The main aim of this series of workshops is to deepen young professionals’ understanding and knowledge of collective security and defence issues, particularly within the framework of Serbia’s current and future relations with Euro-Atlantic structures.
Workshops
- The Evolution of Collective Security: NATO in the 21st Century
- The Partnership for Peace Programme – Opportunities for Serbia?
Background
Since December 2006, when Serbia became the newest member of the Partnership for Peace (PfP), intensive efforts have been made to strengthen cooperation with NATO, primarily on democratic, institutional and defence reforms, as well as in other pertinent areas. In order to broaden understanding about Serbia’s current and future relations with NATO, however, particularly amongst young professionals, TransConflict Serbia and the Youth Dialogue Programme have recognised the need to provide an innovative platform for stimulating and facilitating debate around such issues. This comprehensive series of workshops therefore aims to improve the participants’ understanding of NATO’s concept of collective security, thereby enabling them to more clearly envisage Serbia’s future role and obligations with respect to NATO. In doing so, they will be better equipped to form their own opinions about the costs and benefits of closer relations with Euro-Atlantic structures.
Besides strengthening understanding about key issues related to NATO’s current agenda and decision-making structures, these workshops will serve an important educational function by providing all participants with the requisite skills and experience to engage in constructive dialogue and debate about security and defence-related issues. The Jagello 2000 Workshop Series will actively involve both domestic and international professionals and academics, officials from NATO and other international organisations dealing with security-related issues, as well as representatives of relevant Ministries. This diversity of insights will guarantee both a high-standard of educational material and discussion, whilst offering different working methodologies, perspectives and areas of expertise. The participants, meanwhile, will be selected from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds, with a particular emphasis on candidates from minority groups and from traditionally isolated parts of Serbia, which have previously been disenfranchised from public debates on such issues.
It is imperative for both Serbia and NATO that a generation of capable, articulate and knowledgeable individuals exists that can contribute to the development of constructive solutions in an ever evolving global security environment. To achieve this objective, the Jagello 2000 Workshop Series contains contains a strong capacity-building element, designed to strengthen the negotiation and communication skills of all participants. In particular, the workshops include discussions on issues related to risk communication, including ‘risk perception and assessment’, ‘establishing and enhancing trust and credibility’, and ‘risk comparisons and the persuasive use of facts’.
Objectives
The main objective of this programme is to deepen young professionals’ understanding and knowledge of collective security and defence issues, particularly within the framework of Serbia’s current and future relations with Euro-Atlantic structures.
Other strategic objectives include:
- to strengthen participants’ communication, negotiation and lobbying skills, allowing them to discuss and develop constructive cooperation in the diplomatic and security sphere;
- to facilitate discussions between young professionals’ from a variety of professional and academic backgrounds, and from different ethnic groups and political parties, thereby providing a neutral platform to transcend divisions and seemingly irreconcilable positions regarding Serbia’s integration into Euro-Atlantic structures;
- to provide young professionals with the opportunity to engage in debate with senior political officials, professionals and academics involved in defence and security-related areas;
- to provide professional guidance and assistance on important technical skills, such as drafting positioning papers and statements and conducting SWOT analysis etc.
- to establish contacts and create cooperative networks between young professionals interested in defence and collective security-related issues;
This project has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
