Forum

This year’s Forum of the Max Schmidheiny Foundation was held on the topic of “Power Politics, Freedom and Security – Where does Switzerland stand in the future”. The Forum brought together around 50 personally invited participants from business, politics and societyfor an open discussion beyond the boundaries of party lines and daily politics. They were joined by distinguished leaders from Switzerland and abroad, including Dmitry Adamsky, Christoph Frei, President Dalia Grybauskaitė, Georg Häsler, Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, Philip Mosimann, Christoph A. Schaltegger and Constanze Stelzenmüller.

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The Forum of the Max Schmidheiny Foundation brought together around 50 personally invited leaders from business, politics, and society. The event in Bad Ragaz was dedicated to an open dialogue on the topic of "Urbanization, Space and Society – How do we live in 20 years?" across party lines.

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This year’s Forum of the Max Schmidheiny Foundation was held on the topic of “Shock Effects – Living and Learning in Freedom and Uncertainty”. In a two-part event, the Max Schmidheiny Foundation brought together participants from business, politics and society. The first part was held in person at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz on 11 November 2020. The second part was, for the first time, held virtually on 17 February 2021. In an open discussion beyond the boundaries of party lines and daily politics, a group of around 50 personally invited participants discussed implications of the shock resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, options for action, learning processes, and social behavior appropriate to the new uncertainty. They were joined by distinguished leaders from Switzerland and abroad, including Anne Applebaum, Constanze Stelzenmüller, Dominic Barton, Raghuram Rajan and Marianne Janik.

The Forum of the Max Schmidheiny Foundation brought together 50 personally invited leaders from business, politics, and society. The event in Bad Ragaz was dedicated to an open dialogue on the topic of "Enlightenment - Smart Design for the 21st century" across party lines.

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The Forum of the Max Schmidheiny Foundation brought together 45 personally invited leaders from business, politics, and society. The event in Bad Ragaz was dedicated to an open dialogue on the topic of "Identity and Leadership in Fragile Times" across party lines.

On 11 and 12 May 2017, the Max Schmidheiny Foundation held a forum on the topic of “Fit for the new world (dis)order?” that brought together a group of about 50 participants representing the younger generation of Switzerland’s top decision makers from business, politics, academia and civil society. National and international leaders – among them Dr. John Chipman, Radoslaw Sikorski, and Prof. Dr. Carlo Strenger – contributed their insights and perspectives in an intensive discussion off the record. Discussions at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Eastern Switzerland centered on the question of how Switzerland should make sense of the pervasive global political, economic and social uncertainties, and how the country should improve its fitness vis-à-vis the challenges and opportunities that are likely going to shape the international context in the years to come.

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On 26 and 27 May 2016, the Max Schmidheiny Foundation held a forum on the topic of “The future of freedom” that brought together a group of more than 50 participants representing the younger generation of Switzerland’s top decision makers from business, politics, academia and civil society. National and international leaders – among them Prof. Dr. Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Veit Dengler, Johann Gevers, Dr. Adrian Künzi, Prof. Dr. Dirk Helbing, and Prof. Dr. Oliver Zimmer – contributed their insights and perspectives in an intensive discussion off the record. Discussions at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Eastern Switzerland centered on the question of how the resilience of our free and democratic institutional order can be strengthened in the face of a number of interfering shocks – from the reemergence of extremist ideologies to disruptive technological change, and an uncertain geopolitical outlook.

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On 18 and 19 May 2015, the Max Schmidheiny Foundation held a forum on the topic of “Societal Innovation – beyond the obvious” that brought together a group of 40 participants representing the younger generation of Switzerland’s top decision makers from business, politics, academia and civil society. National and international leaders – among them Prof. Dr. Hermann Mettler, Thomas D. Meyer, Evgeny Morozov, Philip Mosimann, and Dr. David Skilling – contributed their insights and perspectives in an intensive discussion off the record. Discussions at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Eastern Switzerland centered on the question of how Switzerland – as a small state with an open, globally connected economy – could make better use of its scientific, economic, political and societal innovation capabilities.

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On 27 and 28 February 2014, the Max Schmidheiny Foundation held a forum on the topic of “A global niche strategy for Switzerland in the 21st century” that brought together a group of 40 participants representing the younger generation of Switzerland’s top decision makers from business, politics, academia and civil society. National and international leaders – among them Ms. Barbara Kux, Mr. Siong Guan Lim, Prof. Dr. Herfried Münkler – contributed their insights and perspectives in an intensive discussion off the record. Discussions at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Eastern Switzerland centered around the changing and uncertain geopolitical and geo-economic environment and the corresponding strategic challenges and choices facing small states with open, globally connected economies.

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On 15 and 16 October 2010, the Max Schmidheiny Foundation held a forum on the topic of “Switzerland’s Economic and Geopolitical Future – Values, Goals, Strategy” that brought together a group of 40 participants representing the younger generation of Switzerland’s top decision makers from business, politics, academia and civil society. At Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Eastern Switzerland, they held an open, non-partisan debate on Switzerland’s future position in the world, with a special focus on the repercussions of the current geopolitical shift on Switzerland’s future position both as a small country with strong liberal traditions and as an open economy thriving as a nexus of interacting global value chains.

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