Participants from dozens of countries came to Pécs for the May international conference organised by the Power of Humanity Foundation. The main theme of the meeting was how civil communities in the Central and Eastern European region are responding and can respond to the challenges of the shrinking space and democracy. Downloadable summary and pictures.
In the past few years, warning signs of shrinking, or even closing spaces can be observed in many areas of the civil society in the Central-Eastern-European Region. The backlash of democracy was exacerbated by the extreme pressure of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine which had far-reaching and long-term consequences for CSOs.
They had taken and are taking outstanding roles in reacting to the rapid and serious changes in society by mobilizing and awakening solidarity to extreme measures. It is clear to see that the work of CSOs is essential for society and investing in them enables them to respond appropriately in crisis situations.
However, before doing so, it is advised to sit down and reflect on our work as CSO members in order to evaluate successes and challenges and plan new directions. This conference was organized to enable the sharing of knowledge, tools, thoughts, and good practices for countries affected by the aforementioned shrinking space.
The structure of the conference was based on the following model: Reflection – Analysis – Planning – Action, which is also the structure of the present summary.