Zagreb - The 18th edition of the international conference Dubrovnik Forum, which this year is held under the slogan "Channelling the Change" focusing on the unstable state of the world, starts in Dubrovnik on Friday.
"This year’s conference title 'Channelling the Change' builds on our previous discourse. It acknowledges that the international community continues to be in a period of profound uncertainty and heightened risk, further compounded by the ongoing wars and other conflicts in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa," according to the information on the web site of the Croatian foreign and European affairs ministry.
"At the same time, the title embraces the new beginnings, developments and opportunities, set in motion also by the new political leaderships taking over on both sides of the Atlantic as well as in other regions."
"Therefore, this year’s Dubrovnik Forum will explore the pathways to peace, dignity, and renewal in a world shaken by hostilities, turmoil and accelerating transformation. Delving into the key issue: „Can we channel the change – so that 2025 becomes a year of hope?," says the ministry.
The two-day event will be opened by Croatian Parliament Speaker, Gordan Jandroković, while Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, alongside a series of bilateral meetings, will participate in the central leaders’ panel "Shaping Change" on Saturday.
The two-day conference will gather more than 400 participants, including foreign ministers and senior officials from numerous countries.
This year’s Dubrovnik Forum will feature 16 panel discussions with a wide range of topics, including geopolitical challenges and trade relations across continents, but there will also be focuses on certain regions and their interconnections.
Discussions will cover the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkans, the connectivity between Europe and Asia, the future of global trade, and the challenges and opportunities for Europe’s defence capabilities.
Panels will also address topics such as OECD membership, the second decade of the Three Seas Initiative, Africa’s progress and positioning in the context of global realignment, the integration of economies under the New Pact for the Mediterranean, and the role of artificial intelligence in enhancing European competitiveness and within the framework of defence policy.
The conference will conclude with a panel dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Split Declaration.
According to the programme, "a special event will be dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Split Declaration that enhanced the alliance between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, became a turning point and made peace possible. The Split Declaration was one of the crucial stepping stones towards the Dayton Agreement."