The School of Public Policy's (SPP) recently renamed Global Policy Academy hosted 25 environmental activists from Belarus and Moldova for a two-day workshop, February 11-13. The workshop offered a combination of training sessions and discussions on environmental innovation and advocacy. Part of the Government of Sweden's SECTOR project, the workshop was organized with the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), an international organization with a mission to assist in addressing environmental issues.
After brief opening remarks from REC Senior Expert Tsvetelina Borissova Filipova and SPP Assistant Professor Austin-Choi Fitzpatrick, participants heard from Viktor Lagutov, head of the Environmental Systems Laboratory at CEU's Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, who shared his perspective on the key issues and innovations in environmental activism today. discussions on policy development and analysis were led by SPP Professor of Practice Robert Templer and by Choi-Fitzpatrick, on participation and civil society development and innovations in civic monitoring. Kate Coyer, director of the Civil Society and Technology Project for the Center for Media, Data and Society at SPP, offered suggestions and advice on how digital activism could be used to mobilize support around environmental issues. After Lagutov's presentation on environmental imagery, data mapping and visualization, Choi-Fitzpatrick offered some closing remarks.
"We are delighted to have partnered with the Regional Environmental Center on this important initiative, and are especially pleased that we were able to attract such a strong and diverse group of participants," commented Global Policy Academy Director Bernhard Knoll-Tudor. "What attracted me to this workshop," said Aleksandr Iscenco, Co-founder of the Moldovan Environmental Governance Academy, "was the opportunity to hear from experts and to share ideas and best practices with others in the region who are facing very similar challenges. This was a wonderful and useful experience for me."
The participants' handbook for the course is available here.