Czech NGOs met Swedish Minister for Development Cooperation

On the eve of the Informal Meeting of the EU Development Ministers in Prague (29-30 January 2009), Czech NGO representatives had the chance to debate democratic governance support, one of the topics of the Informal Meeting, with Gunilla Carlsson, the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation.

Both parties exchanged their views on democracy, development cooperation and the role of democratisation processes in the eradication of poverty.

Apart of the Swedish minister, also Catherine von Heidenstam, the Swedish Ambassador to the Czech Republic, and Tomas Brundin, Deputy Director of the Department for Development Policy of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, were present at the meeting.

The meeting was arranged by FoRS – Czech Forum for Development Co-operation, in cooperation with CONCORD Sweden; it was hosted by the Czech NGO People in Need. The Czech NGOs were furthermore represented by DEMAS – Czech platform for democracy assistance organisations, and Green Circle – association of environment NGOs.

For more information on the meeting, please contact FoRS Policy Officer Zuzana Sladkova, policy@fors.cz

Information provided by Zuzana Sladkova, FoRS