Taipei Declaration on Democratic Governance in the Indo-Pacific

May 28, 2026

Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan) | May 28, 2026

At a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty, intensifying authoritarian pressure, long-term strategic competition, and increasing threats to democratic governance worldwide, we, the below signed participants gathered in Taipei, reaffirm our shared commitment to freedom, democracy, human dignity, human rights and the rule of law.

The Indo-Pacific stands at the forefront of the global struggle over the future of the international order. Across the region, democratic societies face mounting challenges, including foreign interference, economic coercion, information manipulation, cyber threats, military intimidation, and efforts to undermine public trust in democratic institutions.  Moreover, democratic space remains severely restricted, with democracy activists, opposition leaders, and human rights defenders facing systematic and intensifying persecution. These challenges do not affect one society alone. They represent a shared challenge to free peoples everywhere.

We therefore affirm that the defense of democracy requires deeper cooperation among democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific and with democratic allies around the world. Democracies must work together not only to protect their security, sovereignty, and capacity to deter coercion, but also to strengthen the institutions, transparency, and civic trust that sustain free societies.

We recognize that democratic resilience is built through accountable governance, an independent media, vibrant civil society, free and fair elections, inclusive social dialogue, active community engagement, equal opportunities, and the protection of fundamental freedoms. Efforts to weaken these institutions, or to deepen exclusion, insecurity, and economic precarity threaten the stability and prosperity of the entire region.

We further affirm the importance of strengthening political, economic, technological, and security cooperation among democratic partners. Open and secure and fair supply chains, transparent economic practices, trusted technology networks, and sustainable development are essential foundations for both prosperity and security in the twenty-first century. The control of artificial intelligence is an important element, perhaps the decisive one, in the global struggle between freedom and autocracy. Democratic societies in the Indo-Pacific, North America, Europe, and elsewhere need to work together not to allow AI superiority, or even dominance, by totalitarian actors.

Taiwan’s democratic experience demonstrates that free societies can remain resilient even under sustained external pressure. Its democratic lessons, as well as lessons from elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, should be shared more actively among peoples striving to build democratic societies. Democracies may differ in history, culture, and political experience, but they share common core principles – constitutional government, the rule of law, freedom of religion, free media, and independent civil society. These principles, and the universal human rights that sustain them, are not “Western”, as some claim they are, but truly universal.

Peace, stability, and security are best preserved when democracies stand together, maintain credible deterrence, support one another, and uphold international laws that protect freedom, human dignity, and peaceful coexistence.

We therefore call for stronger cooperation among democratic societies in the Indo-Pacific and beyond; expanded collaboration on democratic resilience, institutional integrity, and countering information manipulation, foreign interference, and hybrid threats; closer economic, technological and environmental partnerships, including AI development and AI supply chains, grounded in transparency, trust, human rights-based, democratic control, and shared prosperity; stronger support for democracy activists, opposition leaders, and human rights defenders facing persecution; continued support for civil society, free media, and democratic governance; sustained dialogue and cooperation among democratic partners to safeguard peace, stability, deterrence, and freedom for future generations, in the region and beyond; and the affirmation of the universality of democratic values and principles.

We believe that the future of the Indo-Pacific should not be shaped by fear, coercion, or domination, but by the free choices of its people and by cooperation among societies committed to openness, dignity, and peace.

We reaffirm our commitment to democratic governance and to continued cooperation in defense of open societies in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. The future of freedom will depend not on the strength of any one country alone, but on the collective resolve of democratic societies. To pursue our joint efforts on the above stated principles and objectives, we therefore commit to continue our engagement with the Forum for Democratic Cooperation (FDC) and to contribute to its goals with ideas, participation, and action in our respective environments. We call on the organizers and the partners of this gathering to seek practical ways to continue its operation, make it sustainable and impactful.

List of signatories (in alphabetical order | participants of the Forum for Democratic Cooperation)

  • Mantas Adomenas, Secretary General, Community of Democracies, Lithuania

  • Celito Arlegue, Executive Director, Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, Philippines

  • Lucie Bartošová, Member, Parliament, Czechia

  • Yavor Bozhankov, Member, Atlantic Club of Bulgaria, Bulgaria

  • James Carouso, Chair, Sealight Foundation, USA

  • Antonio Carpio, Chairman, Institute of Maritime and Ocean Affairs, Philippines

  • Kuan-Ju Chou, Deputy Secretary General, Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Republic of China (Taiwan)

  • In-Bum Chun, President, Society for Army Alliance Korea, South Korea

  • Samuel Cogolati, Member, Huy City Assembly, Belgium

  • Karel Dvořák, Member, Parliament, Czechia

  • Cristian Escribano Ramirez, Member, Parliament of Catalonia, Spain

  • Carl Gershman, Founding President, National Endowment for Democracy, USA

  • Jaslyn Go, Woman Caucus Chair, Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, Singapore

  • Michael Hsiao, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, Republic of China (Taiwan)

  • Zdena Kašparová, Member, Parliament, Czechia

  • Jakub Klepal, Executive Director, Forum 2000 Foundation, Czechia

  • Nan Sandar Kyaw, Researcher, Myanmar

  • Sook Jong Lee, Representative, Asia Democracy Research Network, South Korea

  • Rodrigo Lima Faliveni, Project Coordinator, Forum 2000 Foundation, Uruguay

  • Yeh-Chung Lu, Vice President, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, Republic of China (Taiwan)

  • Tomas Martinaitis, Member, Parliament, Lithuania

  • Michaela Moricová, Member, Parliament, Czechia

  • Alexandru Muraru, Member, Parliament, Romania

  • Jan Papajanovský, Member, Parliament, Czechia

  • Sriparna Pathak, Jindal Global University, India

  • Raymond Powell, Executive Director, Sealight Foundation, USA

  • Niranjan Sahoo, Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

  • Štěpán Slovák, Member, Parliament, Czechia

  • Kateřina Stojanová, Member, Parliament, Czechia

  • Markus Trainer, Municipal Councillor, NEOS Parliamentary Club, Austria

  • Samuel Volpe, Member, Parliament, Czechia

  • Min-Hsuan Wu, Co-Founder and CEO, Doublethink Lab, Republic of China (Taiwan)