Digital Press Briefing with Uzra Zeya, Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights

MODERATOR:  Greetings from the U.S. Department of State’s Asia Pacific Media Hub.  I would like to welcome journalists to today’s on-the-record briefing with Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya.  Under Secretary Zeya will discuss U.S. participation and takeaways of the third Summit for Democracy, hosted by the Republic of Korea.  Additionally, she will discuss how the United States is advocating for democracy and human rights around the globe.

With that, let’s get started.  Under Secretary Zeya, I’ll turn it over to you for your opening remarks.

UNDER SECRETARY ZEYA:  Thank you, Katie, and good morning, everyone.  Thank you so much for joining us today.  I am thrilled to be in Seoul for this third Summit for Democracy, hosted by the Republic of Korea.  I want to commend the ROK for hosting a dynamic and inclusive summit these last three days that brought together hundreds of governments, civil society, private sector, and – importantly – youth leaders under the theme, “Democracy for Future Generations.”

As you know, President Biden launched the first Summit for Democracy in 2021.  Last year, we were honored to co-host the second summit with Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Zambia, and the ROK, demonstrating that protecting democracy is a global responsibility not exclusive to any one region.  And we are so grateful that the ROK has carried the baton forward this year in hosting this impactful third summit.

I was pleased to join the U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken with senior colleagues from the National Security Council, State Department, and the United States Agency for International Development.

At the March 18th opening day ministerial on AI, digital technology, and democracy, Secretary Blinken unveiled new U.S. guidelines to help online platforms better protect human rights defenders targeted online and laid out a U.S. vision for deterring disinformation and creating a more resilient information ecosystem globally.

That same day, the Secretary also welcomed six new countries – the Republic of Korea, Japan, Poland, Germany, Ireland, and Finland – to a joint statement on commercial spyware, now totaling 17 nations committed to addressing the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware, including digital repression of journalists and human rights defenders.

This announcement built on a range of actions since the second Summit for Democracy, when President Biden signed an executive order restricting the U.S. Government’s use of commercial spyware, including export control, sanctions, and a new visa ban policy against spyware vendors and their leadership.

Secretary Blinken also announced on Monday that the United States is launching a new National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct that sets out more than 40 concrete actions across 16 government agencies, to help ensure that companies we work with are upholding human rights.

March 19th summit proceedings included over 50 sessions focused on youth and civil society engagement on issues ranging from elevating the fight against corruption to advancing information integrity in line with this record year of elections.

Yesterday, I was proud to announce the U.S. launch with the Community of Democracies of the Global Youth Democracy Network.  Young people all over the world will be invited to join the network, interact via an online platform, learn from digital programming, exchange perspectives, and engage policymakers.  And today, March 20, the Seoul summit concludes with a virtual leaders’ plenary later this evening led by ROK President Yoon, at which President Biden will offer special (inaudible).

Having helped lead U.S. planning for the first summit over two years ago, carrying through to this week, three key takeaways emerged from this highly successful global Summit for Democracy.

Number one, democracy endures.  A diverse grouping of democracies large and small, emerging and established, East and West, are hard at work implementing over 750 commitments since the first summit to strengthen democratic institutions, protect human rights, and accelerate the fight against corruption.  For our part, the United States has requested 345 million U.S. dollars in the Fiscal Year 2025 President’s Budget, subject to congressional appropriations, for the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, in support of free and fair elections, independent media, anti-corruption, democratic reformers, and rights-respecting technology globally.

Number two, democracy adapts.  (Inaudible) summit expanded efforts to address the challenges and opportunities that AI and emerging technologies pose to democracies – through the new guidelines for tech platforms to protect human rights defenders online, to expanded U.S.-led and collective efforts to curb repressive use of commercial spyware, to our new Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct.  Democracies are working with a broader range of actors, especially the private sector, to advance more rights-respecting and resilient societies.

And third, democracy must not be for some – it must be for all, as Secretary Blinken declared this week in Seoul.  This third summit affirmed that in this historic year of elections, we must ensure that electoral processes are inclusive and that barriers to participation of women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized individuals are dismantled.  This is the spirit behind the U.S. launch of the Global Youth Democracy Network this year.  This is also the impetus behind the convening next week in Kenya on gender disinformation, hosted by the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, of which the United States is a proud member along with 13 other governments.

