The 17th edition of the International Conference e-Society.mk on the topic “Democracy in the Digital Age: Challenges and Opportunities” will start on 30 November at 12:00 in Hotel Panoramika, Skopje.
The beginning of the conference will be marked with introductory speeches, and the moderator of the first session will be Bardhyl Jashari, Executive Director of the Metamorphosis Foundation. The participants will be addressed by: Julian Vassalo, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of North Macedonia, Erik Janowski, USAID Representative in the Republic of North Macedonia; Jeton Shaqiri, Minister of Information Society and Administration of the Republic of North Macedonia and Kristina Mand, Senior Expert on E-Democracy at the Estonian e-Government Academy. Speakers will offer their perspective and assessment of the state of democracy today and talk about how technology shapes good governance and civic participation. This session will also highlight potential online threats to civil freedoms and rights and the role of the civil society sector in preventing them.
In addition to the opening of the conference, the first day includes two sessions on the topics: “e-Participation and e-Engagement: Regional Perspectives – Local Actions” and “Open Government Data: When Demand and Supply Meet Halfway”. In order to promote the value of data in the digital age, within the conference e-Society.mk, a Hackathon for open data will be held.
This year’s edition of e-Society.mk will last 4 days and consists of 7 sessions, 2 lightning talks, 2 trainings and 1 workshop, and will mainly discuss the state of democracy today, as well as how technology shapes the definition of good governance and civic engagement in today’s conditions. The challenges of the digital age with a special focus on disinformation and Internet security will also be discussed. Activists, experts, journalists, civil servants and supporters from the Western Balkans region and beyond will share their views and thoughts on “Democracy in the Digital Age: Challenges and Opportunities”.
“This year we are focusing on the challenges posed by the practice of democracy in the digital age but also the opportunities offered by digitalisation to take this issue to the next level with digital rights and freedoms in mind. Digital innovation radically transforms democratic decision-making and citizen participation in social change, and it is very important that we are all up to date with the latest technological trends, but more importantly – to ensure that every citizen (without exception) can be a part of them. It is essential that all actors are involved in this process, and that is why we expect representatives from institutions, civil society organizations, media, academia, the business sector, experts and citizens from Europe and beyond to join this conference and discuss and come up with concrete solutions and future steps for taking action” said Bardhyl Jashari, Executive Director of the Metamorphosis Foundation.
The event will be held in a hybrid format where the first and last day of the conference (30 November and 3 December) will be held at the Hotel Panoramika, and some participants will have the opportunity to attend sessions with a physical presence, and the rest participants can follow them online through the Zoom platform and the live stream on the Metamorphosis Foundation Facebook page.
The Agenda is available on the following link: Agenda-e-Society.mk- 2021
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