 Leaders from around the world are gathering to discuss the crisis in our democracies. They meet at a critical juncture as the values that so many of us share are under greater threat than at any point in the post-World War II era. But we know that their conversations would not be complete without the essential voices of civil society, pushing them forward and holding them accountable for the promises they make during the summit and beyond. I'm Mark Malek-Brown and it's my honor to serve as president of the Open Society Foundations. We've been in the business of supporting democracy and human rights for more than 30 years. I'm thrilled to see the Global Democracy Coalition Forum today providing a critical platform to foster discussion and debate, engaging elected leaders in a dialogue that's often uncomfortable, that breaks through diplomatic protocol, that forces them to face up to the shortcomings in their own democracies and those of their neighbors and often their allies. But it's only if we hold a mirror up to democracy's shortcomings and are honest with ourselves about how to strengthen it that we can meet the challenges of tomorrow. So it's an honor to support this effort and stand with all of you in the vital work to come.