IDM Albania organized the Second SMART Balkans National Conference for Albania “Reclaiming our Civic Space”. This initiative brought together engaged citizens, activists, civil society organizations, community groups, students, artists and journalists.
Over the last decade, freedom of expression In Albania has significantly regressed, whereas civic space clearly has shrunk. This regresion has been observed by various actors such as civil society organizations, activists, journalists, artists, students, informal and community groups, and social media activists who have expressed their concern and protested against this situation. The period from 2018 to 2020 was particularly active when a series of protests broke out accross the country. These included residents of Kukës protesting against road tolls, citizens rallying for the preservation of the National Theater, farmer protests, dozens of demonstrations against the construction of hydroelectric dams in protected areas, and student-led protests.
Each of these civic space groups face different challenges due to the restriction of freedom, but on the other hand they also possess significant competitive advantages and complementary capabilities with each other. If used properly, these attributes can create not only new energies, but perhaps also reclaim a part of the freedom and civic space that is currently occupied by narrow political interests, groups with illegitimate economic interests, captured institutions and other actors that undermine public interest. For this purpose, this conference aims to bring together activists, civil society organizations and community groups, students and young people, artists, journalists, social media activists and other defenders of civic space and freedom of expression.
Taking into acount this context, this conference aimed at establishing a common action platform for empowering each other, increasing synergy, expanding civic space and opportunities for citizen participation in decision-making to protect the public interest.
We had the pleasure of opening the conference with a speech from Adi Krasta a well-known journalist in Albania, who provided an overview of the current situation regarding the shrinking of civil space and a scan of the methods used by politicians in power to further restrict this right. Mr. Sotiraq Hroni, Executive Director of IDM, and H.E Mr. Jens Erik Grondahl, the Ambassador of Norway to Kosovo and Albania during their opening remarks emphasized the significant importance of this discussion and expressed their further support for this initiative
During the first panel discussion, a diverse representation from the community of artists, media, activists, and academia discussed how civil space has been restricted in terms of expression and action, and how this limitation has impacted their daily engagement in defending the public interest. The second panel fostered higher interactivity among participants, focused on identifying the advantages of civic groups engaged in public causes and finding ways to coordinate actions, create synergy and empower each other causes.
This conference is only the beginning of our joint efforts to reclaim our civil space!
