Tbilisi

Progressive Alliance Conference “Future of Work in the Digital Era” and Board Meeting

Event Date   7. – 8.09.2018
 
© Maurice Weiss / Ostkreuz

7 – 8 September 2018 in Tbilisi, Georgia

The conference “Future of Work in the Digital Era”, hosted by our sister party Georgian Dream, will be held on 7 – 8 September 2018 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

We are living in a time of deep transformation: the working environment is changing everywhere and therefore societies are changing as well. Digitisation has raised hopes and fuelled fears at the same time. Because robots do not sleep, they never get sick – and they do not pay taxes. However, life and actions of a community are being financed through human work. This is only one example of the challenges we are facing in times of digitisation. As agreed, our meeting in Georgia will be the kick-off of a series of discussions about how we will be able to shape these huge upheavals caused by the digital revolution in a social and fair way worldwide. These debates shall contribute to a comprehensive positioning of the Progressive Alliance which we would like to present next year.

The second thematic focal point will be Regional Cooperation and Integration. We are seeing contradictory trends worldwide: regional disintegration, the questioning of multilateral agreements and even the termination of treaties. With this debate we want to develop strategies together on how to stop this rollback of an order of society which was developed in a struggle over several decades.

In our working groups we will learn about recent developments in the region. Another important part of the conference will be the meeting of Progressive Alliance Working Group on Gender, which will be hold for the fourth time. If we want to take up political responsibility we need to win elections. That is why the discussion about campaigning techniques and strategies is an important pillar of our common work. For this purpose, we will organise a working group on Progressive Campaigning. And, as it has become good practice, we will start our conference with a meeting of the Steering Committee to discuss all important political and organisational aspects of our network.

 

On the first day, 7 September, 12.00-14.00 hrs, we will have a meeting of the Board of the Progressive Alliance. Beside the political discussion about the way forward of our movement in these times of change we have to discuss and conclude the activity and financial reports as well as the membership applications. The documents for the three latter issues will be distributed in due time before the meeting.

As stated in our Guiding Principles, should elected members of the Board be unable to attend this meeting, they may send a previously designated representative. Please be aware that leaders of parties that have no representative on the Board have the right to attend the Board meeting without voting rights.

 

Dear comrades, dear friends, this conference will not only be an excellent occasion to continue our political debates. It will also be a splendid opportunity to exchange experiences, to learn about best practices and to deepen our progressive network.

For more information about the conference, please find enclosed the draft program, the technical details and the registration form.

Please get registered for the board meeting and the conference in Tiflis at the latest on 24 August 2018.

We are looking forward to the confirmation of your participation and to seeing you in Georgia.

 

Draft Program

7 September 2018

08.00 hrs         Registration

Venue: 14 M. Kostava Str., Tbilisi, Georgia

 

09.00 hrs         Meeting of the Steering Committee (not open to the press), Room: Central Room

All parties and associated organizations of the Progressive Alliance are entitled to send delegates to the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee prepares the conference and the board meeting, discusses resolutions and the upcoming activities of the Progressive Alliance.

Chaired by Konstantin Woinoff, Coordinator, Progressive Alliance

Welcome

Tamar Chugoshvili, International Secretary, First Deputy speaker of the Parliament, Chair of the Gender Equality Council in the Parliament, Georgian Dream Party, Georgia

Dimitri Tskitishvili, Member of Parliament, Georgian Dream Party, Georgia

Introduction into the input papers and draft resolutions

Presentation of the preliminary activity and financial report

Peter Hug, Auditor of the Progressive Alliance, International Secretary, Social Democratic Party of Switzerland and Konstantin Woinoff

 

10.00 hrs         Coffee Break

 

10.15 hrs         Working Group on Gender (not open to the press), Room: Garden Hall

Chaired by Marja Bijl, Member of the Board, Labour Party (PvdA), Netherlands and Bahia Amra, Palestinian National Initiative

Prospects of Gender Justice in Georgia

Tamar Chugoshvili, International Secretary, First Deputy speaker of the Parliament, Chair of the Gender Equality Council in the Parliament, Georgian Dream Party, Georgia

Prospects of Gender Justice in Indonesia

Sondang Tampubolon, Deputy International Secretary, National Democratic Party (Nasdem), Indonesia

Prospects of Gender Justice in Austria

Ilia Dib, International Secretary, Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), Austria

Introduction into the Draft on “Strengthening the Cooperation with the Gender and Women’s Movement”

Marja Bijl and Bahia Amra

 

11.00 hrs         Working Group on Progressive Campaigning (not open to the press), Room: Garden Hall

Archil Talakvadze, Leader of the Parliamentary Majority, Member of the Political Council of Georgian Dream Party, Georgia

