Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The 29th Forum 2000 conference has kicked off in Prague, Czech Republic, with democracy defenders expected to engage in thought-provoking discussions on the state of democracy and growing authoritarianism globally.
Hundreds of government officials, civil society actors and human rights defenders have gathered for the two-day conference, which will run from October 13-14, to address challenges facing democracies worldwide, amid rising authoritarianism, widespread disinformation, and rapidly evolving technological advancements.
These realities resonate across many African countries where their commitments to democracy are being challenged.
Several panel discussions and round table meetings have been lined up at the conference that aims to examine how cooperation between global democratic actors can be reconfigured to address existing challenges.
Other topics of discussion include the current state of transatlantic relations and the global role of Europe to the future of democracy support, technological challenges such as the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the use of digital tools for social control.
Several African civil society players, journalists and human rights defenders, who are playing a crucial role in keeping democracies in check in their respective countries, are attending the conference.
Since 2023, the Forum 2000 has enhanced participation of African civil society leaders and human rights defenders through the Democracy Solidarity Africa (DSA), a group formed after the 27th conference.
For over two years, DSA members have organised internal briefings and discussions and held in person interactions to address the most pressing issues affecting democracy on the continent, especially the persistent abuses of freedoms by some African governments.
The Forum 2000 Conference idea was implemented by former Czech President Václav Havel, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel, and philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa, who invited world leaders to Prague to discuss the challenges humanity was facing on the threshold of a new millennium.
Over the years, the annual gathering has been providing global political, intellectual, spiritual, and business leaders with a platform for airing concerns on democracies worldwide and discuss options for keeping leaders in check.
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