The British German Forum: A focus on building resilience

Citation

Engstrom S (2021) The British German Forum: A focus on building resilience. University of Stirling Public Policy Blog [Blog post] 26.11.2021. https://policyblog.stir.ac.uk/2021/11/26/the-british-german-forum-a-focus-on-building-resilience/

Abstract
First paragraph: About a month ago I had the privilege of being asked to speak at the British German Forum at Wilton Park due to my research in community resilience. Wilton Park has been a not-for-profit executive agency of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) since 1991; they support British foreign policy priorities and are core to the UK’s public diplomacy work. The British German Forum (BGF) has become a prestigious annual Wilton Park event that for the last 36 years has sought to strengthen bilateral relations between Britain and Germany by inviting future leaders from both countries to engage in new dialogues and build partnerships. The aim of the British German Forum 2021 was to look to the future, addressing common challenges and goals driving British-German relations. It brought 30 participants (25-30yrs old) together from both countries to explore critical issues such as climate ambitions, how to build resilience and inclusivity in both nations’ societies and the compromises of dealing with Russia and China. Participants were chosen from government, business, finance, media, academia and non-government organisations.