Margarita Bolaños Arquin, Member of the Board of the Progressive Alliance, Chair of the International Commission, Citizens’ Action Party (PAC), Costa Rica

Johan Hassel, International Secretary, Swedish Social Democratic Party (SAP), Sweden

Moderator: Ana Pirtskhalava, Secretary General, International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY)

 

12.00 hrs         Lunch

 

12.00 hrs         Meeting of the Board of the Progressive Alliance over Lunch (not open to the press), Room: Central Room

Welcome

Irakli Kobakhidze, Member of the Board of the Progressive Alliance, Chair of the Parliament of Georgia, Georgian Dream Party, Georgia

Rising Right-wing Populism and Authoritarian Rule – a Threat to our Societies and Peace

Risa Hontiveros, Member of the Board of the Progressive Alliance, Chair of the Citizens’ Action Party (Akbayan), Phillipines

Sadi Pire, Member of the Board of the Progressive Alliance, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Iraq

Sergei Stanishev, Member of the Board of the Progressive Alliance, President of the Party of European Socialists (PES)

Mónica Xavier, Member of the Board of the Progressive Alliance, Secretary General, Socialist Party of Uruguay (PSU), Uruguay

Presentation of the activity and financial report, discussion on memberships

Konstantin Woinoff and Peter Hug

 

14.00 hrs         Plenary Session (open to the press), Room: Garden Hall

 

Opening

Konstantin Woinoff, Coordinator, Progressive Alliance

 

Welcome

Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia

Irakli Kobakhidze, Member of the Board of the Progressive Alliance, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Executive Secretary of Georgian Dream Party

 

Video

 

14.30 hrs         Introductions into the topic ”Future of Work in the Digital Era”

Speech

Sergei Stanishev, Member of the Board of the Progressive Alliance, President of the Party of European Socialists (PES)

 

14.45 hrs         Speech

Maria João Rodrigues, President of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), Vice President of the S&D Group in the European Parlament

 

15.00 hrs         Key Debate on “Future of Work in the Digital Era”

Víctor Báez, Secretary General, Trade Union Confederation of the America’s (TUCA)

Hilik Bar, Miembro de la Dirección de la Alianza Progresista, Viceportavoz de la Knéset, Partido Laborista Israelí (Avoda), Israel

Artur Henrique, Worker’s Party (PT), Brazil

David Sergeenko, Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affiars of Georgia

Manish Tewari, Speaker of the Indian National Congress (INC), India

Moderator: Anna Sundström, Secretary General, Olof Palme International Center (OPIC)

 

16.30 hrs         Introduction into the second topic “Regional Cooperation and Integration”

Speech

Enrique Guerrero Salom, President of the Global Progressive Forum (GPF), Member of the European Parliament

 

16:45 hrs         Leaders’ Debate on the topic “Regional Cooperation and Integration”

Antonio Bonfatti, Member of the Board of the Progressive Alliance, President of the Socialist Party (PS), Argentina

Herta Däubler-Gmelin, Chair of the Human Rights Commission, Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Germany

Tamar Khulordava, Member of Parliament, Chair of the EU Integration Committee, Georgian Dream

Norbert Neuser, Member of the European Parliament, Group of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D Group)

Moderator: Conny Reuter, Secretary General of SOLIDAR

 

18.00 hrs         Family Photo and Closure

 

19:30 hrs         Departure from the hotel

Meeting point at the main entrance of Rooms Hotel

 

20.00 hrs         Reception

Venue: Restaurant “Funicular”

Address: Mtatsminda plateau, 0114 Tbilisi, Georgia

 

8 September 2018

9:30   hrs         Departure from the hotel

Meeting point at the main entrance of Rooms Hotel

Transfer to Open Air Museum of Ethnography

Address: 25, M. Berdzenishvili Str. (Turtle Lake Road), Tbilisi, Georgia

 

10.00 hrs         Workshop: Recent Developments in Countries of the Region (open to the press)

Vlodimir Cebotari, Vice President of the Democratic Party of Moldova (DPM)

Bohdan Ferens, Social Democratic Platform, Ukraine

Sofo Katsarava, Member of Parliament, Chair of the Foreign Affiars Committee of Georgian Parliament, Georgian Dream Party, Georgia

Alen Simonyan, Board member of Civil Contract Armenia

Moderator: Dimitri Tskitishvili, Member of Parliament, Georgian Dream Party, Georgia

 

12.00 hrs         Lunch and cultural program

 

15.00 hrs         End of the Conference

 

Papers

Invitation
Draft Program
List Of Participants
Input Paper Digital Capitalism
Resolution regional cooperation
Resolution Nicaragua
Resolution Philippines
Resolution Brazil
Resolution Argentina