Important for democracies to listen to the public says Christodoulides

It is imperative to identify the challenges affecting democratic societies and to listen to the needs of the people, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday addressing the 2023 Summit for Democracy, organised by the US government.

The president took part in the summit at the invitation of US President Joe Biden.

This year’s summit is the second to take place. It aims at the better coordination and the strengthening of democratic values among states based on democratic structures.

Christodoulides took part in the opening ceremony, which featured greetings from Biden and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, later participating virtually with a short, taped speech.

Christodoulides assured of his personal commitment and readiness to work closely with all the leaders participating in the summit to safeguard and promote the basic and important values that govern democracy.

He added that it is imperative to identify the real challenges affecting democratic societies in our time, as well as listen to the concerns of the public.

“We must show courage in further promoting systemic reforms to achieve the full and equal participation of all citizens, without discrimination or artificial obstacles,” he said.

The president pointed out a series of commitments that Cyprus had made during the first summit in 2021, on issues such as gender equality, child protection and access to education, expressing satisfaction that progress has been made on all of them, but also more broadly in the field of human rights.

“However, we acknowledge that more needs to be done,” he said, stressing that his government intends to develop more human-centered policies at all levels, with the aim of eliminating discrimination and promoting relevant legislative arrangements, which will govern the principles of the rule of law.