OUR VOICES OUR PLANET. The Role of Civil Society for Democracy and Sustainability
Symposium with hybrid elements and global perspectives
November 22, 2023, 10:30 – 17:30
Kulturzentrum Pavillon, Lister Meile 4, 30161 Hannover and partly on Zoom
Content
Hardly anyone today will question the sense and necessity of democracy and sustainability for a good life for all people in the world. Nevertheless, in reality we are experiencing wars, poverty, hunger, an increase in social inequalities, environmental destruction and massive effects of climate change. Fatal living conditions force countless people to flee and migrate. To overcome these global challenges, we need appropriate political framework conditions and the democratic participation of all. Accordingly, more and more people, initiatives and organisations are active. However, anti-democratic movements, nationalist isolationism and misanthropy are also on the rise. The protection of fundamental rights and political participation are threatened in many places and an increasing restriction of civil society’s scope for action can be observed worldwide.
In this context, the symposium took place.
At the symposium, the participants discussed the following questions with representatives from civil society, trade unions, education, politics and other interest groups:
- What are the challenges and opportunities for engagement to promote democracy and sustainability?
- How can civil society organisations network and strengthen their work? Which (new) paths can be taken together and which forms of engagement are helpful?
- What kind of education do we need in order to achieve a democratic, just and sustainable transformation?
- How can we strengthen civil society worldwide through global partnership and cooperation?
- What political and legal framework conditions are needed to secure and expand civil society’s scope for action – locally and globally?
