The Carpathian Civil Society Platform – Inter-regional Conference was held in Eger, Hungary, from 29 February to 1 March 2024, organised by the Carpathian Foundation-Hungary. The event brought together leading NGOs from the region, as well as representatives of national and international organisations. Its aim is to strengthen the platform for civil society cooperation across five countries (Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine).
The event was opened by Her Excellency Trine Skymoen, Ambassador of Norway to Hungary, followed by a presentation by Sándor Köles, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Carpathian Foundation, on the objectives and achievements of the Carpathian Civil Society Platform. The conference presented good practices on civic engagement, including youth participation in social affairs, and the role of cross-border cooperation in shaping civil society in the Central and Eastern European region.
A panel discussion on Carpathian Solidarity was held on how different civil society organisations reacted to the war in Ukraine. In the evening, the Carpathian Social Innovation Awards were presented and the winning initiatives from the five Platform countries were presented.
On the second day of the conference, participants discussed the future and sustainability of the Platform. The event concluded with a joint planning session, using the so-called Open Space technique, which will lead to a joint action plan to support future cross-border cooperation between the participants.
More information about the award, the project and the conference:
https://www.karpatokalapitvany.hu/index.php/en/tartalom/carpathian-civil-society-platform
https://www.karpatokalapitvany.hu/index.php/en/fromthealpstothecarpathians
https://karpatokalapitvany.hu/en/socialinnovationaward2023
The materials of the conference can be found here!
The project is supported by the Interreg Central Europe Programme, the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund. The participation of the Hungarian partner in the project is co-financed by the Hungarian State.