SMART Balkans Regional Conference 2023

Theme – Peace and prosperity in the Western Balkans: What is threatening the region and how to advance the opportunities?

The regional conference is set to occur on 14 – 15 December 2023 in Skopje.

The conference is addressing the Specific Objective 2 of the SMART Balkans project that works towards Developed strong regional partnerships between civil society organizations from the region of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, N. Macedonia and Serbia) and with their EU counterparts and public authorities. This will result in progress in forming cooperative relations between CSOs in the region and using regional experiences, know-how and examples for joint advocacy of solutions to the government and government institutions in the fields of policy and social planning, as well as governing.

Key topics that will be explored:

• Peace, stability, and good governance as a precondition for economic (and other) prosperity;
• Role of media in promoting peace, stability, and good governance;
• Government efforts to ensure peace, stability, and governance;
• Threats to peace, stability, and good governance, such as political extremism, ethno-nationalism, terrorism, and organized crime;
• Violence against women and girls.

The conference, adopting a hybrid format, will provide a platform for discussions and collaborations.

Please note that on-site attendance is at full capacity, and the conference will be also available via Zoom.

The official language of the conference is English.