New Atlantic Charter

The New Atlantic Charter is an agreement that was signed by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson and the President of the United States Joe Biden on 10 June 2021. The agreement was signed at the first face-to-face meeting between Johnson and Biden at the 2021 G7 Summit in Cornwall, England.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) meets US President Joe Biden (right) at the G7 Summit, June 2021.

The agreement is a new version of the Atlantic Charter, declared by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941. The meeting at which the agreement was declared was used to redefine the Western alliance.^[1]

Background

The original Atlantic Charter is an agreement that was issued by Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt in August 1941. It was a declaration of a Western commitment to democracy and territorial integrity, months before the US entered World War II.^[1] The original charter affirmed that the US and UK sought no territorial gains, that all people had a right to self-determination, territorial adjustments must be in accord with the peoples concerned, trade barriers should be lowered, and there should be a disarmament after the war.

The new agreement was signed at the 2021 G7 summit in Cornwall at the first face-to-face meeting between Joe Biden and Boris Johnson since Joe Biden took office. Joe Biden "affirmed the Special Relationship between our people and renewed our commitment to defending the enduring democratic values that both our nations share".^[2] The New Atlantic Charter also reaffirmed "the commitments and aspirations set out eighty years ago," while also addressing the "new challenges" of the 21st century.^[1][3]

Objectives

The charter set out eight aims:^[4]

• To defend the principles and institutions of democracy and open societies
• To strengthen and adapt the institutions, laws and norms that sustain international co-operation
• To remain united behind principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes
• To harness and protect the countries' innovative edge in science and technology
• To affirm the shared responsibility to maintain collective security and international stability, including against cyber threats; and to declare the countries' nuclear deterrents to the defence of NATO
• To continue building an inclusive, fair, climate-friendly, sustainable, rules-based economy
• To prioritise climate change in all international action
• To commit to continuing to collaborate to strengthen health systems and advance health protections

See also

• AUKUS

References

1. Sanger, David E.; Shear, Michael D. (10 June 2021). "Eighty Years Later, Biden and Johnson Revise the Atlantic Charter for a New Era". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
2. "G7: Joe Biden is breath of fresh air, says Boris Johnson". BBC News. 11 June 2021. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
3. "The New Atlantic Charter". The White House. 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
4. "New Atlantic Charter and Joint Statement agreed by the PM and President Biden". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.

External links

• New Atlantic Charter and Joint Statement agreed by the PM and President Biden, 10 June 2021 on gov.uk.
• The New Atlantic Charter on the White House website