We have the pleasure of announcing that the End Users Conference of the IPPA Project will take place in Prague on September 30 - October 1, 2013. The focus of the conference is on how public participation can support societal decision making and strengthen democratic institutions. Should participation processes be more precisely defined in relation to the state and other stakeholders? What is most important - stakeholder autonomy in “safe spaces” or direct influence on decision making?
At the conference, senators, members of parliament, ministry representatives and stakeholders will be invited to speak and to express their opinions on matters of fundamental importance to the practical implementation of public participation. Results from the IPPA project will be presented, discussed and challenged by these “end users”. There will be three panel discussions. In the morning of the first day there will be a panel providing ideas from different perspectives such as political, administrative and scientific, as to how participative processes can support decision making processes. Having this as background and with practical experiences from IPPA countries, the panel at the end of the first day will reflect on the relation between theory and practice and how procedures can be improved. Towards the end of the conference, the meaning and usability of the IPPA results will be challenged by a panel including a range of “end users” such as the European Commission, national authorities, industry, NGOs and local representatives. Finally, new initiatives on how to proceed with governance and socioeconomic issues will be presented.
Who should attend?
The conference deals with the findings of the IPPA project, which is devoted to the implementation of participatory approaches in nuclear waste management programmes. This area is at the forefront in stakeholder participation and transparency, therefore the findings are relevant for many other sectors in society as well, including the whole nuclear sector. The target group for the conference is not limited to people involved in nuclear waste management, but includes anyone who has an interest in how public participation can support societal decision making in complex and controversial matters.
Agenda
The conference starts at 09.30, September 30 and ends 14.45, October 1. In the evening of September 30, participants are welcome to join the conference dinner. The agenda will be continuously updated on this web site on the page Conference Agenda
Languages
The conference language is English with simultaneous translation to Czech and Polish.
Conference Venue
The conference venue is the historical Břevnov monastery (http://brevnov.cz), For more information, see Conference Venue
Practical Information
For information on venue location, transportation, hotels, etc. see Accomodation and Transportation
Registration
For registration, please see Registration information
The End Users Conference is organized by the project coordinator, Karita Research, the Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (RAWRA) and the Nuclear Research Institute (NRI) in the Czech Republic, in cooperation with the Czech Working Group for Dialogue on a Deep Geological Repository.
We look forward to welcoming you to Prague and the IPPA End Users Conference!
With best regards,
Kjell Andersson (Karita Research), Lucie Steinerova (RAWRA) and Hana Vojtechova (NRI)
