PRAGUE - President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel, former Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili and a number of other international personalities will speak today at the Forum 2000 international conference in Prague. The traditional event, which annually brings political leaders, journalists, academics and representatives of civil society to the Czech capital, runs until Tuesday.

This year's edition is entitled Courage to Face Powerlessness and focuses on the defence of democracy, human rights and freedom of speech in a world facing growing authoritarianism and misinformation. Participants will also address security issues, the impact of Russian aggression in Ukraine, and relations between Europe and the Global South.

The conference opened on Sunday with the award ceremony of the Forum 2000 Courage and Responsibility Award, which this year went to human rights defenders from Belarus and Iran. According to the organisers, the award symbolises support for those who stand up for freedom even at the cost of personal risk.

The founder of the conference is former Czech President Václav Havel, who established it in 1996 to promote dialogue between different cultures, religions and political trends. Since then, Forum 2000 has become one of the most important platforms for the discussion of democracy and human rights in Central Europe.

This year's programme is also accompanied by public debates and discussions in Prague and other Czech cities, in which the general public can participate.

gnews.cz - GH