The Saeima and NGO forum dedicated to Latvia’s future in a safe Europe will take place in the Parliament

On Tuesday, May 7, the annual forum of the Saeima and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will take place in the parliament. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Latvia becoming a member of the European Union and NATO, this year’s forum is dedicated to Latvia’s future in a secure Europe.

The event will be opened by the Speaker of the Saeima, Daiga Mieriņa, and the Chairperson of the Latvian Civic Alliance Council, Agnese Fridenberga.

Three parallel discussions are planned at the forum. In the discussion “Prevention of a safe environment for children and young people”, those present will discuss the development of the Violence Prevention and Combating Plan for 2024-2029 and what actions we should ensure and what legislative improvements should be made so that our children can live in a safe environment, in a safe Latvia. The discussion will be led by Antonina Nenasheva, a member of the Saeima Speaker, and Agnija Jansone, a member of the coordinating group of the Saeima and NGO Forum.

In the discussion “Social economy in Europe and Latvia” it is planned to discuss issues related to the social economy strategy of our country. It will be chaired by Zane Skujiņa-Rubene, chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Inequality Reduction of the Social and Labor Affairs Commission of the Saeima, and Agnese Fridenberga, the leading researcher of the “Providus” think tank and the chairperson of the Latvian Civic Alliance Council.

In the discussion “Latvia’s role in European security”, its participants will discuss how to more effectively implement cooperation between public administration and non-governmental organizations in order to promote the achievement of common nationally important goals. The discussion will be led by the Secretary of the Saeima, the Secretary of the National Security Commission, Edvards Smiltēns, and the President of the Society “European Movement in Latvia”, Andris Gobiņš.

After the work in the parallel discussions, a summary of the thematic discussions of the forum is planned. The closing words of the forum will be delivered by D. Mieriņa and Director of the Latvian Civic Alliance Kristīne Zonberga.

The forum of the Saeima and NGOs will start at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 7, and everyone interested will be able to follow its progress online on the website of the Saeima www.saeima.lv and the parliament Facebook in the account. Not only the opening and closing of the forum, but also the parallel discussion “Prevention of a safe environment for children and young people” will be available live.

In the everyday work of the Saeima, the involvement of civil society plays an essential role in evaluating legislative initiatives and providing proposals for their improvement. The forum has become a parliamentary tradition, and the Saeima organizes it in close cooperation with civil society organizations. In order to improve and modernize the parliament’s dialogue with civil society, the Presidium of the Saeima approved a new declaration on cooperation between the Saeima and civil society in February.

Saeima Press Service