His Holiness the Dalai Lama public talk and Societies in Transition 17th Forum 2000 Conference in Prague September 15–17, 2013.

The 17th annual Forum 2000 Conference will be held September 15–17, 2013 in Prague and other cities. More than 70 global leaders from politics, academia, civil society, media, business and religion will discuss challenges and threats related to democratic transitions.This year’s conference is inspired by the legacy of Forum 2000 founder, Czech President Václav Havelwho dedicated his life to both the struggle for freedom and human dignity against totalitarianism and the transition of his country to an open and thriving democracy.

The conference aims to explore the challenges, opportunities, and risks in transitional processes from the post-Soviet region and the Arab World to Latin America and Asia. The goal is to deepen our understanding of what is necessary to move from authoritarianism to democracy and the causes of the cessation or reversal of these processes. Discussions will target institutional, constitutional and societal developments, political party dynamics, transitional justice, media, education, foreign policies, as well as cultural factors including religion and historical memory. Confirmed participants include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, India/Tibet; Frederik Willem de Klerk, former President, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Republic of South Africa; Joan Baez, singer, activist, USA; Gareth Evans, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Australia; Kinga Göncz, Member of European Parliament, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hungary; Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director, Greenpeace International, The Netherlands/Republic of South Africa; and Roger Scruton, philosopher, political scientist, United Kingdom.

Public Talk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, “Compassion and Respect in Today´s Society” ,Saturday, September 14, 2013, 13.30–15.30 Tipsport arena, Prague, Czech Republic

On Saturday, September 14, 2013 at the Tipsport arena, Prague, Czech Republic, a public talk, entitled “Compassion and Respect in Today´s Society”, will be held by the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Ticket are available through Ticketportal network, www.ticketportal.cz, tel: +420 224 091 439. http://www.forum2000.cz/en/projects/forum-2000-conferences/2013/

Tickets are priced at 400 CZK, 500 CZK and 750 CZK, and after the deduction of operational costs, proceeds from ticket sales will be used to support the 2014 Forum 2000 Conference and schools in Tibet through the Civic Associations M.O.S.T. and Brontosaurus. More info about the conferences Forum 2000 here, about the school of M.O.S.T. Association here and the school of the Brontosaurus Association here. The talk will be broadcast live on our website and a video recording of the proceedings will be available following the event. The talk will be held in English and will be consecutively interpreted into Czech