Polarisation in the Eastern European Neighbourhood – Moldova Case
This event has been postponed until:

7 September, 13:00-15:00 (CEST)

13 July, 12:00 – 14:00 CEST

On Thursday, 7 Sept., 2023, the second event within the ‘Polarisation in the Eastern European Neighbourhood’ trajectory will kick off. After the country case on Georgia last month (see report here), this (online) country case session is on Moldova.

Register below if you’re interested in:

• Unpacking polarisation in Moldova through the lens of the social contract.
• Perspectives on this topic of two current and former Moldavian politicians.
• Participating in a discussion with them and each other on ways forward to reduce polarisation in Moldova.
• The role the EU and partners can play in supporting rule of law and democracy in Moldova

Background

In established democracies, extreme ideological differences in a left to right scale between political actors is considered the definition of polarisation. However, in the Eastern European region left to right differences are generally not that pronounced and strong societal divides are based on geo-political orientation (Russia or the West) embedded in the value dimensions of social conservatism and social liberalism.

The war in Ukraine has put further pressure on these divides and increased the levels of polarisation in the region. These strong emotions and more extreme political discourse can lead to increasing isolation of various political actors from one another, making interactions more and more destructive and less conducive to democracy. This therefore enhances the possibility of political crisis and destabilisation in countries in the region and makes overcoming these divides more and more difficult. Thereby threatening both security (foreign interference, violence) and rule of law (politicisation, securitisation).

This session & broader trajectory

Amy Eaglestone (researcher at the University of Birmingham) and KPSRL have initiated this event series under the KPSRL Thematic Headline’s subtheme ‘Resilience to Polarisation’, interrogating the specific mechanisms behind polarisation in this region and discussing possible responses from the perspective of the social contract. Moldova is the second of two country cases (the first one being Georgia), after which a roundtable will follow to inform EU-level policy and programming related to support for rule of law and democracy in the Eastern European region.

Register below to join us online on Thursday, 7 September, 2023 from 13:00-15:00 (CEST) via Zoom.

Click here to see the full Concept Note of this session and the broader trajectory.

Agenda

Background

Despite their inherent domestic nature, social contracts are, in one way or another, subject to the pressure of external forces, of which interventions aimed at strengthening the said social contracts are a special category. It is undeniable that development cooperation has become a key site of SRL interventions working towards reducing inequalities.

In recent years there has been however, a growing concern over the historically embedded power dynamics that underlie international development cooperation. KPAC22 has also highlighted that many programming interventions are rooted in and framed using Western values, lenses, and knowledge systems which hampers ownership and legitimacy of power in non-Western contexts and undervalue local expertise and agency, and ignores history of colonization and other oppressive interactions among states. The latter resulting  in frail and aid dependent social contracts.

Within this context, there is need to explore what an Feminist Foreign Policy means in practice for SRoL programming, what effects it might have on  interventions aiming to strengthen social contracts and  what backlash supporting from the exterior a feminist perspective in a given country might cause vis a vis of both national governments and communities.

On June 26th 2023, The Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law  will host a conversation on implications of FFP on development cooperation, with a specific emphasis on SRoL programming.  The event will discuss what distinguishes Feminist Foreign Policy from previous (similar) policies and what this policy might look like in practice for SRoL programming. It will highlight the voices of practitioners in SRoL programming and offer policy recommendations on specific adjustments needed to fully operationalize the policy.

Key questions

How do we ensure that  FFP enhances women’s rights while also tackling other power relations more holistically, using a rights-based and intersectional understanding(and approach) of feminism?

How can an FPP help address pre-existing power dynamics undermining meaningful SRoL programming and policy (and the development cooperation ecosystem as a whole)?

How can we operationalize an FFP in the SRoL sector? What ingredients are necessary and what challenges should we be cognizant of?

How can we more meaningfully involve civil society organizations (including community-based organizations, women’s groups, youth…) in developing a feminist approach to SRoL?

Key discussants

1.     Dr. Jutta Joachim, Senior Lecturer at Radboud University

2.     Fridah Githuku, Executive Director of Groots Kenya

3.     Alejandra Vicente, Head of Law at Redress and member of the GQUAL Secretariat

Register below to join us online on Monday, 26 June from 16:30-18:00 (BST) / 17:30-19.00 (CEST) at The Hague Humanity Hub (Fluwelen Burgwal 58, 2511 CJ Den Haag) or online via Zoom. 

Click here to check out the Concept Note.

