[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 218 (Tuesday, November 14, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 77881-77882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25223]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 218 / Tuesday, November 14, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 77881]]

                Proclamation 10670 of November 8, 2023

                
World Freedom Day, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On World Freedom Day, we remember that the hammer blow 
                that brought down the Berlin Wall and the might that 
                lifted the Iron Curtain were not sparked by the words 
                of any single leader--it was the people of Europe who 
                spent decades fighting to free themselves and defend 
                democracy. Together, we recommit ourselves to this 
                cause--knowing that the darkness that drives autocracy 
                is no match for the flame of liberty that lights the 
                souls of free people everywhere.

                Around the globe, we are seeing a revival of the forces 
                of autocracy, which are once again demonstrating 
                contempt for the rule of law, democratic freedom, and 
                the truth itself. Russia's ongoing aggression against 
                Ukraine is another battle in the long struggle between 
                liberty and authoritarianism, one that compels us to 
                remember that the fight for democracy is perennial and 
                that we must stand up for our values each and every 
                day.

                That is exactly what the United States is doing. 
                Together with our partners and allies, the United 
                States will continue to defend the fundamental freedoms 
                and human rights entitled to every person around the 
                world. We will continue working toward a future where 
                women and girls can enjoy equal rights and equal 
                participation in their societies; where Indigenous 
                groups, people with disabilities, and racial, ethnic, 
                and religious minorities do not have their potential 
                stifled by systemic discrimination; and where LGBTQI+ 
                people are not persecuted or targeted with violence 
                because of who they are. We will continue to stand with 
                people around the world striving for a brighter future 
                in the face of autocratic attempts to forge a darker 
                path. As we support democracy abroad, we are mindful 
                that our own democracy is still at risk. My 
                Administration is working tirelessly to show that 
                democracies can deliver on the challenges that matter 
                most in peoples' lives, and I call on the American 
                people to remain vigilant in the defense of our 
                democratic values and institutions.

                As we honor the hope felt around the world 34 years ago 
                today when Berliners finally crossed from East to West 
                and ushered in a new future, we remember that when we 
                choose to stand together and recognize the common hopes 
                that bind all humanity, we hold in our hands the power 
                to bend the arc of history. Together, may we continue 
                to live up to the promises we have made to ourselves, 
                to the vulnerable, and to all those who will inherit 
                the world we create. May we work side-by-side to bend 
                the arc of history for the good of the world.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, do hereby proclaim 
                November 9, 2023, as World Freedom Day. I call upon the 
                people of the United States of America to remember the 
                hope symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall and 
                reaffirm our dedication to freedom and democracy.

[[Page 77882]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-25223
Filed 11-13-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P