Event

2019 Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture: 30 Years of Czech and Slovak Freedom

This year‘s Freedom Lecture is co-hosted by the Embassy of the Czech Republic and the Embassy of the Slovak Republic. Both a Czech and a Slovak speaker are featured in order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which saw the return of freedom and democracy to both countries on November 17, 1989.

Date & Time

Nov. 13, 2019

12:00pm – 1:30pm

Location

6th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center

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Event Sponsor

Global Europe Program

Event Co-Sponsors

Embassy of the Czech Republic
Embassy of the Slovak Republic
American Friends of the Czech Republic
Friends of Slovakia

2019 Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture: 30 Years of Czech and Slovak Freedom

Introductions

Ivan Korčok

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic to the United States

Hynek Kmoníček

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to the United States

Keynote Speakers

Katarína Cséfalvayová

Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, National Council of the Slovak Republic

Simon Pánek

Former Czech student activist during the Velvet Revolution in 1989; Executive Director and Co-Founder of the largest Czech humanitarian organization, People in Need

Moderator

Blair A. Ruble

Distinguished Fellow;
Former Wilson Center Vice President for Programs (2014-2017); Director of the Comparative Urban Studies Program/Urban Sustainability Laboratory (1992-2017); Director of the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies (1989-2012) and Director of the Program on Global Sustainability and Resilience (2012-2014)

Hosted By

Global Europe Program

The Global Europe Program addresses vital issues affecting Europe’s relations with the rest of the world through scholars-in-residence, seminars, international conferences and publications. These programmatic activities cover wide-ranging topics include: European energy security, the role of the European Union and NATO, democratic transitions, and counter-terrorism, among others. The program also investigates comparatively European approaches to policy issues of importance to the United States, including migration, global governance, and relations with Russia, China and the Middle East. Read more