“There is a tendency to think that democracies perish as a result of violent action, such as military coups or aggression. But in our time, they can be undermined by other overt means or wither away in enforced silence,” said Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir, referring to anti-democratic practices such as taking control of the mediascape, silencing opposition voices and suppressing critical media outlets, demonizing civil society groups as foreign agents, as well as changing electoral laws through gerrymandering or by restricting access to voting.

“This dangerous trend is a warning sign to all of us who are committed to democracy as the only way to guarantee equal political rights and to choose our own representatives.”

“There are, to be sure, democracies that flourish today, having strong public institutions that function in accordance with democratic principles and political parties that are committed to the democratic system and the rule of law.”

“As a consequence of multiple crises in the past decade - a financial crisis, a pandemic and, most recently, a brutal war - democracy has come under strain.”

The Prime Minister stressed the need to educate people on democracy and how important the political parties are as gatekeepers of democracy to mitigate extreme political polarization and in the fight against social exclusion and disinformation.

“Democracies must stay together to protect hard-won political rights and freedoms,” she said.

“Democracy – humans rights – equality. In my mind, these three values cannot be separated from each other. Democracy is about the equal rights of people to make decisions for their societies. Social justice and equality are a key factor in ensuring those rights.”

“Peace is not the absence of war, and war is not the absence of peace. To promote peace, we need a just society, where human rights and democracy are respected, where the rights of the many are guaranteed to influence decision-making and social and economic progress. And international conventions on human rights, such as the European Human Rights Convention.”

“Women have long been at the forefront of civil and political rights movements across the globe. Their full participation in politics – at the national or local levels – is fundamental to democracy. And when women’s equality has been reached in the political arena, it makes for stronger decision-making and more representative governance.”

Finally, the Prime Minister referred to the decision made by the Committee of Ministers which calls on the leaders of the 46 member states to “unite around our values” at a summit next year, only the 4th summit in the history of the organisation.

Full speech