OTS - Public benefit foundations: European conference opens in Vienna (part 1)
2021. October 19. 15:53
Vienna, 19 October, 2021 (APA/OTS) - For three days (18-20 Oct.)
400 guests will discuss issues relating to the general topic "From
crisis to opportunity - How can philanthropy accelerate sustainable
change?" - The city of Vienna is currently the European capital of
philanthropy: for three days some 400 representatives of
philanthropic foundations and organisations operating across Europe
are meeting to discuss emerging trends and possible solutions to
the climate crisis, democracy development, philanthropy, and
society. The conference kicked off on Monday (18 Oct.) at
Gartenbaukino cinema with a short trailer specially produced for
the conference, featuring Austrian artist and musician André Heller.
In his capacity as chairman of the supervisory board of ERSTE
Foundation, Andreas Treichl welcomed the guests and introduced them
to Kenan al Barede, a student who had come to Vienna as a refugee
and talked about his experiences. EFC president Angel Font ("la
Caixa" Foundation) stressed: "The current huge challenges - the
climate crisis, democracy development, global inequality - can only
be solved together in and with society. The coronavirus crisis and
the rapid development of vaccines have impressively demonstrated
this."
Delphine Moralis, CEO of the European Foundation Centre since
2020, explained in her introduction to the opening plenary:
"Everyone is connected to everyone else, and as philanthropic
foundations we can build the bridges for solutions - from crisis to
opportunity. Currently, every foundation should also be a climate
foundation, that is to say putting a climate lens on all its
activities."
Treichl urged his guests: "The philanthropic world and the
corporate world need to take the same line and call for decisive
action from politics - this trend will grow." Anne-Birgitte
Albrectsen (LEGO Foundation) addressed the issue of the young
generation and the responsibility of adults: "Creativity is not
limited to children; adults should allow themselves to be inspired
by them. What we do now will determine what will become of the
world for them. Foundations can take more risks here, moving ahead
of governments and administrations and leading the way." Activist
Kumi Naidoo also appealed: "The philanthropic sector now needs to
get more involved in solving the interconnected crises. We cannot
simply address the symptoms, but we have to be addressing the root
causes of the crisis: what's needed now is system innovation,
system redesign and system transformation." This requires the
creativity of foundations and fresh perspectives from young people,
he added.
The round of experts from civil society and philanthropy was
followed by representatives from politics. Mayor of Budapest
Gergely Karácsony, who only recently announced his withdrawal from
next year's parliamentary elections in Hungary, stated in his
speech how civic councils in Budapest had discussed environmental
projects and prepared them for a vote; these had then been adopted
and implemented by the city council. The Mayors' Forum, which is
also supported by ERSTE Foundation, demonstrates how philanthropy
can collaborate with politics. "Progress and reform from the top
down is not enough. Direct democracy and representative democracy
must work together," Karácsony is convinced.
The last speaker was M?rti?š Sta?is, mayor of Latvian capital
Riga since 2020. In his speech, he explained that the purpose of
cities is not limited to cleaning its sidewalks. "They also have a
global responsibility. Only cities that actively encourage and
support civic engagement will be successful in the future," Sta?is
explained. To this end, a digital discussion platform was also
implemented in Riga.
The recording of the event is available at
https://streaming.ots.at/streaming/efc-conference-opening/ (from 18
Oct./approx. 5 p.m.).
The event also features showcases, discussions, keynote
speeches - Wednesday's closing plenary is available via live stream
The conference programme is generally divided into four
thematic tracks. On Tuesday afternoon mainly Austrian foundations
will discuss their work in Viennese coffee houses and special
locations such as magdas Hotel, the Wiener Zentralfriedhof
(Vienna's largest cemetery), the Burgtheater, the Steinhofgründe
area, the Erste Financial Life Park and the Türkis Rosa Lila Villa
LGBTIQ community centre. On Wednesday, 20 October, the closing
plenary will be streamed from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring a
keynote speech by Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate
Foundation. (Link:
https://streaming.ots.at/streaming/efc-conference-closing/)
General information on the event in German and English is
available at:
https://science.apa.at/medienkooperation/erste-stiftung/
(continues)