FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, April 14, 2021   

CONTACT: Rachael Dean Wilson or Kayla Goodson, press@securingdemocracy.org                                                                             

The Government of Canada, Microsoft and ASD issue Multi-Stakeholder Insights: A Compendium on Countering Election Interference  

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, and Karen Donfried, President of the German Marshall Fund on behalf of the Alliance for Securing Democracy, shared Multi-Stakeholder Insights: A Compendium on Countering Election Interference.

Throughout this past year, the Paris Call Principle 3 co-leads held a series of workshops with international partners and experts from government, industry and civil society to share key observations and to further global understanding of ways to counter cyber-based election interference. The result of these workshops is Multi-Stakeholder Insights: A Compendium on Countering Election Interference, a collection of good practices to support election management bodies, governments and other democratic stakeholders in their efforts to safeguard elections and democracy.

As cyberspace continues to be a primary domain for the exercise of democracy, our government is committed to protecting elections from interference and countering malicious cyber activities. The Principle 3 co-leads present this compendium to those working to do the same.

“Our government is committed to advancing and protecting democracy and we believe we are stronger and more resilient when we work together. It is why we joined with Microsoft and the Alliance for Securing Democracy to co-champion Principle 3 of the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace. Today’s release, Multi-Stakeholder Insights: A Compendium on Countering Election Interference, is the culmination of that work. It captures the key observations, ideas and good practices for defending electoral processes that were shared by a diverse group of stakeholders and experts. Together we are committed to advancing and protecting democracy.”

– The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

“Democracies around the world continue to feel the impact of election interference, and the practices shared in this compendium will increase resilience against this threat. The Paris Call, specifically the partnership between Canada and the German Marshall Fund demonstrates the value and importance of multi-stakeholder engagement.”

– Brad Smith, President, Microsoft

“Protecting democratic elections against malign foreign interference is not a task for any one country, institution, or sector alone—it requires a whole-of-society effort. The Alliance for Securing Democracy joined with the Government of Canada and Microsoft to build a multi-stakeholder community to share lessons, discuss common threats, and lay out how civil society, government, and the private sector can work together to counter interference. The compendium released today draws on the expertise of scores of experts in Europe, the United States, and in the Pacific and provides concrete recommendations to improve our collective, democratic resilience.”

– Dr. Karen Donfried, President, German Marshall Fund on behalf of the Alliance for Securing Democracy

Quick Facts

  • The Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace (Paris Call) was established by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, during the Internet Governance Forum held at UNESCO and the Paris Peace Forum in November 2018.
  • The overall goal of the Paris Call is to address new cyberspace threats that could endanger citizens and infrastructure through international cooperation and collaboration. The Paris Call is a multi-stakeholder initiative, bringing together governments, the private sector and organizations in civil society.
  • Other governments participating in the Paris Call include Australia, Chile, Germany, Japan, Norway, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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