The China-Europe Civil Society Dialogue

The China-Europe Civil Society Dialogue

Date: 27-28 October 2008
Time: 2:30-7:00pm on Monday; 9am-1:30pm on Tuesday
Venue: TBC
Speakers: Professor Edgar Morin; Mr. Pierre Calame, etc.
Chair: Professor Stephan Feuchtwang


Speakers (more TBC):

Professor Edgar Morin is a philosopher, sociologist and anthropologist, one of France’s leading contemporary thinkers. Known for the transdisciplinarity of his works, he has a wide range of interests and dismisses the conventional boundaries between academic disciplines. He is also Emeritus Director, French National for Scientific Research Center (CNRS); Former President of the European Agency for Culture of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). See Professor Morin’s view on Dialogue assumes equality.

Mr. Pierre Calame is General Director of the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation for Human Progress, a Swiss-based international foundation, mainly devoted to the mobilisation of knowledge and experience to help face the major challenges of the coming decade. He is one of the founders of the China-Europa Forum, and author of La démocratie en miettes: pour une révolution de la gouvernance and many books and publications. See a complete review of publications on www.pierre-calame.fr.

Participants (50-60 people):
        • The guests and representatives of the European Commission, China-Europa Forum, and Chinese Embassy in the UK
        • The European participants of the 2nd Biennial Forum who continue to be interested
        • Invite participants from universities within the region (UK, Benelux and Scandinavia)
        • Invite participants include Chinese scholars or students in the region
        • Invite local institutional, media, etc. which work related to China.

Programme

27th October: exchange of information and identification of the participants' wishes

14:30-15:00 Welcome speech (Edgar Morin; Mr. Pierre Calame, … tbc)

15:00-16:45 Presentation of the wishes and challenges (Part I)
                    • The issues of cooperation with China as seen by the different participants
                    • The current policies of cooperation presented by the Commission

16:45-17:00 Tea/coffee break

17:00- 19:00 Presentation of the wishes and challenges (Part II)
                    • The presentation of the Forum and of the third biennial, followed by testimonials of participants
                    • Themes and partnerships proposed during the day

19:30 – 21:00 Meal : the rising power of China and the challenges for Europe

28th October

9:00-10:45 Presentations of workshops already started by Europeans and by Chinese

10:45-11:00 Tea/coffee break

11:00-13:30 Overview of participants' proposals

13:30-14:30 Buffet lunch and departure of participants

Background

The China in Comparative Perspective Network (CCPN) has been involved to hold the Northern Europe Regional Conference (UK, Benelux and Scandinavia) for the China-Europa Forum 2009, entitled the China-Europe Civil Society Dialogue, which continues the work of the Second Biennial Forum and is part of the dynamics of preparing for the Third, to be held in China in July 2009.

The biennial China-Europa Forums, held in China in 2005 and in Europe in 2007, gave a practical demonstration of how a dialogue between Chinese and European societies can take place, perhaps offering a prototype for similar dialogues in other parts of the world in the future. In the innovative format, experiences were exchanged between participants of the same professional category or between experts on the same themes from a wide variety of occupations and backgrounds, including public administration, NGO, and university.

The aim of the regional conference is to spark exchanges of information and views and to offer new prospects of cooperation between institutions or networks and Chinese partners.

The China-Europe Civil Society Dialogue (27-28 October 2008, London) is funded by the Directorate-General for the External Relations (DG RELEX) and supported by the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation for Human Progress and the China-Europa Forum.

Method - The method used is the conceptual mapping, allowing the display and use of real-time information

• Prior to the conference: Each participant indicates his existing cooperations with China and the themes to which he would like to contribute, either themes already discussed in 2007 at the second biennial or new themes.

• Day one: Based on these data, the organizers will draw maps of existing and wished cooperations. Ideally, three concept maps, identifying socio cooperation, thematic cooperation and cross-cutting themes, and a map identifying the planned or existing poles of cooperation, will be projected.

• Day two: Each participant will indicate, using post-it colour, its contacts with one of the pillars described above and its own degree of involvement. Depending on the eve of the proposals, it will be possible to classify and view the workshops involved, emerging and desired, and highlighting points of convergence, identify gaps.

http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/CCPN/China-Europa_Forum/TheChina-EuropeCivilSocietyDialogue.htm