Opening of the Creative Forum Ljubljana with Slovenian inventor Peter Florjančič

13. 11. 2019

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The 2019 edition of Creative Forum Ljubljana opened on Tuesday evening, 12 November, gathering more than 200 participants from 25 countries in the next few days. On 14 November, ministers and high officials from international organisations and EU institutions will participate in a high-level political conference to seek innovative solutions and shape new policies in cultural and creative industries in dialogue with creative hubs and entrepreneurs. The high-level conference will be attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Miro Cerar and Minister of Culture Zoran Poznič.

Petra Kežman, head of the Department for Public Diplomacy and International Cooperation in Culture | Author Nebojša Tejić/STA/MFA

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This year’s forum, entitled Creative Capital United was opened with a joint welcome address by Petra Kežman, head of the Department for Public diplomacy and International Cooperation in Culture at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mohammed Elrazzaz, project analyst for business and employment development, Union for the Mediterranean.

They both underlined the regional nature of the Creative Forum, a collective endeavour aimed at fully unlocking the creative potential to achieve prosperity and stability in the Euro-Mediterranean and Western Balkan regions. It is one of the very few creative forums with a foreign policy mission and ambition – to boost creativity as a driver of stability.

As stated by Kežman, Slovenia is, on the one hand, historically committed to the European perspective of the Western Balkans and the Euro-Mediterranean integration and, on the other hand, places a strong emphasis on culture in its foreign policy. Creative Forum Ljubljana is the sum of both.

Kežman and Elrazzaz concluded by outlining the three main objectives of the forum: find ways to boost creativity at systemic and strategic levels; strengthen the region’s creative image; and build communities of creative minds that will continue to thrive and cooperate also beyond the forum’s framework.

After the introduction, a presentation was given by architect Jana Konstantinova, followed by an interview with the Slovenian inventor Peter Florjančič, owner of more than 400 patents.

In her presentation to the young creative audience, Konstantinova focused on how architecture affects changes in society and the cultural vibe of cities. Florjančič talked about his past as an inventor and shared his views on the creative process. According to him, the recipe for success consists of favourable working conditions, good collaborators, having full confidence and a touch of luck.

This year’s forum, held from 12 to 15 November, is co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Union for the Mediterranean and the German partner GIZ.

The morning session with the high-level political conference (14 November, 9.00–12.30) will be livestreamed at: https://livestream.com/zivo/CreativeForumLjubljana2019.

More information about the forum is available at www.creativeforum.si.

Introduction by Kežman and Elrazzaz.