The moderator, Paul Helsloot, Director of Strategy, Reaserch and Political Affairs, Amnesty International the Netherlands, started a conversation centred around the pressing challenges faced by human rights activists and the possibility of sparking hope of developing strategies for solving these problems.
The roundtable discussion on the Turkish influence in the Balkans and all the factors that influence the creation of its foreign policy was moderated by BCSP’s Senior Researcher Srđan Hercigonja, while Professor Birgul Demirtas gave an insightful presentation.
Tomislav Žigmanov, Minister of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue of the Republic of Serbia started his address by stating that the Republic of Serbia had worked on the protection and promotion of human and minority rights, which had been acknowledged by international institutions. He added that Serbia has a satisfactory framework for fighting discrimination, that laws have been amended in this field, and that new ones have been passed, including reinforcing the independence of the Ombudsperson of the Republic of Serbia.
The session “Hungary in the Balkans: Crafting the Southern Illiberal Flank” was moderated by Katerina Sinadinovska, Co-founder of the Balkan Center for Constructive Policies “Solution”, Former President, Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia. The debate focused on the foreign policy of Hungary and how the influence of Budapest affects the states of Western Balkan and their EU accession.
The panel “Unmasking Election Meddlers: Information Manipulation in Elections and How to Combat It”, moderated by Tamara Branković, Deputy Program Director, CRTA, explored the vulnerability of elections to evolving manipulation techniques that tend to disrupt democratic processes. The panelists sought to answer three important questions: What are the most common election manipulation tactics? Who are the actors that nowadays pose the greatest threat to election integrity? Are we prepared for “deepfake” operations?
The first parallel BSC session tackled the topic of “Russia: A Global Outcast or Still a Desirable Partner?” which was moderated by Wouter Zweers, Research Fellow, Clingendael’s EU and Global Affairs Unit. The panel focused on the Russian position in the world and its political system before February 2022 and how that position changed now with the aggression in Ukraine.
The panel “State Capture in the Western Balkans and the World” aimed to answer the question of how to start the process of state de-capturing. It was moderated by Ivor Chipkin, Director of New South Institute.
The fifth panel of the Belgrade Security Conference, which took place on the 12th of October, discussed the role of philanthropy in aiding democratic institutions. The moderator of the panel was Christal Morehouse, Senior Program Officer, Open Society Europe and Central Asia Program. The debate was opened with the question about the challenges from the previous years: global pandemics, migrations, and wars.
A panel discussion on the role of the European Political Community (EPC) took place on 12th October, debating the role of the EPC as a contributor to the security of the continent, the current trends in European integration, and ways in which various non-like-minded actors can come together and make decisions, through the EPC. Through the moderation of Isabelle Ioannides, Senior Policy Analyst, European Parliament’s Research Centre, the panelists agreed on the potential of the EPC to bring diverse actors to the table, giving equal opportunity to all states to discuss matters of joint concern.
The second day of the conference started with the topic “Can a Divided UN Security Council Still Fulfil its Mandate in the Current Polarised World?”, moderated by Annelies Verstichel, Diplomatic Advisor to Belgian Deputy Prime Minister. The panel was initiated with the question of whether there is any hope regarding the work of the UN Security Council and how its activity could be challenged by possible changes in work.
