conference

organised under the auspices of the Minister for European Affairs Mikuláš Bek

Strategic partnerships FOR building a democratic society in Europe

Date: Monday October, 17 (1:00 - 7:00 p.m. incl. banquet)
Tuesday October 18 (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.)

Venue: Hrzánský palác, Loretánská 176/7, Praha 1 - Hradčany

Organized by: Glopolis on behalf of informal network of networks NeoN
Nadace Partnerství

in cooperation with the The Secretarial Department of the Government Council for Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organisations and
Spiralis

Context and objectives of the conference:
Democracy is threatened by an increasingly explosive combination of crises that, with the war in Ukraine, are multiplying the impact on people in the Czech Republic, Europe and its neighbourhood - migration, climate change and drought, the covid 19 pandemic, rising energy and food prices. A vibrant civic society is a pillar of democracy, enabling citizens to participate in public affairs, strengthening social cohesion, contributing to community building and creating a common identity.

Cooperation between the state, civic society, private and academic sectors is essential in finding comprehensive solutions to the interrelated problems and challenges of a democratic society. Involving and taking into account the different perspectives, data and experiences of different actors in the development of public policies increases the quality, relevance and ownership of the implementation of these policies, which in turn improves the quality of governance and trust in democratic institutions. Otherwise, there is a risk of growing frustration in society, a decline in trust in public institutions, an erosion of democracy, the rule of law and social cohesion, and the slippage of more of the population into the electorate of populist and extremist parties.

The conference aims to present the principles of partnership and the benefits of cooperation between public administration and non-governmental non-profit organisations (NGOs) through concrete examples of responses to current and expected challenges and crises at different levels - local - national - EU. Furthermore, to create a space for discussion on what conditions for supporting such cooperation need to be created at national and EU level and what parameters should be set for the strategy for supporting civic society prepared at EU level, which can be complemented by the Czech experience from the preparation of the Strategy for Cooperation between Public Administration and NGOs 2021-2030, or other forms of cooperation from other EU countries in the region.

The conference is for:

  • Representatives of the public administration of the Czech Republic

  • Politicians of the Parliament of the Czech Republic

  • Representatives of the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee and other EU institutions.

  • Representatives of non-governmental non-profit organisations and their umbrella organisations and networks.

  • Members of government working and advisory bodies.