America stands resolutely with our democratic friends and allies, today and every day. Working together, we can consolidate and promote democratic institutions at home, regionally, and globally. We welcome the Seoul Plan of Action, which will challenge all of us to take the lead within our regions to build democracy and foster cooperation between regions. We have a great opportunity to build upon the significant work that has already been achieved by a number of multilateral organizations and continue a process of sharing best practices.

Now more than ever, it is vitally important for the democratic community to hear the call of people across the globe who naturally long for freedom. We must answer this call by working to extend democracy to every country in the world and every person on earth. This meeting is unique in that it advances a public-private partnership that is essential to realize these goals. It is fitting that we�ve built a bridge between our work and the work of the NGO Forum, as civil society forms the backbone of democracy. This partnership will help ensure that the forces of democracy around the world will prevail over authoritarianism and terrorism. It is toward this future that we all must commit ourselves.

The fight for democracy is a long and sometimes difficult one, but for the sake of future generations, we must not lose this opportunity to take concerted action to ensure that the 21^st century will be forever known as the century of democracy.