raise awareness that the cooperation between state and CSOs contributes to effective governance,
promote strategic support to civil society organisations in Europe.
Impulses from the International Conference
Photography by: Lucie Březinová
Video-messages of the participants (video author: Daniela Vrbová)
Video-recordings of the conference:
Civil Society Engagement in OGP / Paul Braithwaite (in English)
Principles of partnership in the design and implementation of EU structural policies / Lukáš Pachta (in Czech)
European Community of Practice on Partnership / Roxana Bedrule (in English)
The National Network for Civil Society Germany / Frank Heuberger (in English)
Links to documents
The conference was held as part of the accompanying programme to the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU under the auspices of the Minister for European Affairs Mikuláš Bek.
Organizers: Glopolis for the informal network of networks NeoN and the Partnership Foundation in cooperation with the Office of the Government - Department of the Secretariat of the Government Council for Non-State Non-Profit Organizations - and Spiralis.
Glopolis, o.p.s. for the informal network of networks NeoN - is a Czech analytical and networking centre with 18 years of experience in research, education, monitoring and negotiation of public policies and coordination in the non-profit sector in the Czech Republic and the EU. Its mission is to connect people and organizations from the non-profit, public and private sectors to better collaborate for sustainable democracy and to create an enabling environment for such collaboration. https://glopolis.org/en/ngo-sector-coordination/
The Partnership Foundation is the largest Czech environmental foundation with a 30-year history. It provides grants for citizens and non-profit organisations caring for the environment, offers advice on green building, adaptation measures or sustainable agriculture, organises the Tree of the Year, Go to Work by Bike and Adapterra Awards campaigns and runs the Open Garden education centre. https://www.nadacepartnerstvi.cz/?lang=en
Government Office - Department of the Secretariat of the Government Council for Non-Profit Organizations is a permanent advisory, initiating and coordinating body of the Government of the Czech Republic in the field of non-governmental non-profit organizations. https://www.vlada.cz/en/
Spiralis has been cultivating civil society through education and consulting for almost 25 years, contributing to the professionalization of non-profit organizations, advocating for favorable conditions for their activities and supporting the development of active citizens. It creates opportunities for networking and cooperation among people across society to build a free and democratic Czech Republic. https://www.spiralis-os.cz/english
Financial support: the conference was supported by Civitates - A Philanthropic Initiative for Democracy and Solidarity in Europe, and the project "Reclaim Our Civil Space!", for which Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway provided a grant of EUR 1.8 million from the EEA and Norway Grants for Regional Cooperation.
The content of the conference was the sole responsibility of the organisers and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the funders.
The production of the conference documentation and website was made possible thanks to the support of:
Democracy is being 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 civil 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, civil 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 presented the principles of partnership and the benefits of cooperation between public administration and non-governmental non-profit organisations through concrete examples of responses to current and expected challenges and crises at different levels - local - national - EU. It created a space for discussion on the conditions for promoting such cooperation at national and European level. It focused on the Czech experience in the preparation of the Strategy for Cooperation between Public Administration and CSOs for 2021-2030, the parameters of the forthcoming European strategy for supporting civil society, and examples of forms of cooperation from other countries in the region.
representatives of the public administration of the Czech Republic
members 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 working and advisory bodies of the Government
