In recent years, German foreign policy has been confronted with an increasingly fragmented global order. In an era of growing multipolarity, questions of peace, security and stability have re-emerged in Europe and become ever more urgent around the globe. With Western values and EU cohesion under scrutiny, German leadership is in demand as a force for sustainable change to face new realities and to develop credible resilience. Finding common ground and maintaining dialogue is crucial to securing Europe’s role in shaping the world of tomorrow and meeting expectations on the international stage.
Taking place against the backdrop of a multitude of global tipping points and only a few days after the US presidential elections, the Berlin Forum 2024 organised by the Körber-Stiftung will address the most pressing questions of German foreign policy today:
Which old alliances will endure and which strategic partnerships are yet to be forged? How will Europe respond to the simultaneous crises, and balance ad-hoc reactions with long-term solutions? How can we ensure that dialogue remains possible, without allowing Might is Right to prevail?
Opening Panel with Annalena Baerbock, German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs
German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock, opens the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum.
Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva, will speak on the challenges of promoting international humanitarian law in conflict zones.
Moreover, Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Nils Schmid, SPD Parliamentary Group, Amanda Sloat, former Special Assistant of the US President to the National Security Council and Ken Weinstein, Japan Chair and former President and CEO, Hudson Institute, will discuss the transatlantic implications of the US elections.
• Bijan Djir-Sarai, General Secretary, Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP), Berlin
• Yuriko Backes, Minister for Defence, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
• Władysław Bartoszewski, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Warsaw
• Hélène Conway-Mouret, MP, Vice President, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces, Sénat (Parliament of the French Republic), Paris
• Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart, Commander, NATO Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE), Szczecin
• Hina Rabbani Khar, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Pakistan; Chairperson, Foreign Relations Committee, National Assembly of Pakistan, Islamabad
09:00 – 09:10 Welcome Address
• Thomas Paulsen, Member of the Executive Board, Körber-Stiftung
Conférencière: Leslie Schübel, Programme Director International Affairs, Körber-Stiftung
09:10 – 10:00 Opening Panel
• Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Federal Republic of Germany
Moderator: Anna Engelke, Editor-in-Chief Radio, ARD Capital Studio, Berlin
10:00 – 11:00 Bursting the Bubble: Alliances in a Changing World Order
• Dubai Abulhoul Alfalasi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Fiker Institute, Dubai
• Hina Rabbani Khar, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Pakistan; Chairperson, Foreign Relations Committee, National Assembly of Pakistan, Islamabad
• Andreas Rödder, Founder and Chairman, Republik21; Chair of Modern and Contemporary History, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Moderator: Almut Wieland-Karimi, Senior Policy Advisor, Advisory Board, Stiftung Mercator, Berlin
11:30 – 12:00 Spotlight Interview
In cooperation with DER SPIEGEL
• Bijan Djir-Sarai, General Secretary, Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP), Berlin
Moderator: Britta Sandberg, Paris Bureau Chief, DER SPIEGEL
12:00 – 12:45 Körber Global Leaders Dialogue
• Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Geneva
Moderator: Nora Müller, Executive Director International Affairs, Körber-Stiftung
14:00 – 15:00 After the Ballot: What’s Next for the Transatlantic Partnership?
• Nils Schmid, MP, Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, SPD Parliamentary Group, Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin
• Amanda Sloat, former Special Assistant to the President, National Security Council, The White House, Washington, DC; Munich Young Leader 2010
• Ken Weinstein, Japan Chair and former President and CEO, Hudson Institute, Washington, DC
Moderator: Julia Ganter, Programme Director and Editor of The Berlin Pulse, Körber-Stiftung
15:30 – 16:30 Rising to the Challenge? European Coherence on the Defensive
• Yuriko Backes, Minister for Defence, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
• Władysław Bartoszewski, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Warsaw
• Hélène Conway-Mouret, MP, Vice President, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces, Sénat (Parliament of the French Republic), Paris
• Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart, Commander, NATO Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE), Szczecin
Moderator: Alisa Vogt, Programme Director International Affairs, Körber-Stiftung
16:30 – 17:15 What Else is New this Week? On Elections and Coalition Break-Ups
• Stefan Kornelius, Head of Politics, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich
• Steven Erlanger, Chief Diplomatic Correspondent, The New York Times, Berlin
Moderator: Sarah Kelly, Host, DW Conflict Zone, Deutsche Welle (DW), Berlin
17:15 – 17:20 Closing Remarks
About the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum
The Berlin Forum was initiated on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the re-establishment of the German Federal Foreign Office after the Second World War, and is hosted in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office. Since its inception, the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum has become the leading annual foreign policy gathering in Berlin.
The stated aim of the Berlin Forum is to stimulate interest in key foreign policy issues among a wider public in Germany and abroad.
About the Körber-Stiftung
The Körber-Stiftung is a non-profit foundation inaugurated in 1959 by the entrepreneur and initiator Kurt A. Körber.
Through operational projects, in networks and, in conjunction with partners, the Körber-Stiftung addresses current social challenges in the areas of activities comprising “Knowledge for Tomorrow”, “International Dialogue”, “Vibrant Civil Society” and “Cultural Impulses for Hamburg”.
The Körber-Stiftung is now active nationally and internationally in Hamburg and Berlin.
About the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum
The Berlin Forum was initiated on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the re-establishment of the German Federal Foreign Office after the Second World War, and is hosted in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office. Since its inception, the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum has become the leading annual foreign policy gathering in Berlin.
The stated aim of the Berlin Forum is to stimulate interest in key foreign policy issues among a wider public in Germany and abroad.
About the Körber-Stiftung
The Körber-Stiftung is a non-profit foundation inaugurated in 1959 by the entrepreneur and initiator Kurt A. Körber.
Through operational projects, in networks and, in conjunction with partners, the Körber-Stiftung addresses current social challenges in the areas of activities comprising “Knowledge for Tomorrow”, “International Dialogue”, “Vibrant Civil Society” and “Cultural Impulses for Hamburg”.
The Körber-Stiftung is now active nationally and internationally in Hamburg and Berlin.