The first Forum was held in Bonn in 1995 on the occasion of the first official visit of James D. Wolfensohn to Germany. It was conceived as a multi-shareholder Forum to create understanding and support of some 300 leading German personalities and decision-makers from government, business, academia, the media and civil society.
Today, the Forum has become known as Germany's high-level flagship event raising and sustaining interest in development issues across multiple constituencies in Germany. The established Forum "club" leaves approximately 25 percent of its participants spaces open to accommodate special guests according to the needs of the host and theme. The Forum targets government ministers, chief executive officers, presidents and leading personalities. Approximately 50 percent of the participants come from the private sector. The Forum has significantly expanded in length and number of participants since its inception:
| Forum | Year | Venue | Theme | Host | 1st Forum | 1995 | Bonn | Sustainable Development | First launch with World Bank | | 2nd Forum | 1996 | Berlin | Role of the state in a changing world | DSE Development Policy Forum, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) | | 3rd Forum | 1997 | Stuttgart | South Africa | Daimler Chrysler | | 4th Forum | 1999 | Munich | Latin America | Siemens AG | | 5th Forum | 2000 | Berlin | Development Partnerships with the private sector | Bankgesellschaft Berlin (a group of financial companies) | | 6th Forum | 2003 | Petersberg, near Bonn | Knowledge Economy | State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Deutsche Telekom | | 7th Forum | 2004 | Munich | Responsible Growth in South East Europe | Government of Bavaria and the Bavarian Industry Association | | 8th Forum | 2006 | Hamburg | Germany and the Middle East -Change and Opportunities | Hamburg Senate and the Chamber of Commerce |
The 8th Forum on June 1-2, 2006 was hosted by the City of Hamburg and focused on the opportunities and challenges facing the MENA region (more)
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