Wopke Hoekstra to address media freedom during Summit for Democracy
On 29 and 30 March 2023 the Netherlands will be one of the co-hosts of the second Summit for Democracy’, organised by the United States. The other co-hosts are Costa Rica, Zambia and South Korea.
As co-host for the broader European region, on the second day of the summit the Netherlands will hold a hybrid event on media freedom. Foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra will open the event, which will also be attended by Ruth Kronenburg of Free Press Unlimited and Derk Sauer of The Moscow Times.
Freedom of expression is an important precondition for a well-functioning democracy, and the media play a key role in this regard. A total of 85% of the global population are experiencing a decline in media freedom in their respective countries. In Europe too, media freedom is under threat.
The Netherlands is working around the world to protect and promote fundamental principles such as democracy, the rule of law and human rights. During the event for the European region on 30 March, the Netherlands will seek to foster discussions with government representatives, civil society organisations, young people, academics and journalists in the interests of defending media freedom. Amanda Bennett, CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), will be heading the official US delegation in the Netherlands. USAID Administrator Samantha Power will participate by video link.
You can follow the plenary session of the Summit for Democracy on 29 March here. The event on media freedom hosted by the Netherlands on 30 March can be followed here.
Originally published at https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2023/03/29/hoekstra-summit-for-democracy
