The 2013 annual summit featured leaders and innovators from
academia, advocacy, media, politics, social entrepreneurship, technology, and
the arts who are challenging the most repressive regimes and exchanging
ideas on how best to tackle humanitarian crises. The 2013 program centered on a
range of topics, such as the art of dissent, asymmetric activism, new tools for
rights advocates, the power of media, women under Islamic law, and the threat
of authoritarian capitalism.
For the first time, OFF held break-out, interactive
workshops for participants, teaching best practices for protecting data and
using technology to maximize the impact of advocacy efforts.
Speakers represented a diverse group of countries, including
Afghanistan, Angola, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Cameroon, China, Cuba,
DR-Congo, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, North Korea, Palestine, Peru, Russia,
Singapore, Syria, and Zimbabwe.
The conference culminated on the afternoon of May 15, with
the presentation of the Václav Havel
Prize for Creative Dissent. The 2013 laureates were Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat, North Korean democracy activist Park Sang Hak, and Cuban civil society
group the Ladies in White—represented by their leader Berta Soler.