On Monday, 19 June 2023, the ‘Polarization in the Eastern European Neighbourhood’ trajectory will kick off with its first (online) country case session on Georgia. 

In established democracies, extreme ideological differences in a left to right scale between political actors is considered the definition of polarization. However, in the Eastern European region while left to right differences are generally not that pronounced, strong societal divides exist that are based on geo-political orientation (Russia or the West) embedded in the value dimensions of social conservatism and social liberalism. 

The war in Ukraine has put further pressure on these divides and increased the levels of polarization in the region. These strong emotions and more extreme political discourse can lead to increasing isolation of various political actors from one another, making interactions more and more destructive and less conducive to democracy. This therefore enhances the possibility of political crisis and destabilization in countries in the region and makes overcoming these divides more and more difficult. Thereby threatening both security (foreign interference, violence) and rule of law (politicization, securitization). 

Amy Eaglestone (researcher at the University of Birmingham) and KPSRL have initiated an event series under the Thematic Headline’s subtheme ‘Resilience to Polarization’, interrogating the specific mechanisms behind polarization in this region and discussing possible responses from the perspective of the social contract. Georgia will be the first of two country cases (the second one being Moldova), after which a roundtable will follow to inform EU-level policy and programming related to support for rule of law and democracy in the Eastern European region. 

Register below to join us online on Tuesday, 19th June from 12:00-14.00 (CEST) online via Zoom.

Click here to check out the Concept Note.

Description

We invite you to join our discussion on Thursday, 13 April from 13:00-14:30 (CEST) to unpack the Analytical Paper written from last year's findings regarding the KPSRL Thematic Headline 'Reimagining Social Contracts'. The goal of this conversation is to kick off the thematic focus of 2023: Toward Just Social Contracts, whereby we aim to transition from conceptual thinking to operationalization.

Joined by researchers, Brenton Peterson & Manar Zaki from Consilient Research and the Sababi Institute in Somaliland, we will hear about a project funded by the Knowledge Management Fund that showcases an example of how to operationalize the concept of a social contract. This case study looks at customary justice systems led by clan elders in Somaliland, and questions the feasibility of its long-term value and legitimacy in the (inter-)national arena.

Goals

• Unpack the analytical paper on last year’s findings regarding the Thematic Headline ‘Reimagine Social Contracts’
• Presentation of the ’23 subthemes, operationalizing last year’s theme of social contracts
  • (1) Participatory and inclusive social contracts, (2) Authoritarian social contracts and the security sector and (3) Resilience to polarization
  • Announce already planned KPSRL events
• Show an example of what ‘operationalizing’ our thematic headline of strengthening social contracts looks like
• Map interest of the KPSRL network to contribute to this Thematic Headline throughout 2023

Background

In 2022, the network of the Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law (KPSRL) unpacked its Thematic Headline ‘Reimagine Social Contracts’. This theme a.o. guided a kick-off webinar, a window of the Knowledge Management Fund (KMF) and the Annual Conference (KPAC22).

The findings throughout the year have been bundled in an analytical paper. Through an online survey, the KPSRL network expressed an eagerness to unpack this complex theme further, moving from concepts to operationalization. To do so, during this event we jointly unpack the analytical paper and the more specific subthemes to dive into in 2023.

Speakers

• Giorgio Ferrari, Learning Officer for KPSRL
• Consilient Research, Manar Zaki & Brenton Peterson

Agenda

• We will first set the scene by discussing the analytical paper about 2022 and the subsequent sub-themes for 2023: (1) Participatory and inclusive social contracts, (2) Authoritarian social contracts and the security sector and (3) Resilience to polarization.
• Afterwards, Consilient Research shares their case, showing an example of how to operationalize the concept of a social contract.
• After a Q@A on these presentations, the participants are split into break-out groups per sub-theme. There, they (1) share examples of important research, conferences, projects, policy trends etc. on that subtheme and (2) indicate how KPSRL and its network can contribute in the coming year.

How do we capture progress on our ambitions to work more localized and do we indeed see that such ways of working lead to better results? NEAR will share its Localisation Performance Measurement Framework, after which an in-country partner (NAHAB), an INGO (consultant Patrick Crump) and a donor (NL MFA) reflect on its applicability. Of course, there will also be plenty of room for you to share your views and initiatives on this theme with the other participants.

Click here to download the agenda in English and click here to download the agenda in French.

This is an invitation-only event. If you would like to participate, please email [email protected].