The German organization Media Dialogue has produced a short TV documentary that uniquely tells the story of the international conference “Defending Democracy and Human Rights in the Face of War, Nationalism, and Authoritarianism,” held in Skopje on December 11-12, 2024. The six-and-a-half-minute documentary, directed by award-winning German filmmaker Samuel Debus, offers a dynamic overview of the conference’s key messages through brief statements from participants.
The conference was organized by CIVIL – Center for Freedom from North Macedonia, Media Dialogue and Youth for Media from Germany, and the New European People’s Forum, an international organization based in Brussels. The initiative was supported by the government of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
“This event aims to support North Macedonia in its fight against Russian propaganda and to connect people, organizations, and democrats,” said Dr. Wolfgang Ressmann, President of Media Dialogue.
Over two days, the conference featured more than 30 speakers and panelists from North Macedonia, the region, Europe, and the U.S., with an audience of over 80 representatives from civil society, academia, media, and the international community. The documentary captures key moments, including a workshop attended by more than 30 participants from across Europe and the U.S., a press conference, and networking sessions on the first day.
Roger Casale, leader of the New European Citizen Forum and a former British MP and diplomat, emphasized the importance of fostering dialogue in North Macedonia’s multicultural society.
“Here we are in North Macedonia where you have Macedonians, Albanians, Bulgarians, Turks, a multicultural community. I think we can help in trying to bring people together to talk to each other across those divides but in a non-polarizing way,” he stated in the documentary.
The second day of the conference began with a welcome address from Xhabir Deralla, President of CIVIL.
“It is a great honor to welcome you to this international conference on defending democracy and human rights in times of war, nationalism, and authoritarianism,” he said.
A video message from Nathanael Liminski, Minister for Federal, European, International Affairs and Media of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Head of the State Chancellery, highlighted the urgency of addressing democracy, media, and human rights issues. “It has never before been more urgent than today to work on the topics of democracy, media and human rights,” Liminski stated.
German Ambassador to North Macedonia, Petra Drexler, reinforced this sentiment, emphasizing that defending democracy and human rights is a moral and legal obligation for all European governments. Lithuanian Ambassador Vilma Dambrauskiene also delivered a speech encouraging resistance against militant and authoritarian regimes.
The documentary includes insights from the Vice-President of the Association of Southeast Europe, and former German Ambassador to North Macedonia, Gudrun Steinacker, who participated in the panel discussion “Resisting Authoritarianism.” Ukrainian disinformation expert Kateryna Pavlova warned that people’s loss of trust in information is a significant challenge. Prominent Macedonian journalist and political analyst Dr. Sasho Ordanoski argued that journalism is about uncovering facts and relevant contexts, rather than absolute truths.
Deralla concluded with a powerful statement: “At the end I am certain that Putin will lose! What we need to do is not to let Putinism win.”
The first day of the conference also included working group sessions focused on identifying challenges and developing actionable recommendations for the future of democracy and human rights. German Journalists’ Association President Mika Beuster stressed the importance of uncovering the truth in an era of widespread disinformation.
The Media Dialogue documentary serves as a compelling visual summary of the conference, reinforcing the significance of collective action in defending democracy and human rights amid rising global challenges.
