CONFERENCE "DIASPORA AS A PARTNER OF THE KIN-STATE"

Organized under the auspices of the 1st Vice-President of the Senate Mr Přemysl Sobotka, by the Permanent Committee of the Senate of the Czech Parliament for Czechs living abroad and expert partners – Czech Academy of Sciences and Czech School Without Borders Association.  

Czech School Without Borders Association has been engaging in monitoring the interests and needs of Czechs living abroad for more than a decade. The number of Czechs living abroad has been steadily increasing since 1990, thereby leading to a growing number of pupils attending Czech Schools Without Borders classes around the world. Most of them come from mixed marriages where one parent is Czech.  

More than a quarter of a century after the Velvet Revolution there is now a second generation of post-revolutionary children being born abroad into mixed marriages.    

Thanks to current technological possibilities, especially in the fields of communication and transportation, Czech expatriates and their children can live and work in other countries while staying in close contact with their country of origin, with their roots. For the first time in history, technology allows the use of foreign human capital, without people having to move back and forth. There is a wonderful opportunity to remotely share and exchange experiences, and use their potential in the economic, trade, scientific and cultural areas. Thus a "brain drain" becomes a “brain exchange".  

Czech Republic is now setting on this path.  

The conference "Diaspora as a partner of the kin-state" should expand and advance the discussion, which started last year at the conference "Heritage Schools and Diaspora" and focused mainly on the meaning and importance of maintaining national language abroad. Among other things, that debate showed a lack of cooperation between institutions dealing with various issues related to diaspora.  

The main desired outcomes of this year’s conference are to define and help to clarify the policy objectives of the Czech Republic with regard to the care of the Czech diaspora, to create effective tools for mutually beneficial cooperation and  to develop a cross-sectoral department (one-stop-shop) bringing together relevant competencies.

 

Conference overview:

19/09/2016 – The first conference day will focus on an inter-sectoral discussion based on the results of an Ethnological Institute of the Academy of Sciences study covering the period of 2014–2015 and focusing on the analysis of the migratory behavior of Czech citizens post 1989.

 

20/09/2016 – The second conference day will highlight examples of good practice from several countries trying to focus on the question "Why and how to cooperate with our own diaspora."  Expert panelists and audience members will discuss topics in three panel debates – focused on: the economy, education and science, and experiences from the field.

During the conference, attention will be given to addressing questions and topics such as – For what reasons should we become interested in our diaspora? What kind of cooperation is expected by the diaspora from its motherland? Both positive and negative examples from a personal experience are expected, as well as comparisons with other countries present at the conference.

Permanent Committee of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic for Czechs living abroad and expert partners: Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Czech School Without Borders Association present

 

Questionnaire - For those, who are Czechs in heart, not necessarily in their passports. Open till 4 September.

 

 

PROGRAMME of the INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE DIASPORA AS A PARTNER OF THE KIN-STATE

Permanent Committee of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic for Czechs living abroad and expert partners: Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Czech School Without Borders Association present

PROGRAMME of the INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

DIASPORA AS A PARTNER OF THE KIN-STATE

Senate of the Parliament of the CR– meeting hall, Valdštejnské nám.17/4, Praha 1, Valdštejnská ul. entry, reception A

19.–20. 9. 2016, 9:00–16:00          

The conference is held under the auspices of Mr. Přemysl Sobotka

19. 9. 2016 – Conference Day 1

Welcome and introductions

- Přemysl Sobotka, 1st Vice-President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic

- Jiří Drahoš, President of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

- Lucie Slavíková-Boucher, President of the School Without Borders Association

 

Objectives of the conference, current state-of-play, Tomáš Grulich, Chair of the Permanent Committee of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic for Czechs living abroad

Current situation and interest of executive bodies in Czech diaspora, Jaroslav Kantůrek, Special Envoy for Czechs living abroad of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

Czech Republic and Czechs living abroad: 20 years of search for cooperation, Stanislav Brouček, Institute of Ethnology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Home-coming of Czechs post 1990 and their potential for Czech Republic, Zdeněk Uherek, Institute of Ethnology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Czech ministries and their representation – defining sectoral issues in diaspora matters

Ministry of Education and Sport of CR, Ministry of Industry and Commerce of CR, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Research of CR, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Research of CR, Ministry of Interior of CR,

Ministry of Culture of CR, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of CR, Ministry of Health of CR, Ministry of Justice of CR

Discussion and conclusion of Day 1

 

20. 9. 2016 – Conference Day 2

Introductions and summary of Conference Day 1, Tomáš Grulich, Chair of the Permanent Committee of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic for Czechs living abroad

Objectives of the conference, Lucie Slavíková-Boucher, President of the School Without Borders Association

Keynote speech: Why Diaspora Matters – A Global Approach, Martin Russel, Diaspora Matters, Ireland

Inspiration from abroad

• State of Israel and its approach to diaspora, Gary Koren, Ambassador of the State of Israel in CR

• Polish state and its approach to diaspora – new governmental programme, Polish representative

• Academic point of view – Polish situation – Polonia, Hana Červinková, Academy of Sciences of CR

Coffee break

Panel debate I: Economic issues related to diaspora and its relationship to the kin-state

Lukáš Sedláček, Executive director European Leadership & Academic Institute (ELAI)

Radek Špicar, Vice-President of the Federation of Industry of the Czech Republic

Lunch break

Panel debate II: Science, Education, Mobility – Czechs abroad and their linkage to the motherland

Zdenka Almerová, Financial director Open Fund Society

Jiří Neužil, Head of group, Molecular therapy, Biotechnology and Biomedicine Center of the Academy of Sciences

Pavlína Koubská, French Ministry for the Economy and Finance, Paris – relationship with European parliament; vice-president of ENA alumni

Kristýna Křížová, President of Czechoslovak and Czech sections in France alumni

Conclusion and action points

Experts and audience will be discussing the topics in three panel debates – the attention should be given to questions/answers - For what reason should we become interested in our diaspora? What kind of cooperation is expected by diaspora from its motherland? Both positive and negative examples from a personal experience, in comparison with other countries present at the conference.

Moderator: Tomáš Samek, linguistic and cultural anthropologist, Faculty of Arts, University of Pardubice

Příloha	Velikost
Program.pdf	727.52 KB