Once again, we thank the ROK and President Yoon for their global leadership hosting this highly impactful, inclusive, and successful third Summit for Democracy.

With that, I’ll stop here so we have time for questions.  Katie, back over to you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you so much, Under Secretary Zeya.  We will now turn to the question-and-answer portion of today’s briefing.  Our first question came to us in advance from Jinmyung Kim of The Chosun Ilbo, based in the Republic of Korea, who asks:  “Authoritarian countries like China and North Korea are tightening their already firm grip on internet and overall information technology.  What do you think democracies can and should do in response?”

UNDER SECRETARY ZEYA:  Well, thank you for this important question.  And let me say at the outset an open information environment is the bedrock of democracy.  Access to reliable, fact-based information online is essential for citizens to be able to make informed decisions and participate in democratic processes.

That is why the United States is committed along with our partners to supporting the role of independent journalists and media outlets.  This includes through accurate and objective reporting, support for fact-checking and media-monitoring efforts, and exposing and disrupting foreign information manipulation efforts intended to subvert democratic processes.  And these were all points that Secretary Blinken outlined in a very important speech to the summit on the opening day, March 18th.

The United States is also committed to countering disinformation by investing in media, digital, and civic literacy; strengthening institutional capabilities to counter disinformation; and enhancing and building trust in public communication.  We encourage other countries to take similar action to create a trustworthy, open, and secure information environment.

And one final point here.  It’s critical to recognize and support the role of civil society, journalists, academia, and the private sector in building information integrity and support civic education and educational efforts, which enhance critical thinking through building long-term resilience to disinformation.

Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question came to us from Daeeui Park in the Maeil Business Newspaper, based in Seoul, Korea:  “What is the level of interest in the democracy summit in the U.S.?  What efforts has the U.S. Government made to engage the public?”

UNDER SECRETARY ZEYA:  Well, in sum I would say the level of interest is strong and sustained.  President Biden launched the first Summit for Democracy in Washington in 2021 in recognition of the inflection point we are all facing, including the United States, when it comes to the future of democracy.

Through our Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, we are strengthening democracy and human rights at home and abroad.  Last year alone, the United States committed 690 million U.S. dollars to democratic renewal through that funding, and I look forward to today’s launch of the U.S. National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct.

But I also want to stress that since its inception, U.S. activists and civil society have been deeply engaged and embedded in shaping and advancing the Summit for Democracy (inaudible) and we are so proud and thankful for their partnership.  Well over 1,400 civil society organizations from the United States and all over the world contributed to the Summit for Democracy efforts since the very first one in 2021, and we have a number of civil society actors and American citizens who are helping to lead 16 democracy cohorts that include governmental, civil society, and in many cases private-sector partners working to address shared challenges.

So again, to answer your question, there has been great and very strong engagement from the United States from the highest levels of our government to our dynamic civil society community, to our own democratic renewal commitments domestically, which have been a focus for us since the first summit.

I also just want to highlight here our gratitude to the Republic of Korea for this third summit’s emphasis on youth inclusion and the theme of “Democracy for Future Generations,” which gave us a just ideal platform to launch this new Global Youth Democracy Network, which the United States is launching with the Community of Democracies for youth democracy actors worldwide.

Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question goes to the live queue to Sangho Song from Yonhap News Agency, based in Washington, D.C.  Sangho, you should be able to unmute yourself now.

QUESTION:  Thank you.  Thank you very much for doing this, Ambassador.  You participated in the Summit for Democracy, and the summit took place in South Korea, very close to the tightly controlled socialist society in North Korea, where democratic principles are nowhere to be found.  What kind of message, either implicit or explicit, do you think the summit has sent to North Korea this week?

And I have a second question as well.  I’m also wondering if you foresee any opportunities arising for engagement with North Korea since Western diplomats started to enter North Korea and a resident UN official has been appointed, and we heard of talk of diplomacy between Japan and North Korea.  So what is your prediction for the U.S. diplomacy with North Korea in the foreseeable future?

