Bled Strategic Forum 2025: 20 years of shaping the global conversation

This year's conference is titled "A Runaway World" and reflects 20 years of existence remaining true to its core mission: a global platform bringing together diverse stakeholders to exchange ideas and views on contemporary society and its future. The Bled Strategic Forum is an intergovernmental project of the Republic of Slovenia, organised by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Centre for European Future, and is one of the most visible foreign policy events in Slovenia.

The Bled Strategic Forum 2025 examines Europe’s role in a new global environment

"Looking back at the evolution of Slovenian diplomacy and foreign policy, as also reflected in the 20th Bled Strategic Forum, we can proudly say that Slovenia has gone beyond expectations in gaining recognition and establishing itself as a small but respected member of the international community. Today, with important responsibilities — including as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council — we sit at the table with the world’s major players and do our best to work for a better world and an international system built on humanity, international law, and human rights, for the benefit of all," says Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs.

The Bled Strategic Forum 2025 will serve as a platform for reflection and action in a world marked by permacrisis and geopolitical uncertainty. As the international order fractures and new global complexities emerge, the Forum will bring together leaders, experts and visionaries to explore Europe’s role in shaping a more stable, cooperative and resilient future.
Through strategic dialogue and bold ideas, the conference will address the pressing challenges of strengthening global governance, fostering strategic sovereignty and rebuilding trust in an increasingly polarised world.

This year's programme will include more than 50 hours of content across 31 high-level debates, with more than 185 speakers and 2000 participants from over 50 different countries. The Bled Strategic Forum 2025 will demonstrate its strengths by focusing on its guests in one-on-one conversations, enabling the exchange of ideas in panel discussions with diverse speakers and welcoming high-level decision makers.

The conference will be a unique opportunity for thematic meetings and networking with regional and global stakeholders. A number of bilateral meetings will be held within the framework of the Bled Strategic Forum.

The concept, content and programme of the Bled Strategic Forum are available here.

20th edition: 20 years of shaping global conversation

Peter Grk, Secretary General of the Bled Strategic Forum, says: "Over 20 years, the Bled Strategic Forum has evolved from a regional one-day conference with a handful of panellists to an established two-day international conference, hosting numerous top-level global decision makers, thinkers, experts, think tanks, academics, businesspeople and young talents, and distinguishing the conference for bringing together participants from a wide range of backgrounds and skills to exchange views and generate ideas to overcome current and future challenges. I am proud that the Bled Strategic Forum is today recognised as the leading international conference in Central and South-Eastern Europe."

Over the past two decades, the Bled Strategic Forum has forged enduring partnerships with eminent national and global stakeholders. It works with key global thinkers from different continents and various national institutions, including ministries, to shape a programme that is renowned for its boldness, innovation and relevance.

The credibility and consistency of the Bled Strategic Forum remain among its key strengths. Hosted since its inception in the safe and scenic surroundings of Bled, Slovenia, the Forum has built strong ties with the local community, making the location not just a venue but an integral part of its identity.

Young Bled Strategic Forum: Built with and for its participants

The Young Bled Strategic Forum 2025 will bring together 49 ambitious young professionals from 26 countries from all the continents to explore the intersection of values and world politics.

The 2025 edition of the Young Bled Strategic Forum will be more participant-driven than ever, designed for and with its participants. The participants will have the opportunity to devise and deliver workshops, moderate discussions, help in facilitating partner activities, or contribute in any other way possible.

Each year, the Young Bled Strategic Forum, the conference for young leaders, which runs alongside the Bled Strategic Forum as an independent yet closely connected event, ensures that young professionals are given the opportunity to share their perspectives and contribute to high-level discussions alongside global decision-makers and opinion leaders at the Bled Strategic Forum.

Details of the Young Bled Strategic Forum can be found here.

About the Bled Strategic Forum international conference

The Bled Strategic Forum international conference is the leading international conference in Central and South-Eastern Europe, bringing together participants from diverse fields and backgrounds to exchange views and generate ideas to overcome current and future challenges.

The conference is the flagship event of a global platform of the same name, which aims to generate ideas and exchange views on contemporary society and its future. As a soft power of the Republic of Slovenia's foreign diplomacy, it hosts and participates in key debates in Slovenia and abroad throughout the year.