International conference "Policy of Social Inclusion and Unemployment" as one of the outputs from the project Evaluation of the social inclusion policy aimed at reducing long-term unemployment supported by the EU, has been held on November 28, 2006 in Bratislava.

The main objective of one day event was to present the findings of the project and to put them into broader context of social inclusion and unemployment.

Ms. Olga Gyárfášová, coordinator of the project, Institute for Public Affairs, and Mr. Michele Calandrino, Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, European Commission, Brussels opened the conference.

First panel discussed the issues of social inclusion as a theoretical and political challenge. Prof. Tomáš Sirovátka, FSS Masaryk University, Brno spoke about „Employment as a factor of social inclusion and the role of policy“;  Ms. Zuzana Štrbíková, Director of the Dept. for Employment, Slovak Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs gave a short inside view on the  Slovakia’s national strategy of social inclusion; Ms. Slávka Mačáková, ETP Slovakia, Center for Sustainable Development, Košice commented the strategy from the NGOs´ perspective and last but not least Mr. Róbert Gál, Tárki Research Institute, Budapest spoke about social inclusion in various life-cycles and underlined the role of education in preventing social exclusion.

Second panel - Efficiency of Policies Aimed at Reducing (Long-term) Unemployment – was opened by a presentation by Mr. Miroslav Beblavý, director of SGI, consultant and former state secretary at the Ministry of Labor on the topic „Rationale of policies aimed at increasing employability and decreasing unemployment that were part of new social policy“. Further on Mr. Daniel Gerbery, Institute for Work and Family Research, as independent expert evaluated „What does it actually mean „active labor market policy?“ The findings of the project have been presented by team members - Ms. Jarmila Filadelfiová, Ms. Martina Sekulová, and Ms. Gizela Brutovská.

The third discussion panel focused on good and bad practices from the regions: What works and what does not? Views from the regions. Under the moderation by Andrea Chorváthová following practitioners contributed to a vibrant and fruitful discussion: Ms. Gizela Brutovská, Prešov University; Mr. Laco Oravec, Milan Šimečka Foundation; Ms. Monika Rusnáčková, ÚPSVR, Spišská Nová Ves; Mr. Daniel Škobla, Regional Center Development Program of UNDP, and Mr. Štefan Hajdú, Fundament – civic association, Rimavská Sobota.