Thank you.

UNDER SECRETARY ZEYA:  Well, thank you for raising this critically important issue, and I want to say here that the DPRK is among the most repressive authoritarian states in the world and its human rights situation is absolutely deplorable.  The DPRK continues to exploit its own citizens and divert resources from the country’s people to build up its unlawful WMD and ballistic weapons programs.

So on the part of the United States, we are going to continue to work with the international community and especially our closest allies, like the ROK, to raise awareness of the grave DPRK human rights situation, to document violations and abuses, to counter DPRK transnational repression when the regime reaches beyond its borders to harass and intimidate others, and we’re going to work to increase the flow of independent information into, through, and out of the DPRK.

And I want to make an additional point here.  We have a dynamic ambassador dedicated to the human rights situation in the DPRK, Ambassador Julie Turner.  She has been here in Seoul twice to coordinate and increase our consultation, and she is in Geneva as we speak on the margins of the Human Rights Council, with her ROK counterpart, drawing attention to this critical 10-year anniversary this year of the landmark Commission of Inquiry on the DPRK, which found that the regime is perpetrating crimes against humanity against its own people.

So that grave human rights situation could not contrast more with the affirmative vision of progress and purpose articulated in this third Summit for Democracy.

MODERATOR:  Okay.  Next in the live queue we have James Griffiths, who is based in Hong Kong with The Globe and Mail.  Let’s see, James, you should be able to unmute yourself now.

QUESTION:  Yeah, thank you very much, ambassador.  When we talk about promoting democracy in Asia, it tends to be in the context of countries with which the U.S. has a, let’s say, difficult relationship when – in terms of China and North Korea.  But I wanted to ask about Vietnam, which is a recently upgraded U.S. diplomatic ally but is kind of – seems no closer to democracy and is – kind of has taken steps back in terms of civil and human rights in recent years.  What’s the U.S. doing to promote democracy with allies that aren’t necessarily on board with this form of government just yet?

UNDER SECRETARY ZEYA:  Well, thank you for asking this question.  I think that the U.S. has elevated its engagement with Vietnam in recent years, and President Biden has been a prime supporter of this effort and we have ongoing human rights engagement with the Vietnamese Government.  We also have been very forthright in expressing our concerns with respect to issues like freedom of expression and religious freedom in Vietnam.

But our view is this engagement is part of our steadfast commitment, through diplomacy, to advancing a more free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, and our engagement with Vietnam and our forthright expressions of concerns when it comes to human rights are part of that commitment by the United States.  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Okay.  Our next question came to us in advance from Minhee Park of The Hankyoreh in Seoul, South Korea, who asks:  “Taiwan’s digital minister delivered a recorded online speech at the democracy summit.  A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson criticized South Korea, saying that China strongly opposes Taiwan’s participation in the democracy summit.  What is your opinion on this?”

UNDER SECRETARY ZEYA:  Well, thank you for asking this question.  I want to make one point at the outset:  The ROK is a sovereign state that makes its own decisions, and we again commend their leadership in hosting this highly impactful and successful summit.

And with respect to Taiwan, Taiwan has remained a leading, resilient democracy.  It’s a technological powerhouse.  And in the United States view, it is a force for good in the world.  Taiwan consistently stands as a world leader in political rights, civil liberties, global competitiveness, and AI and digital technologies, which was one of the focus areas of this third summit.

As a highly capable, engaged, and responsible member of the global community, we all stand to benefit from Taiwan’s expertise to address some of today’s most difficult global challenges, and we think Taiwan can meaningfully contribute to the summit’s objectives.

Final point here, I would just stress that the summit is not about any one participating stakeholder.  It’s about advancing an affirmative agenda on how stakeholders can support democracy, human rights, anti-corruption, rights-respecting technology, and civil society contributions to societal (inaudible).

MODERATOR:  All right, our next question is also from Park Minhee with The Hankyoreh daily in Seoul, who wrote to us via the Q&A tab and asks:  “Two questions.  I agree with the principles of democracy and freedom that the United States advocates; however, the U.S.-backed Israeli army is currently attacking Gaza and many Gazans are being killed by bombs or dying of starvation.  During this conference, South Korean NGO activists protested against this situation.  This situation undermines the support for democracy and humanitarianism” – excuse me – “that the United States emphasizes.  What do you think about this?

