IRI Delegation Participates in the 2023 Copenhagen Democracy Summit
On May 15, the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Executive Vice President Kimber Shearer participated in the Copenhagen Democracy Summit and participated in the session on Standing Up for Women, Life and Freedom. Introducing one of the spotlight series speakers Naheed Farid, an Afghanistan Parliamentarian in-exile, she touched on women’s role in the fight for freedom around the world.
“Courageous women continue to stand up against authoritarianism, fighting for freedom, democracy, and equality,” said Shearer. “Around the world, women are running for political office and using their power to deliver on democracy and protect fundamental rights.”
Throughout the course of Naheed Farid’s political journey, IRI has supported her efforts to fight for women’s rights and advocate for democratic advancement in Afghanistan. Shearer also noted the important work of IRI’s Women’s Democracy Network (WDN), which seeks to empower women worldwide. “Imagine a world where every member of society feels empowered to make a difference… how together we can unlock the true potential of democracy,” Farid remarked.
IRI was also proud to support a delegation to the Summit that represented political, digital, and non-profit leaders from around the world. These included Senator of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Centa Lothy Rek López, OpenArchive’s David Aragort, Matthew Nguyen from Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and two members of Generation Democracy’s Advisory Board, Solayman Maso and Zeljko Vukša-Fejzić. The delegation participated in opening day events, such as a roundtable lunch to discuss achieving collective democratic gains and the spotlight series on standing up for “Women, Life, Freedom.”
About the Summit:
The Copenhagen Democracy Summit is an annual summit hosted by the Alliance of Democracies (AoD). This year’s event marked the sixth meeting. The Summit is aimed at bringing together democratic allies to act as a “megaphone for democracy.” This year, it focused on Ukraine’s victory, defending Taiwan, supporting democracy defenders around the world, and the intersection between tech, AI, and democracy.