The morning’s expert session offered a space for a meeting of representatives of the public, non-profit, private sector and academia, as well as government and parliamentary representatives involved in the implementation of humanitarian, transformation and development assistance in foreign countries.

This part was introduced by the President of the czech Republic Petr Pavel, followed by the opening remarks of Minister Lipavský. “With this event we want to make it clear that humanitarian, development and transformation assistance is an integral part of foreign policy. Moreover, the importance of effective foreign engagement grows with the challenges we face – from regional conflicts, to the reverberations of the covid-19 pandemic, to the growing manifestations of climate change. With cooperation beyond our borders, Czechia has much to build on. We have a long tradition of solidarity abroad,” said Minister Lipavský in his speech.

This was followed by so-called expert tables on the following topics: Education and Awareness Raising, Climate and Environmental Security, Economic Development and Financial Instruments.

The afternoon part in the garden of the Czernin Palace was open to the public. The whole afternoon was filled with discussions, screenings, exhibitions, interactive presentations and other events.

In particular, the visitors viewed exhibitions of the successes of development cooperation and the MEDEVAC health programme, watched screenings from the One World Festival, Memory of the Nation and heard about the experiences of the Foreign Minister’s travels. They had the opportunity to taste delicacies from developing countries and experience first-hand the life of an Ethiopian girl or a Syrian refugee. During the afternoon, moderator Vít Pohanka interviewed representatives of rescue workers, doctors and reporters from crisis areas and introduced the development work of well-known influencers such as Janek Rubeš or Arthur Sniegon.

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