; shared prosperity; unfolding justice and upholding it as well; strengthening our institutions; taking global challenges — tackling them head on; advancing inclusion and equity for all our people.
The great strength of democracy is that it gives us all the tools we need for self-government and self-improvement.  And I’m proud to stand with all of you to defend those fundamental values we all share: justice, the rule of law, free speech, assembly, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and our core belief in the interest of human rights for every single individual in the world.
You know, we’ve accomplished a great deal together, but we all know how much work lies ahead.  We’ve proven we’re up to the challenge.  But with the Republic of Korea hosting the next Summit of Democracy, we’re going to keep going, together, all of us.
So, I thank you all very much.  I won’t take any more of your time.  But I’ve been impressed by what you’ve had to say.  Thank you all very, very much.
12:37 P.M. EDT