Open Societies:
India signed off on a joint statement by G-7 and guest countries on “open societies”.
- The ‘Open Societies Statement’ was adopted at the end of an G7 outreach session titled ‘Building Back Together—Open Societies and Economies’, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited as a lead speaker.
- The joint statement was signed by the G-7 countries, and India, South Korea, Australia and South Africa, with host British Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling them “Democracies 11”.
- This statement reaffirms the values of “freedom of expression, both online and offline, as a freedom that safeguards democracy”.
- The statement also refers to “politically motivated internet shutdowns” as one of the threats to freedom and democracy.
- It also affirmed, “human rights for all, both online and offline, as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights instruments, and opposition to any form of discrimination, so that everyone can participate fully and equally in society”.
