Eastern Partnership Civil Society Conference opens in Riga

The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Conference has opened today in Riga to address the issue of “Empowering Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership: Current Challenges and Future Scenarios”. The forum is attended by the chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" and Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights Ales Bialiatski.

The participants were welcomed today by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia, H.E. Dr. Laimdota Straujuma. The EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Mr. Johannes Hahn, is attending the Conference.

The EP Civil Society Conference aims to empower civil society stakeholders from the EU and Eastern Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine. The Conference will enhance the role of civil society, exchange transformational experiences and best practices in order to facilitate trans-border cooperation on issues of social and political inclusion, accountable governance, stability and security, and sustainable development.

The two-day event will include several thematic sessions: “Civil Society as a Strategic Stakeholder in the Eastern Partnership”, “Towards a Shared Space of Peace and Prosperity: The Role of Civil Society”, “Supporting Civil Society in the Neighborhood: Capacity, Instruments, Good Practice from the EU”, “Re-Vitalizing the Neighborhood and the Vision and Tasks for the Eastern Partnership”.

Concrete recommendations on empowering civil society will be presented to the public and the Riga Eastern Partnership Summit in May 2015.