World experts gather in Prague to tackle the problems of civil society in globalized word
Eli Wiesel, the Dalai Lama, Bill Clinton, Shimon Perez, Frederik Wilhelm de Klerk or Henry Kissinger - these are only a few names from the list of participants that have taken part in Prague's annual Forum 2000 conference in the past. The conference was initiated in 1997 by then Czech president Vaclav Havel who invited well known politicians, scholars and other decision-makers to tackle the major problems of our world at the turn of the millennium. On Sunday the eight year of Forum 2000 opened, this time focusing on civil society in a globalized world.
Forum 2000 has always been based on inviting well-known world figures. This year there are also some familiar names on the list, although less so than previously.
"We have learned that the highest position doesn't always guarantee the best discussion, so this year we are inviting people who are in position of power but willing to engage in sometimes problematic discussions - people who are familiar with the issues and not necessarily at the highest positions."
One contributor is the economist Lord Desai, a professor at the London School of Economics. I asked him about his view on the role of civil society and non profit organizations in the global economy today.
"In a sense of global civil society it is more a political than economic thing. Eventually, no matter what people say about economic power, the concentration of economic power is much more difficult to break than the concentration of political power. There are ways that civil society can intervene in the economy but one must be very careful that these ways do not harm the economy. So the civil society role in day to day economy is difficult. Where I think it is important is intervening in the IMF or the World Bank, UN or WTO where civil society may have a representation and modify some other decisions."
And we'll be bringing more from Forum 2000 in the course of the week.
