This year’s Forum 2000 conference will focus on the rule of law, corruption, and Russia

Prague (Pressweb) - On 9-11 October, the 15th annual Forum 2000 conference will be held in Prague under the traditional auspices of Václav Havel. The name of this year’s conference “Democracy and the Rule of Law” suggests that principal attention will be devoted to perspectives on democracy and the rule of law in the 21st century as well as the relationship between the rule of law and personal freedom.

“In preparing this year’s conference, we have also tried to reflect on events that are currently stirring the world,” says Forum 2000 director Oldřich Černý. “The topics discussed will include the issue of state sovereignty and its limitations with respect to the responsibility of the international community to protect human rights, or the role of the law within the context of the current economic crisis. The conference will be devoted to looking at the development of democracy in the North Africa region and the Middle East, the state of the rule of law in Russia and Ukraine, and its perception in Asia. In the context of our local political scene, there will undoubtedly be inspiring debates focusing on the impact of corruption on democracy and society.”  

Thus far, more than 60 important international figures have confirmed their attendance at the conference, including, among others, the co-chairman of the German Green party, Cem Özdemir, winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, Joseph Stiglitz, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, Asma Jahangir, the former president of Ghana, John Aqyekum Kufuor, the vice-president of the Italian Senate, Emma Bonino, professor of political science at the University of Tehran, Davood Feirahi, the former Austrian minister for foreign affairs, Ursula Plassnik, and Russian opposition leader  Boris Nemtsov. You can find a list of all the confirmed participants here.

Besides participants, the conference’s organisers are expecting more than 3,000 observers comprising academics, students, government officials, politicians, media professionals, and interested members of the public.

The opening ceremony will take place on 9 October at the deconsecrated Church of St. Anna (known as the “Prague Crossroads”) in Prague’s Old Town. The conference discussions on 10-11 of October will be divided up into thematic panels, roundtable talks, and several accompanying events at Žofín Palace, the Goethe Institute, the Czech Academy of Sciences and other locations in Prague.

Once again, economics panels will comprise an important part of the conference. Other discussions will focus on the role of the law in protecting the environment, particularly with respect to the global pollution of the planet. As is traditional, an Interfaith Dialogue will be held within the framework of the conference. The discussions will look at the relationship between religion, ethics and the law, as well as religious traditions in connection with human rights.

You can find a preliminary conference programme here.

It is possible to watch live broadcasts of the conference at www.forum2000.cz.  The conference is open to the public upon accreditation.

Press accreditation you can get here 

at the latest Monday October 3.