Don't know the conference, or if it's just semantics, but Freedom and democracy have VERY little to do with each other. 
Democracy is a construct. An illusion of freedom that's been slathered over nation states to make those ruled by a (controllable) mob feel free.
Individual rights must be the immovable object:
The mob says we can take 40% of your income
The mob says we can force people to pay government for the rest of their lives  for a home they already  paid the seller for.
The mob says we can cage a person for smoking a plant etc. 
Your individual rights to keep your property and live your life says none of those things, but government has gotten 'democratic' mobs to say all of those things and much worse.