13. 11. 2023 | Peace and security, POTC, PR
On the 30th of November, the 1st solo edition of the Disruptive Military Practices & Technologies Training will be held at POTC’s home base – Jable Castle for a group of dedicated participants mainly coming from the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence.
Kliknite tukaj za branje članka v slovenskem jeziku.
The aim of the Disruptive Military Practices & Technologies Training is to address the emergence of new threats and opportunities in the security and defence field. More concretely, the sessions will focus on the following subjects:
- Space Weather: insights into the influence of space weather on critical infrastructure;
- Space Technologies and their Applications: the latest developments in space technologies and their practical applications in the defence sector;
- EU Technological Sovereignty: addressing the crucial topic of maintaining technological sovereignty within the European Union;
- The Disruptive Potential of AI in the Field of Security: understanding the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on national and international security.
The participants of the training will have the chance to hear about and discuss these important topics with leading lecturers whose insights are invaluable. The field of emerging technologies and their influence on our common security are topics that need addressing, especially because we live in an interconnected world where technology is developing exponentially while our human understanding of it seems to lagging behind.
The call for applications is extended until November 24th at the following link: CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
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9. 11. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
On November 7th, we began the first three-week mentorship visits under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ at the municipality of Domžale.
The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’ and aims to provide targeted transfer of knowledge and experience on the part of Slovenian municipalities and build the institutional capacities of Ukrainian municipalities, as well as establish arrangements for fostering cross-border partnerships between Slovenian and Ukrainian municipalities.
The first mentorship is taking place in the Slovenian municipality Domžale, which currently hosts two mentees from the Ukrainian municipality Hnivan. The programme of the mentorship is rich, encapsulating the needs mentioned by the Hnivan municipality (strengthening civil protection service at the municipality) as well as addressing topics crucial for further development of the municipality, such as project management, project writing and topics related to EU enlargement process on the local level. The municipality of Domžale, with its rich experience in civil protection, offers great knowledge not only through the presentation of good practices but also through site visits of stakeholders involved in the civil protection system of the municipality. Another expressed interest of Hnivan municipality was the waste management system of municipality Domžale, so the first site visit of the mentorship focused on the work of the central wastewater treatment plant Domžale-Kamnik, the history of the construction of the wastewater treatment plant, funding of the construction, as well as the upgrade of the plant, pointing out all the advantages for the people, region and environment.
In the next weeks, representatives of Hnivan hromada will learn more about project planning, preparation and management, project funding, civil protection and emergency preparedness and resilience building through interactive workshops and site visits.
Photos of the visit can be seen below:
The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’. U-LEAD with Europe programme is a partnership of the Ukrainian government and the European Union, and its member states Germany, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Estonia and Slovenia to support the establishment of multi-level governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine.
8. 11. 2023 | POTC, PR
On November 7th, 58 members of the Slovenian Armed Forces successfully completed the 2nd edition of International Humanitarian Law Training at the Joint Training Centre in Postojna.
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Using immersive teaching tools developed by the Legal Department of the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Joint Training Centre Research and Simulations Department, the attending military participants trained themselves on topics such as:
- the status of persons in armed conflict;
- direct participation in hostilities;
- the treatment of the dead;
- the status of prisoners of war – POWs;
- protection of cultural heritage;
- obligations of the defender;
- perfidy;
- and more.
Leading IHL experts from the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana, dr. Vasilka Sancin and dr. Maruša Tekavčič Veber, delivered 2 days of thought-provoking sessions that engaged the participants and opened the floor for lively debates.
»Even wars have rules« was the main motto of the international humanitarian law training and this was crystal clear by the end of this joint training between the Slovenian Armed Forces and POTC.
We would like to thank all the participants, the lecturers, the staff of the Joint Training Centre in Postojna and the staff of the Legal Department of the Slovenian Armed Forces who developed the content of this training. The POTC Team looks forward to the next edition of this training whose themes are growing in importance in an ever more complex world.
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3. 11. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation, Strategic Communication, Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in 6 Western Balkans Countries
Novica v slovenščini je dostopna TUKAJ.
Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in the Western Balkans spent the last week on the road, visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
The tailor-made program for Bosnia and Herzegovina delivered some twenty participants from different sectors of the country discussions on the most relevant issues for Bosnia and Herzegovina when it comes to countering foreign perpetrated disinformation: how to define and regulate such phenomenon, how to address it in a country that has a complex state structure, what role it will play in the EU accession process, and what are the pitfalls of current business models of media and NGOs. In addition, an expert from the Finnish Mediapooli led a workshop on Countering Disinformation through a Strategic Risk Approach to Media Landscape, which sparked interesting exchanges and a lively debate among participants.
In Serbia, the project held a highly productive working meeting with some key actors in the field of countering disinformation, who had the opportunity to learn about the good practice examples of Estonia and Finland, as well as to hear about the new developments, initiatives and expectations coming from the EU. The meeting was marked by a high-quality discussion between participants, which strengthened the existing and established new networks, that will invaluably contribute to further work of the project in Serbia.
In both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, the project held closed-door consultations with the representatives of the Council of Ministers and the Government Ministries, respectively. The purpose of these consultations was both to present the objectives and the way forward for the project and to gain insight and feedback on the implementation of the whole-of-government approach in countering foreign perpetrated disinformation.
The project will continue to work with both countries as well as with the rest of the Western Balkan region in the coming months, and looks forward to the remaining visits to Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo.
The Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Disinformation in the Western Balkans is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia through development cooperation funds.
26. 10. 2023 | Decentralisation, local self-government, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
At the 12th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region held under the Slovenian Presidency, CEP’s Executive Director, Ms Nina Čepon, contributed to the panel discussion titled ”Bottom-up recovery and transformation of Ukraine–Supporting Ukraine and Moldova on their way to the EU” on the 24th of October.
She shed light on CEP’s impactful collaboration with Ukrainian municipalities, a process initiated back in 2018 under the scope of the Programme ‘U-LEAD with Europe’ implemented by the German organization GIZ in Ukraine. The dedication to enhancing Ukrainian municipalities continues through our ongoing development project titled ‘Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Ukraine’ funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’.
This project remains committed to transferring knowledge tailored to specific needs and providing sustainable assistance to Ukrainian municipalities as they advance in their development, modernization and contribute to the Ukrainian path toward EU membership while dealing with the everyday challenges of wartime. Activities are focusing on topics such as green transition, civil protection and resilience, economic development, anti-corruption and transparency in local governance, and deliver an important skillset to raise their absorption capacities in terms of donor engagement, namely those of efficient planning, project appraisal and obtainment of external funding.
Čepon emphasised that Ukrainian municipalities are set to play a pivotal role in post-conflict reconstruction and development in Ukraine as they are forward-looking, and they strive toward economic development and other objectives despite being faced with their complex everyday circumstances at this time. Slovenia’s wealth of experience in modernization and the EU accession process promises to bring significant, concrete value.
17. 10. 2023 | POTC, PR
From 6 to 7 November, the 2nd module of the training on International Humanitarian Law will take place at the Joint Training Centre in Postojna. The organisation of the training is shared between the Slovenian Armed Forces and POTC.
Kliknite tukaj za branje članka v slovenskem jeziku.
After last year’s first training module on International Humanitarian Law, this year’s module will focus on specific topical areas of this overarching theme. The aim of the second module is to cover the topics that have been identified as the most legally pressing for personnel of peace operations in the field.
The trainees of the International Humanitarian Law training will learn about:
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the status of persons in armed conflict;
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direct participation in hostilities;
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the treatment of the dead;
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the status of prisoners of war – POWs;
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protection of cultural heritage;
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obligations of the defender;
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perfidy;
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and much more.
The International Humanitarian Law training will also make use of new teaching methods and an updated interactive approach to learning, with the aim of providing mission members with a holistic understanding of real day-to-day legal issues from the perspective of international humanitarian law in the event of escalations in the field. The learning outcomes will directly impact the capabilities of military personnel who are soon to be deployed in Slovenian peace and security structures.
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