Under the title "The Global Outlook for the Next Decade", the 2010 Bled Forum tackled some of the major challenges of the decade:  from the energy transition to the water challenge, re-vitalising the economy, and the transformative power of the Internet.  It also included an exchange of views on the EU's role in a changing world, new ways to reconnect the Western Balkans, and the priorities for Central Asia.

The fifth Bled Strategic Forum began on Sunday 29 August, and after welcome words by the Slovenian Foreign Minister, Samuel Žbogar and the Mayor of Bled, Janez Fajfar, the keynote address was given by the President of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, followed by a speech by the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Borut Pahor.

In his keynote speech, Dr Türk identified three key principles of good governance: honesty, practical realism and innovation.  He made the point that we currently have enough information to make an honest assessment of the state of the planet and identify the main challenges that face us in the coming decades.  We now need to develop a realistic plan of what needs to be done to address the issues that have been identified, with clear outputs and indicators for success.  In order to be able to break the vicious circle, we need to be innovative and creative to design the right responses to these challenges.

Earlier that day, IUCN Regional Director for Pan-Europe, Dr Hans Friederich met Dr Türk to discuss the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, which will focus on the Millennium Development Goals and the biodiversity crisis, as a prelude to the tenth Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity that will take place in Japan in October this year.   HE President Türk and Dr Friederich talked about the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study and the need to account for environmental costs and services.  They also talked about engagement of the private sector and about ways to better communicate the biodiversity crisis.