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Abbreviation | BSF |
---|---|
Formation | 2006 |
Founder | Government of the Republic of Slovenia |
Type | International Conference |
Location |
|
Region | Central and Southeastern Europe |
Secretary General | Peter Grk |
Subsidiaries | Young BSF |
Website | www.bledstrategicforum.org |
The Bled Strategic Forum is a global platform for generating ideas and exchanging views on contemporary society and its future.
It is committed to creating a sustainable world by offering strategic views and solutions to the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.
As a platform of inclusivity and diversity it strives to bring together as many different stakeholders as possible and disseminate their views through events, discussions, roundtables, projects, analyses and publications. [1]
The annual Bled Strategic Forum International Conference, hosted in Bled, Slovenia, is a gathering of participants from various fields with diverse knowledge, encouraging them to exchange views and generate ideas to address present and future challenges. In addition, the conference also offers a unique opportunity for tailored meetings and networking with regional and global stakeholders.
The event traditionally takes place at the end of the summer (usually just before the UN General Assembly in September), each year under a different title that guides the content of the sessions.
The Bled Strategic Forum, being an intragovernmental project of the Republic of Slovenia, addresses a number of issues that the international community is dealing with, including key areas of development, human rights, peace and security, which align with Slovenian foreign policy priorities. As the most visible and recognised foreign policy project, it is also the strongest tool of Slovenian public diplomacy.
The Bled Strategic Forum was launched in 2006, at a time when Slovenia was firmly embarking on its path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration upon joining the EU and NATO in 2004. The event was created on the basis of the successful Slovenian Chairmanship of the OSCE. The venue – Bled – was chosen for its picturesque Alpine setting and prominence. From the very beginning, the Bled Strategic Forum was intended to become an informal meeting place, where high-level participants from different backgrounds could gather and discuss a variety of political, security and development challenges confronting Europe and the world.
The Forum was envisaged as a place to engage participants from various fields with diverse knowledge, encouraging them to exchange views and seek innovative solutions to present and future challenges. In addition, it provided and opportunity for tailored bilateral and multilateral meetings and networking with prominent regional and global actors from the spheres of diplomacy, policy, business, science and innovation.
Since its beginnings, the Bled Strategic Forum has grown into a leading international conference in Central and South-Eastern Europe. In 2011, the programme of the Bled Strategic Forum was enriched with the Young Bled Strategic Forum. Since then, the Young BSF has grown from a one-day side event into a standalone three-day international conference for young participants [2], inalienably interwoven into the framework of the Bled Strategic Forum. From 2012 to 2019, the programme also featured Business BSF, which has later been integrated into its main part.
Over the years, the event has hosted some 60 heads of state and government, 380 ministers and 150 representatives of international organisations, as well as over 250 think-tank representatives and 1500 media representatives.
In his speech to the attendees of the Bled Strategic Forum International Conference in 2023, Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, set the goal for the EU and the Western Balkans to be ready for Enlargement by 2030. [4] The speech is known as the Bled Pledge.
In order to expand the Bled Strategic Forum into a year-round platform, the organisation collaborates with likeminded conferences and organisations. These partnerships usually entail organising joint sessions focusing on key topics endorsed by the Bled Strategic Forum. [11]
In 2024, the Bled Strategic Forum co-organised a debate at the Munich Security Conference [12]. The Bled Strategic Forum team attended the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. [13] In the same year, it also partnered with the Center for China and Globalization for a roundtable on Climate Change and Global Resilience in Beijing. [14] [15]
The Bled Strategic Forum's close partners also include Interpeace, the BMW Foundation, the Global Diplomacy Lab, etc.
The Secretary General of the Bled Strategic Forum is responsible for steering the development and preparing events throughout the year.
Start | End | Name |
---|---|---|
2016 | current | Peter Grk |
2013 | 2015 | Alain Brian Bergant |
2010 | 2012 | Miriam Možgan |
2009 | 2009 | Melita Gabrič |
2006 | 2008 | Darja Bavdaž Kuret |
The first Young BSF took place in 2011 under the title ‘The Power of the Future’. It was established with the aim of bringing together aspiring students and prospective young professionals from the diplomatic, academic and think-thank fields in both Europe and the Mediterranean region.
Since then, the Young BSF has developed from a one-day side event with a couple of the discussions happening on the margins of the Bled Strategic Forum into a three-day separate international conference for young participants from all over the world. Young BSF is now a separate event, yet connected with the Bled Strategic Forum. [17]