World Bee Day was launched by the United Nations in 2017 on Slovenia’s initiative, and celebrated for the first time a year later. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators for agriculture and biodiversity.

On World Bee Day, the Golden Bee Award was presented for the fourth time. The award was presented by the President of the Republic, Nataša Pirc Musar, and announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Mateja Čalušić. The Golden Bee Award was presented to The Wheen Bee Foundation Limited of Australia.

With World Bee Day and the Golden Bee Award, the Republic of Slovenia, as the initiator of projects, strives to transfer knowledge and technology and promote Slovenia in the world as a green, healthy, proactive, and innovative country. The Golden Bee Award encourages, supports, and reinforces the activities, innovation, and excellence of individuals or legal entities that have made a particularly significant contribution to the protection of bees and other pollinators and to raising global awareness of their importance.

The main international event was the international ‘Bees for People, Planet, and Peace’ forum, which took place in Ljubljana on Wednesday and Thursday. The Forum was organised by FAO in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. The Forum was intended to identify needs and share experience gained in beekeeping and pollination projects around the world. Recommendations for further integration and action were created at the forum.

On the occasion of World Bee Day, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Qu Dongyu, announced at a special ceremony the beginning of the use of the beehive in the garden of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The beehive in the garden of our Ministry is an expression of the strengthening of Slovenian bee diplomacy, a tribute to the local ecosystem that cares for our health, nutrition, and quality of life. It is also a tribute to the dozens of international partnerships and projects that care for bees, for people, the planet, and peace,” said Fajon.

The beehive is a work of art made by young people, who were involved in its design and painting. Fajon expressed her satisfaction with the creativity and artistic work of young Slovenians. “Beekeeping as a way of life in Slovenia was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List two years ago and I am very proud that we are keeping this heritage alive at home and around the world,” said Minister Fajon. FAO Director-General Dongyu said at the event that he is honoured whenever he comes to beautiful, green Slovenia, where there are many bees, and he welcomes the decision to hold the first beekeeping forum in Slovenia: “I wish you every success and good debates. You are already making history by hosting the first international forum on beekeeping. It is a small historic step, like a small bee with a big impact.”