On Thursday, 26 October 2023, we celebrated the opening of the EU Presidency Project and the 20th anniversary of the HAND Association at the Europe Point in Budapest.
Bálint Hamvas, Executive Director of the HAND, opened the event and presented the objectives of the association, its member organisations and its activities, such as representing the civil sector, raising awareness of global challenges and generating funds for various civil projects.
Following his presentation, Nóra Sebesi, HAND’s junior policy officer, presented the most important information about the upcoming European Union Presidency and the project’s characteristics.
She described the priorities of the Hungarian part of the project during the Presidency ー such as strengthening the role of civil society organisations in international development, emphasising policy coherence and sustainable development, and educating for global responsibility.
After the presentation of the Presidency project, the winning proposals at the call for proposal for third party financial support were mentioned, which the Association had launched for its member organisations in the framework of the Presidency project. 9 project proposals were submitted on a variety of topics, including sustainable water use and optimisation of food supply chains, environmental and economic justice, various campaigns and round table discussions.
The forthcoming Hungarian AidWatch report and the Global Education Week, which took place from 13 to 19 November 2023, were discussed.
Cecília Bárdos, Head of the Coordination Department of the Hungary Helps Programme at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and István Perger, Head of the Political and Economic Analysis Department of the European Commission Representation in Hungary welcomed the Association and reported on the focus points of the Presidency from their institutional views.
Among the member organisations of HAND, Viktória Mihalkó from Anthropolis, Dr. István Farkas from the National Society of Conservationists – Friends of the Earth Hungary and Ildikó Szilasi from the CultureAfrica Foundation talked about why it is worth joining the HAND Association and the benefits of being a member organisation.
Réka Balogh, Policy Officer of HAND, who presented the possibilities of cooperation with the Association, future policy programmes, social media campaigns targeting the public and capacity building, closed the plenary session.
The „Rapid Randi” interactive networking programme followed the presentations: participants were organised into three groups and discussed good practices from civil society, policy-makers and other sectors, and made a variety of recommendations on the topic.
The event was rounded off with a festive programme, featuring a captivating performance by the Song Factory choir, followed by a performance by the Ballet Camara team, which took participants to sunny Senegal on the wings of drums, dance and rhythms.
The event ended with a standing reception, where, in the spirit of sustainability, the so-called JótéKonyha (KitCharity) provided food, so that all the food that was not consumed at the event went to the Hungarian Food Bank Association.
