Building Connections at the Civic Champions International Consultation Meeting in Vienna

On September 26, MultiPoD Project Coordinator Prof. Arno Scharl from webLyzard technology was invited to speak at the Civic Champions Round International Consultation Meeting in Vienna. The event brought together an international group of institutional stakeholders, EU officials, and leading civic actors to assess the evolving threats to civic space across Europe and explore innovative approaches to safeguarding fundamental rights, participation, and democratic resilience.

A Strategic Gathering in Europe’s Human Rights Hub

Civic Champions is a CERV initiative co-funded by the European Union, which aims to empower civil society organisations and activists championing human rights and democratic values in the EU. The project focuses on capacity building to establish an Early Warning Mechanism (EWM) designed to identify and address threats faced by CSOs, NGOs and activists working to safeguard civic space.

Vienna was chosen as the location for this event for a compelling reason: First, housing both the United Nations and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), Vienna is the human rights city at the heart of Europe. Second, Vienna is the European Capital of Democracy 2024/2025. This timing makes Vienna an ideal venue for in-depth and open discussions about the challenges facing civil society today. Thus, it was the perfect space to exchange insights, learn from each other, and strengthen international cooperation.

Technology as a Bridge: The MultiPoD Approach

Arno Scharl contributed a keynote that shed light on how technology can empower and connect civil society actors all over Europe, using the MultiPoD project as an example. He explained how MultiPoD uses Artificial Intelligence to enable exchange across languages and cultures, connecting existing communities and tools to create an inclusive, European space for political deliberation. He also showcased the MultiPoD Visual Analytics Dashboard, which helps identify communication patterns such as inclusion and exclusion strategies or inherent biases.

Disinformation poses a growing threat to modern democracy and can seriously impede the work of civil society organisations. Therefore, Arno dedicated space in his presentation to how AI can help identify and mitigate disinformation online and act as an early warning system to counter false claims. He also presented the Storypact AI Editor, which enables teams to draw on verified information in real-time, allowing them to collaborate on fact-checking and crafting more effective policy briefs.

Looking Ahead: Expanding the Community

The presentation resulted in an animated discussion about both the opportunities and challenges of AI and its potential applications for civil society. MultiPoD draws on the strength of its community to achieve its ambitious goals. It was great to witness this community expand and we look forward to active participation in our upcoming citizen assemblies, as well as opportunities for future collaboration.