The Prague Society for International Cooperation is a Prague-based non-governmental organization that originated in communist Central Europe, when political

dissidents A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 20th ...

joined forces to oppose their respective regimes. Though several of its members were imprisoned during the

communist era A Communist Era is a sustained period of national government by a single party following the philosophy of Marxism–Leninism. Many countries have experienced such a period of Communist rule. Current communist states China The Chinese Communist ...

, the Prague Society officially became a registered

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

under President

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...

in 1997. Today’s iteration of the organization has inherited much from its years of inception both in its mission and its methodology. In continually promoting a socratic exchange of ideas, the organization works to curtail threads of corruption and abuse within Central Europe. The organization brings people together to share knowledge and experiences, and develop a new generation of responsible, well-informed leaders and thinkers in Central Europe. It aims to promote a global approach to business, politics, and academia through transparent networking and off the record dialogue. 14th DL visit to Prague

The Prague Society works in conjunction with th
Global Panel Foundation
with which it hosts the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award, given annually since the year 2000, to honour dedication to and achievement in public service particularly in Central Europe. Due to its unorthodox methods, the Society has attracted and retained many international ties around the world. In addition to its international endeavours, the Prague Society also publishes a

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of ...

that is distributed to the local population in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and other international publications.

Past events

* 28 January 2013: Global Panel and Prague Society support call for the impeachment of the

President of the Czech Republic The president of the Czech Republic is the head of state of the Czech Republic and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. The president mostly has ceremonial powers as the day-to-day business of the executive govern ...

Václav Klaus Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...

. *12 January 2013: Prague Society honors the passing of Yuri M. Schmidth. *12 October 2012: Prague Society honors the passing of Geraldine Mucha. *23 August 2011: Prague Society honors the passing of

Jack Layton John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on To ...

. *5 March 2011: Prague Society honors the passing of Jan Zajíc in Vítkov. *25 January 2011: Prague Society presents the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award to the Polish journalist and former dissident

Adam Michnik Adam Michnik (; born 17 October 1946) is a Polish historian, essayist, former dissident, public intellectual, and editor-in-chief of the Polish newspaper, ''Gazeta Wyborcza''. Reared in a family of committed communists, Michnik became an opponen ...

. * 23 June 2010:

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

Radio Liberty Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

was a round table event with Yuri Schmidt as the honorary guest speaker. Yuri Schmidt was the founder of the Committee of Russian Lawyers in Defense of Human Rights. * 28 January 2010: Round table event located at the Romanian Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic. Special guest of honor Juraj Chmiel, who will replace

Štefan Füle Štefan Füle (born 24 May 1962 in Sokolov) is a former Czech diplomat who served as the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy from February 2010 until October 2014. Early life and education Füle was born on ...

as the Czech European affairs minister. * 14 February 2009: Round table and public policy dinner with U.S. General

Wesley Clark Wesley Kanne Clark (born December 23, 1944) is a retired United States Army officer. He graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, where he obtained a degree ...

, former supreme allied commander of Europe. General Clark pushed for

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

membership of Central European nations like

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, and the Czech Republic after the fall of the Iron Curtain. During the round table discussion topics such as "energy security, Middle East missile defense and other international issues," were discussed. * December 2004: Prague Society presents the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award to former NATO Secretary Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, who donated the financial reward of 150000kc to David Hodan.O'Connor, Colin. "Prague Society honours former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson." Český Rozhlas, 9 December 2004 .

References

External links

Video Overview on Prague Society

Hanno R. Ellenbogen Award distributed by Prague Society

Hanno R. Ellenbogen Award

Prague Society Newsletter

Honored guest of the Prague Society: Supreme Allied Commander of Europe Wesley Clark

Article on Prague Society and Bill Clinton

Prague Society Makes Arrangements for Former U.S. President Bill Clinton {{DEFAULTSORT:Prague Society For International Cooperation Organizations established in 1997