Final debate: What conclusions should we draw for the future?
Speakers: Minister Meryame Kitir, Els Hertogen (11.11.11), Jean Bossuyt (NGO federation) and Ann Peeters (VLIR-UOS)
Language: English
Time to wrap up.
During this edition of Forward fest, many items were discussed: fake news, alternative systems, decolonisation, ecological feminism.... There were also some striking statements and recommendations from the (inter)national speakers. Even young people wanted to say something to our sector of international solidarity.
Therefore, the question is: which conclusions should we make and where do we go from here? That is why we look back on those key moments and present some issues to the leaders of the three organising bodies and the Minister for Development Cooperation, Ms Kitir.
Speakers
Els Hertogen
Els Hertogen is the director of 11.11.11, the umbrella organisation of International Solidarity.
She studied political and social sciences at KULeuven, with a focus on international relations. Before becoming director in 2019, she already had more than ten years of experience within the organisation. She also conducted research on Development Cooperation (KULeuven - HIVA) and on the role of Flemish civil society (UAntwerpen).
Since childhood, she has been active as a volunteer around injustice and inequality and is a strong advocate of international solidarity.
Jean Bossuyt
Jean Bossuyt , a Belgian national, has been with ECDPM since 1990. His current position is Head of Strategy.
Focusing on ACP-EU cooperation, he has been involved in policy and practical work on issues related to democratisation and governance; civil society participation; decentralisation and decentralised cooperation; EU cooperation policies and reform processes.
He did fieldwork in several ACP countries and published extensively on ACP-EU cooperation. Prior to joining the Centre, he worked at the Centre for Third World Studies at the University of Ghent, for the Brussels Delegation of the UNHCR and as a civil servant in the Belgian Parliament.
Ann Peeters
Ann Peeters is Professor of Italian and General Literature at the Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies of Vrije Universiteit Brussel. In November 2011, she was awarded the title of "Doctor in Italian Language and Literature" by Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Università di Pisa, with a doctoral thesis entitled “Variazioni su un tema: le riscritture per musica dei "Promessi sposi".
Her current research interests include literature and music, discourse analysis, intercultural communication, intertextuality and intermediality. She is supervising three funded PhD projects (FWO - Research Foundation Flanders). In this context, she is a member of the editorial board of Journal for Literary and Intermedial Crossings, which she co-founded. She is also director of the Multilingual Master in Linguistics and Literary Studies and vice-president of the Council for International Relations of Vrije Universiteit Brussel. She is a member of the Board of VLIR-UOS.
