Responsibility in a global age - Conference Report

The Conference “RESPONSIBILITY IN A GLOBAL AGE” was held on May 31/June 1, 2007 in Tbilisi, Georgia. It addressed three main issues: Responsibility and Education, Relation between Rights and Responsibilities and Public Administration as Public Service.

The conference was attended by more than 40 participants from Georgia and various parts of the globe (US, France, China) and consisted of a blend of practitioners from the public and private sectors as well as academics. Philosophers, political scientists, psychologists, educators, public administrators and private sector representatives, all gathered to examine institutional, state and private responsibilities for global age.

The conference was organized by Charter Facilitators Group (Charter of Human Responsibilities within the framework of the Charter project in Georgia), in conjunction with the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy RVP.

The official opening ceremony took place at the Hotel Sympatia on May 31, 11:00, in which Dr. Tinatin Bochorishvili (Academy for Educational Development and Member of the Charter Facilitators Group in Georgia), Dr. Bela Tsipuria (Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia), Dr. Ina Ranson (Charter of Human Responsibilities) and Dr. George F. McLean (Director of the Center for the Study of Culture and Values) took part.

As the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education and Science, Ms. Bela Tsipuria declared in her welcoming speech that this conference was of primary importance for accepting responsibility towards educational development both nationally and internationally at the same time and to contribute to more understanding amongst the people who draw plans for a better academic future for the generations to come. She thanked the organizers of the conference and announced that this event would contribute to the establishment of better scientific connections between Georgian and Western scholars.
Dr. George F. McLean welcomed the conference, discussed the collaborative project with Georgian scholars and promised to publish the proceedings in English by the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy in Washington DC, USA.
Dr. Ina Ranson spoke about the international network of people who participated in the reflection about a Charter of Human Responsibilities and her activities in Georgia.
Planned highlights of the conference included presentations of the research papers, panel discussions, including workshop/discussion of the Charter of Human Responsibilities.

Speeches were delivered by 17 presenters and there was no time left for all presenters. Each presentation was followed by a discussion. Special session was devoted to presentation of the activities of the Charter facilitators group, the translation of the Charter of Human Responsibilities in Georgian and its dissemination in different regions of the country. Special exhibition of the children’s paintings was staged in one of the conference rooms by Charter facilitators group.

Closing remarks were made by Dr. Tinatin Bochorishvili, Dr. George McLean and Dr. Ina Ranson. Participants expressed their gratitude towards the Charter Committee for offering excellent opportunity to discover new dimensions of the concept of human responsibility.

More details on the Agenda and the speakers here.