United States President Joe Biden will later Wednesday announce some $690 million in new funding for the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, in addition to a new set of policy initiatives intended to advance technology that works to bolster democracies around the world.
Biden is currently co-hosting the second Summit for Democracy in order to expand on initiatives first introduced when the summit was launched in 2021 in the face of rising authoritarianism globally.
This year the summit is being co-hosted by Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia.
Biden’s Presidential Initiative is focused on accountable governance through advancing technologies for democracy, supporting free and independent media, fighting corruption, bolstering human rights and democratic reformers and defending free and fair elections.
The almost $700 million in new financing comes after 400 million dollars was pledged for similar programmes in 2021. The White House says the US government is committed to countering the misuse of technology and stemming the tide of digital authoritarianism while shaping emerging technologies to ensure respect for human rights and democratic principles.
