President Michael D. Higgins expresses support for UN democracy initiatives by leaders of Chile, Brazil and Spain

President Michael D. Higgins has released a statement praising the role of the leaders of Chile, Brazil and Spain at the United Nations General Assembly this week.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón addressed the UN at a 'In Defence of Democracy: Fighting Against Extremism' event.

President Higgins said he was "honoured" to be invited to join them, but "was not in a position to attend."

He said the event and the leaders' collaboration are "enormously valuable" and "a movement that has acquired a powerful moral force where democracy has been challenged in the region."

"Defending democracy requires bold, practical actions," Higgins said.

"In our current circumstances, we must all work together to lend our support to measures that counter democratic backsliding, by making governments more transparent, accountable, and responsive to citizens.

"Our collective response to the emerging anti-democratic offensive that we witness in so many parts of our shared world must be concrete, tangible, and urgent."

Higgins wrote that together, the countries should act in a manner "that strengthens democratic institutions, combats disinformation and misinformation, regulates emerging disruptive technologies" and reduces "the yawning inequality" that is widespread across the globe.

"Such a response would go some way to mitigating the democratic crisis, restoring trust amongst the citizenries, a trust so lost in the wake of austerity and the current rise and rise of the unaccountable, which constitutes the most significant threat to democracy even in what describes itself as the so-called ‘developed’ world," Higgins said.

Huggins described the significance of his experiences travelling to South America, where he observed a transition away from military dictatorships and towards different forms of democratic participation. He said citizens acted to promote democracy out of "respect for values of decency, democracy and human rights and the future emancipatory possibilities it created."

"The defence and development of democracy is important for its own people, but it also has had a resonance beyond its borders," said Higgins, adding, "These are lessons that must be taught widely to the world."

He concluded by encouraging all UN member states to support the leaders' democratic initiative and to "bring it home to their people and the regions."