Item 3: General Debate
Statement by the Delegation of the United States
Human Rights Council, 46th Session
March 9, 2021
As delivered by Sean Mariano Garcia
Thank you Madame President.
Democratic progress demands that all citizens have equal opportunity to participate in political processes through the exercise of the freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and expression. Periodic and genuine elections, along with a robust civil society, build confidence in representative governance and contribute to greater peace and stability.
We remain concerned about non-peaceful transitions of power as well as countries where the basis of government authority is not rooted in the will of the people. We note that all countries, at all stages of development or democratization, are capable of ensuring that their government reflects the will of the governed.
In the United States, many of our core values have come under intense pressure in recent years. We are learning from our experience, and we have emerged stronger, more determined, and better equipped to unite the world in fighting to defend democracy worldwide, because we have fought for it at home.