“And part two, the U.S. is discussing a bill to regulate TikTok.  Do you think China is likely to intervene via social media in elections in South Korea, the U.S., and elsewhere this year?”

Over.

UNDER SECRETARY ZEYA:  Well, with respect to your first question, certainly the United States is a strong supporter in freedom of association, and we absolutely commend the Korean people in their commitment to their democracy and their expressing their views.  And protests are a vital element of thriving democracies, and I think it’s a reflection of the openness and the strength of Korean democracy.

With respect to the situation in Gaza, I just want to underscore that President Biden and Secretary Blinken have stressed the urgent need to significantly increase the flow of lifesaving aid reaching those in need throughout Gaza.  And Secretary Blinken announced just yesterday plans to make his sixth visit to the Middle East since the onset of the October 7th attacks on Israel perpetrated by Hamas, and we are very focused on increasing the safe and unhindered delivery of assistance throughout Gaza.

We are supportive absolutely of Israel’s right to defend itself consistent with international law, and we are also working towards a political horizon.  Ultimately, the elements of a durable solution, which we believe is a two-state solution – a Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel.  So the United States has been leading diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to respond to this crisis.  We are grateful for the support that the ROK has offered in this case, and we will continue to make this one of the highest priorities of American diplomacy.

With respect to your question on TikTok, I just have to say this is not my area of responsibility as under secretary, so I would ask that that question be taken by the embassy to see if we can give you a considered response.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  I think we have time for one last question.  We had a question submitted in advanced from Kanwal Abidi of the AZB Daily in Karachi, Pakistan, who asks:  “Tomorrow, all eyes will be on the U.S. congressional committee hearing on the future of Pakistan democracy post-February 8th, 2024 elections.  In your opinion, were Pakistani elections free and fair?  Further, Donald Lu will testify before Congress, so do you think it will impact U.S. and Pakistan bilateral relations amidst the current cipher case?  Thank you.”

UNDER SECRETARY ZEYA:  Thank you for asking this question, and I want to reiterate some key points.  First of all, with respect to Pakistan’s February 8th elections, millions of Pakistanis made their voices heard.  We saw record numbers of Pakistani women, members of religious and ethnic minority groups and youth registered, and we commend Pakistani poll workers, civil society, journalists, and election observers for their work to protect and uphold Pakistan’s democratic and electoral institutions.

But at the same time, the United States has joined credible international and local election observers in our assessment that these elections included undue restrictions on freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.  We also condemned electoral violence, restrictions on the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including attacks on media workers, and restrictions on access to the internet and telecommunications services, and we’re concerned about allegations of interference in Pakistan’s electoral process.  So claims of interference or fraud should be fully investigated.

My third and final point here is that the United States is prepared to work with the new Pakistani government to advance our shared interests, and we are committed to strengthening cooperation in a way that affords the Pakistani people the peace, democracy, and progress that they deserve.

MODERATOR:  Okay, thank you.  And now, Under Secretary Zeya, if you have any closing remarks, I’ll turn it back over to you.

UNDER SECRETARY ZEYA:  Thank you very much.  I really appreciate this opportunity to engage this dynamic global gathering, and in closing I would just like to underscore that three years of democracy summits have affirmed three core truths.  First, democracies are stronger together.  Second, civil society and independent media, like all of you on this call, are integral to successful democracies.  And third, collaboration across sectors, regions, and generations is integral to democratic renewal.

So as Secretary Blinken noted in Seoul, safeguarding our democracies is a collective effort, one that depends on our government and people working together.  That is the power of the Summit for Democracy.  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  That brings us to the end of our time today.  Thank you for your questions, and huge thanks to Under Secretary Zeya for taking time to join us.  We will provide a transcript of this briefing to participating journalists as soon as it is available.  We’d also love to hear your feedback, and you can contact us at any time at AsiaPacMedia@state.gov.

Thanks again for your participation, and we hope you can join us for another briefing soon.  Take care.