The Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Office of Democratic Forces of Belarus in the Czech Republic, the United Transitional Cabinet, and the People’s Embassies of Belarus continue preparations for the 3rd Conference of the Belarusian Diaspora, which will be held on March 23-24 in Prague.
During the conference, current issues faced by the Belarusian community will be discussed and questions will be answered by expert speakers.
Panel #1: “Strategic Vision of the Belarusian Democratic Community and the Role of the Belarusian Diaspora for 2024-2025”
The panel will be dedicated to the vision of how the democratic community should develop in 2024-2025, what has changed during the period after 2020, what role political entities and communities of the Belarusian diaspora can and/or should play, what difficulties and challenges arise in today’s situation, and whether Belarusians abroad can have a practical impact the socio-political situation within Belarus.
Speakers:
- Pavel Latushka / Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management
- Franak Viacorka / Chief Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
- Aliaksandra Mamayeva / Coordinator of the People’s Embassies of Belarus
- Roza Turarbekava / Member of the Coordination Council’s International Commission, PhD in history, lecturer
- Pavel Kukhta / Head of the Mobilization Center at the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment
Panel #2: “The Role of the Belarusian Diaspora in the Belarus–Ukraine Relations”
The panel will facilitate a dialogue between the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples at a time when relations between our countries have deteriorated due to Russia’s war against Ukraine and the regime-controlled Belarus’ complicity in it.
Speakers:
- Keynote speaker: Ihor Kyzym / Ambassador-at-Large of Ukraine for Belarus
- Henadzi Manko / Mission of Democratic Belarus in Kyiv
- Tatsiana Hatsura-Yavorskaya / Lanka Rehabilitation Center and the Film Festival “1084. On the border” in Ukraine
- Stanislau Salavei / Belarusian doctor in Ukraine, trade union activist, ByMedSol Foundation
- Masha Animia / Coordinator of aid for Belarusian volunteer fighters in Ukraine, BYSOL Foundation
- Yevhen Mahda / Observer of Belarus–Ukraine relations
Panel #3: “Strengthening the Potential of the Community of the Belarusian Diaspora”
This panel will consist of several separate parts. Each of the 4 blocks will feature speeches by Belarusians who have implemented or are ready to implement practical projects to solve problems within the given thematic framework.
- Assistance to Political Prisoners and Their Families
Speakers:
- Volha Zazulinskaya / Head of the Charity Foundation “A Country to Live in”, human rights defender, coordinator of a support project for political prisoners and their families
- Andrei Stryzhak / Head of the BYSOL Solidarity Foundation
- Veranika Stankevich / Coordinator of the “Volnyja” initiative, activist
- Yuliya Yukhno-Tarasevich / Representative of the People’s Embassy of Belarus in Italy
- Legalization of Stay and Documents
Speakers:
- Kryścina Šyjanok / Director of the Office of Belarus Democratic Forces in the Czech Republic, former representative of the Belarusian minority in the Committee on Minority Issues at the Prague Municipality, coordinator of the medical humanitarian program “Medevac” under the auspices of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic to assist those injured during peaceful protests in Belarus in 2020
- Anna Matsiyeuskaya / Founder of the Partyzanka initiative, Head of the Eastern Desk at WKB Lawyers, Chair of the Supervisory Board at ABBA
- Zmitser Vaserman / Representative of the People’s Embassy of Belarus in Sweden
- Valery Kavaleuski / Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, Head of the Cabinet’s Foreign Affairs Department
- Culture and National Revival
Speakers:
- Pavel Barkouski / Deputy Representative for National Revival at the United Transitional Cabinet
- Ales Lapko / Head of the Belarusian Youth Hub, representative of the People’s Embassy of Belarus in Poland
- Nadzeya Haretskaya / Coordinator at the Belarusian Council for Culture
- Resources and Financing
Speakers:
- Palina Brodzik / Chair of the International Commission of the Coordination Council, Director of the Free Belarus Center
- Pavel Liber / Co-founder of the “Golas” and “New Belarus” platforms
- Aliaksandra Sniahir / Program Officer, Fund for Belarus Democracy of The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Read the conference program at the link.
