This year, the Slovenian Development Days will also see the launch of the first Slovenian Humanitarian Forum, which will be opened by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar. A number of guests will attend, including European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Špoljarić Egger, Chair of the OSCE Development Assistance Committee Carsten Staur, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme Ute Klamert, President of the European humanitarian NGOs (VOICE) Dominic Crowley, and the Director of the European Confederation of NGOs working on sustainable development and international cooperation, Tanya Cox.

The panels will bring together foreign and national guests to discuss the importance of international solidarity in tackling global challenges such as climate crises, overcoming poverty and hunger, and migration. Representatives of the government, the National Assembly, implementing institutions and NGOs will seek answers to the questions of how to respond effectively to the interlinked food, climate and financial crises and how to ensure predictable financing of Slovenian development activities in the new global crises.

The second day will be devoted to discussions on private sector involvement in development cooperation. On 3 October, special focus will be placed on the question of how Slovenian companies can participate in one of the European Commission's key projects – Global Gateway. In Ljubljana, on Krakovo Embankment, a photographic exhibition by Alenka Slavinec entitled The Essence of Humanity will be opened, aiming to showcase the development and humanitarian projects supported by Slovenia. A series of portraits will present some of the individuals whose dedicated work is changing the lives of thousands of people for the better.

Two memorandums of understanding will also be signed during the Slovenian Development Days: one between the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Slovenian Government for the provision of humanitarian aid, and the other between the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the German Association for International Cooperation (GIZ) on Slovenia's continued support to the U-LEAD programme.

Between 4 and 6 October 2023, the Center of Excellence in Finance will host the annual meeting of learn4dev, an international network of development organisations, at its headquarters in Ljubljana. The meeting is dedicated to member organisations, which exchange knowledge and best practices each year and seek opportunities for further cooperation.

The Slovenian Development Days, organised this year by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs in cooperation with the Sloga Platform and Caritas Slovenia, provide a platform for discussion and for strengthening cooperation between local and foreign experts, representatives of governmental and non-governmental institutions, international organisations, implementing institutions and academia.

The programme and the link to register for the conference can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

We look forward to meeting you at the 11th Slovenian Development Days!