Poland celebrates its 5th national forum of non governmental initiatives

From the 13th to the 20th of September, 2008, in Warsaw, the Fifth National Forum of Non-Governmental Initiatives took place.

The main theme of this year’s Forum was citizenship, the role of committed citizens in civil society and what it means to be an active citizen in different aspects of social life.

The Forum consisted of numerous events and meetings constituting the Citizens’ Week, held under the patronage of the Mayor of the City of Warsaw. The events included: the Social Advertising Review, various panels and discussions with various speakers held in numerous cafes in Warsaw, various exhibitions and other attractions.

The key part of the Forum was the ‘Res Publica Civilis” Conference, which took place on the 19th and 20th of September. The conference was held on the Warsaw University campus and was held under the patronage of the president of Warsaw University. The conference was devoted to the principles of the strategy of civil society development and to issues connected with conscious citizenship, civic education, active local communities, good governance, standards of nonprofit organizations, EU funds available to NGOs, the role of corporate foundation, legal environment of the third sector, civil society and civil state.

The Forum finished on Saturday, the 20th of September with the Picnic of non profit organizations, during which, as during all previous forums, organizations had an opportunity to present their activities and achievements. This year, however, the picnic was held on the one of the most important streets in Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmiescie, which, at the weekends is closed for public transport and open for walks. In this way, not people from other organizations but also Warsaw inhabitants could get familiar with the activities of nonprofit organizations in Poland and buy various products produced by those organizations and their various beneficiaries (including people with disabilities).

In spite of the rainy day, the picnic was a big success.

 

This year’s Forum was exceptional as it differed much from forums held in previous years. It consisted not only of the main Conference and the Picnic of Non-governmental Organizations, which was the case in all previous years, but, as it was described, also of the whole range of other meetings, panels and activities constituting the whole Citizens’ Week. Therefore, instead of two days it lasted the whole week.

Previous forums

Polish National Forums of Non-Governmental Initiatives are organized every three years by the specially established Association for  Forums of Non-Governmental Initiatives, always in Warsaw, in the center of Poland. Each time, among participants of the Forum apart from the nonprofit sector activists there are representatives of local authorities, public administration, government, people from academia and business.

The main goal of Forums is to enable nonprofit organizations and people involved in various civic initiatives to get together and discuss various issues. The Forums also serve facilitation of integration of nonprofit community. Each year organizations have also an opportunity to present themselves and their main achievements.

The first Forum took place in 1996 and vas devoted to the role of the nonprofit sector and its relations with public administration as well as to the ways of financing the nonprofit activity.

The main topic discussed during the second Forum was the role of nonprofit organizations in the process of European Integration.

The third Forum was preceded by a number of local forums taking place in various Polish regions, which had as an aim the establishment of regional federations of nonprofit organizations. The main themes of discussions of the third Forum were the realization in Poland of the subsidiarity rule and intersectoral cooperation.

The fourth Forum, in 2005, concerned the relation between the nonprofit sector and its environment: business public administration as well as the responsibility of the media and the role of nonprofit organizations in civil society.

About the author: Agnieszka Rymsza, PhD, Manager of the Advocacy Department at the Synapsis Foundation, a Polish foundation that helps  people with autism and their families.