Senior Official for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Liz Allen announced today that the United States is joining the International Partnership for Information and Democracy. Spearheaded by France and Reporters Without Borders, the Partnership is a non-binding initiative comprising 45 endorsing countries that promotes democratic principles in the global information and communications space.
Allen made the announcement during remarks to the second Summit of the Forum on Information and Democracy, hosted at the French Consulate, on the margins of the 77th United Nations General Assembly session in New York, where she was joined by Lisa Peterson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
In her remarks, Allen noted that disinformation and challenges to the sustainability of journalism and independent media threaten democracy. She expressed appreciation for the work of the Partnership and urged world leaders to work together to create a more democratic information and communication ecosystem.
U.S. participation in the Partnership advances the ongoing work of the Summit for Democracy's Year of Action. In December 2021, the United States announced a series of commitments under the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal of up to $424.4 million to support a series of programs, including support for free and independent media and access to information.
