The Universitatae de Stat din Moldova and the International Development Ethics Association (IDEA) invite you to submit an abstract for a presentation at an international, interdisciplinary conference for scholars, development practitioners, government policy makers, and representatives from local and regional marginalized groups.

The conference will explore the ethical dimensions of international, national, and community development by and for marginalized populations, with an emphasis on human rights and democratic participation. The concept of marginalization recognizes the myriad ways in which individuals and groups might be economically, socially, or politically excluded, and the developmental, democratic, health, and ethical consequences of that exclusion. Presentations will address the challenges to marginalized populations and ethno-cultural minorities, as well as other economically or geographically isolated groups, in the region and in Moldova especially, but also beyond, where there are valuable insights and lessons to be learned.

Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Beatrice Ioan, Chair of the Committee on Bioethics, Council of Europe & Professor of Legal Medicine and Bioethics at Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iaşi, Romania

January 24, 2018

Second keynote to be announced

Conference Format:
Plenary sessions and individual presentations composed into panels. Presentations in English, Romanian, and Russian with simultaneous translation available.

Topics might include, but ARE NOT limited to, the following:

• Theorizing, Mapping, and Assessing Marginalization
• Ethics, Governments, and Marginalization
• Corruption as a driver of Marginalization
• Marginalization and the Right to Health
• Local Norms, Group Rights, and Universal; Rights
• Marginalized Groups and Democratic Transitions
• Development Ethics and Autonomy
• Movements in Moldova and Eastern Europe
• Autonomy and Self-Determination as Tools of Cultural Freedom
• The Process Aspect of Self-Determination
• Democratic Approaches to Conflicts of Culture
• Minorities within Minorities
• Intersectionality and “Universal” Rights
• Language, Culture, and Identity Rights
• The Rights of Linguistic Majorities and Minorities
• Marginalization and Displacement by Development
• Human Rights and Targeting Marginalized Groups
• “Mere Words?” – Indigenous, Minority, First, and/or Marginalized Peoples?
• Social, Economic, and Cultural rights in the Republic of Moldova
• Human Trafficking as Cause and Consequence of Marginalization

In addition to papers on the conference theme, papers on all core IDEA themes are welcome:

• the nature of ethically desirable development
• ethical means for achieving development
• ethical dilemmas arising in the practice of development.IDEA Bordeaux Fellowship:We anticipate that the conversation will not end in Chişinău. This conference will be held one month before the IDEA Congress in Bordeaux, France (June 25-27, 2018). In keeping with IDEA’s commitment to supporting local and marginalized scholars and practitioners, organizers hope to select two or more participants—from the State University of Moldova or other local or regional universities or groups—for a fellowship to attend the Bordeaux IDEA Congress. The fellowship will pay the conference fee, and travel and lodging expenses. If you wish to be considered for the IDEA Bordeaux Fellowship, please indicate this in your submission. Selection will be based on the merit of the proposed papers and relevance to the core objectives of the conference.Program Committee and Conference Chairs:Dr. Gheorghe Ciocanu, Rector, State University of Moldova (Moldova)
  Dr. Rodica Gramma, School of Public Health and Management (Moldova)
  Dr. Stacy J. Kosko, University of Maryland (USA), Conference Chair
  Dr. Amandine Sabourin, State University of Moldova (Moldova)
  Dr. Valentina Teosa, State University of Moldova (Moldova), Conference Chair Ms. Natalia Visanu, Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Moldova

How to Submit Your Proposal:
Presentation can be made in English, Romanian, or Russian. However, submissions should all be in English, and include the name, email, and affiliation of the presenter(s), an abstract of no more than 300 words, and a statement of whether you wish to be considered for the IDEA Bordeaux Fellowship.

* Organizers especially encourage participation from members of marginalized groups, including but not limited to European minority and indigenous peoples and sexual and gender minorities. *

Submissions should be send to: Prof. Stacy J. Kosko, sjkosko@umd.edu by 1st March, 2018

Conference Registration Fee Schedule:

On-line conference registration will open around April 2018.
Fee includes coffee and tea breaks, lunch both days, and evening reception.

• Professional, high-income country, early (€100)
• Professional, high-income country, standard (€125)
• Professional, low- or mid-income country, all (free)
• Student, high-income country, early (€25)
• Student, high-income country, standard (€50)
• Student, low- or mid-income country, all (free)
• Low- or mid-income country, Journal subscription and postage (€55)

Please note that the registration fee does not include a year’s membership in IDEA, which is compulsory for conference attendance for individuals from high-income countries.  Membership may be secured at https://developmentethics.org/joining-idea-2/.  

For those not required to pay a registration fee, IDEA has set aside a grant to support one year’s membership for a limited number of participants of this conference from low and middle-income countries — it is expected that the grant is likely to cover all such cases.  Membership includes a year’s subscription to the Journal of Global Ethics.

Important deadlines:
March 1, 2018 – Submission of proposals
April 1, 2018 – Announcement of acceptance/rejection
April 15, 2018 – Deadline for conference registration at early-bird rates May 1, 2018 – Submission of full papers/posters
May 1, 2018 – Final deadline for conference registration at standard rates

Journal of Global Ethics:
We encourage papers presented at the conference to be submitted for publication in the Journal of Global Ethics. This IDEA-affiliated journal is a peer reviewed, multi-disciplinary journal on all aspects of the theory and practice of global ethics as well as ethics in the context of globalisation. See the journal webpage for more information on the journal and on how to submit your paper: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rjge20/current.

For more information contact:
Prof. Stacy J. Kosko, sjkosko@umd.edu (English, French)
Prof. Valentina Teosa, vteosa@yahoo.com (Romanian, Russian)