U.S. Summit for Democracy, Featuring Estonian Prime Minister and Youth Leader, Reinforces Global Commitment to Democracy and Human Rights
December 9, 2021
United States President Joe Biden welcomes world leaders from 110 countries, including Estonia, to the virtual Summit for Democracy on December 9-10, 2021. The Summit, which includes participation by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and youth leader Vladislav Veližanin, reinforces the U.S. and global commitment to placing democracy and human rights at the center of our foreign policy.
The summit centers on three themes — defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights — and will feature remarks and panel discussions with U.S. President Biden and other government leaders, including Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, as well as U.S. cabinet secretaries and non-governmental and multilateral leaders. Prime Minister Kallas will participate in a panel discussions on “Protecting Democratic Institutions: Elections, the Rule of Law, and a Resilient Information Space,” taking place December 10th at 3:00 PM EET. The Prime Minister’s pre-recorded remarks to the summit will air December 9th at approximately 3:15 PM EET.
Vladislav Veližanin, Chief Specialist at the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People, member of the Estonian youth organization “Open Republic,” and alumnus of the 2015 Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship program, will participate in the Summit for Democracy Youth Townhall on December 10 at 7:15 PM EET. Vlad was selected as one of 70 young leaders from around the world to engage in an open conversation on democracy with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
All events, including the panel discussion with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and the Youth Town Hall, will be livestreamed at https://www.state.gov/summit-for-democracy /. For a full list of events, please visit: https://www.state.gov/schedule-the-summit-for-democracy/
