On 9 and 10 October 2014, the Geremek Foundation organized in cooperation with the EP Geremek European Civilization Chair its annual international conference at the Palace of the Royal Łazienki Park in Warsaw. The title of this year’s edition was "Price of freedom. Security in the globalized world". The conference addressed different issues related to the protection of human rights and privacy, the eruption of conflicts and the fight against terrorism.
The keynote lecture was held by Mr Jean-Marie GUÉHENNO, current President of the International Crisis Group. He spoke in detail about the impact of globalization on strategy making and his personal experience at the United Nations related to peacekeeping operations. In the follow-up discussion Ms Zehra F. ARAT, Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut, and Professor Michael FREEMAN of the University of Essex emphasized how human rights can be infringed by non-state actors such as corporations and armed groups.
Other panels discussed more specifically the issue of privacy and access to information in the post-Snowden era, as well as a comparison between democratic and authoritarian regimes in light of the provision of fundamental freedoms and state security. All invited speakers convened on the second day of the conference for a round table talk about the protection of human rights in face of global threats.