The latest seminar of the School, as part of the core programme «Sapere Aude: Freedom and Responsibility,» took place in Vilnius with support from the Swedish Institute (Detta projekt finansieras av Svenska institutet), the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics, and the Council of Europe. It brought together about 40 representatives of civil society, the expert community, journalists, human rights defenders, diplomats, and academics from the EU, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus to discuss pressing issues facing societies today.
Through workshops, roundtables, discussions, and lab work, participants addressed fundamental questions the School poses to itself: how to protect democracies in global decline; the importance of the rule of law and human rights when these are under attack; how civil society can formulate the foundations for a new political culture and demand participation in global processes; and how to talk about values in an age of impunity and might‑makes‑right in international relations. Participants discussed the situation in Ukraine, Belarus, resistance inside Russia, the Arctic, and Iran. Particiapnts had practical labs on de-colonial critical approach and the role of civil society in the digital age and importance of the understanding of AI safeguarding and tools. As always the group spent time reflecting on philosophy and timeless questions such as responsibility towards others, our societies, and defining our agency in the world.