The City Museum of Ljubljana hosted a two-day conference titled Creative Forum Ljubljana, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Union for the Mediterranean. The conference focused on the role of the creative sector in modern society, with particular emphasis on opportunities in the Western Balkans and the southern Mediterranean. The event brought together creative people from EU member states, the southern Mediterranean and the Western Balkans.
The conference was opened by State Secretary Iztok Mirošič and Ambassador Ayşe Asya, who is responsible for migration and development at the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean. On the second day of the conference, Minister Karl Erjavec took part in the high-level political forum, together with the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, the Secretary-General ad-interim of the Union for the Mediterranean, Jorge Borrego, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Igor Crnadak, and other eminent guests.
The conference focused on youth and employment opportunities for young people in culture and the creative sectors, which provide jobs for almost 30 million people around the world, and in which Slovenia sees enormous development and social potential, also for the Western Balkans and southern Mediterranean, regions of priority for Slovenian foreign policy. Youth unemployment and the absence of any positive prospects for young people are among the biggest challenges facing the region. The conference aimed to encourage the flow of information, exchange of best practices, cooperation, new ideas and the seeking of sustainable solutions, and to co-shape a new, polycentric network of cultural and creative industries.
In his introductory address, State Secretary Iztok Mirošič underlined the strategic importance of the Western Balkans and southern Mediterranean regions for Slovenia, and went on to present Slovenia’s activities in the initiatives and processes to enhance cooperation in these regions, which are also facing several social and development challenges, including the brain drain as a result of the extensive emigration of young people. As a generator of new ideas, youth creativity and employment opportunities, the creative sector can stop this negative trend and thus accelerate the development of countries in both regions.
Senior representatives of EU institutions, foreign ministries, the Union for the Mediterranean, SEECP participating states, international institutions, local bodies and experts from the two regions presented various forms of cooperation.
The first day of the conference was devoted to four topics: Creative Knowledge and Policy, Creative Funding and Economy, Culture and Creativity and Digital Creativity. The panellists agreed that creativity and policies fostering creativity are becoming increasingly important in modern post-industrial economies based on knowledge, and that cultural and creative industries are at the core of the creative economy.
The second day of the conference focused on regional creativity, regional cultural platforms and regional cooperation. The high-level political forum also addressed the issue of creativity as a tool for regional cooperation. The event was accompanied by an exhibition, ‘Unlocking Intercultural Creativity’, and by presentation of the Culture and Creative Network, Ljubljana Museum of Architecture and Design and its Centre for Creativity.
