Richard von Weizsäcker Forum
Every year, the Richard von Weizsäcker Forum brings together around 100 international leading figures from the worlds of politics, academia, culture, business, and civil society. It provides a space for public debate as well as for confidential conversations.
International cooperation requires trust. Trust is built when people meet over time, share experiences, and engage in open dialogue on controversial issues. The Richard von Weizsäcker Forum offers a dedicated space for this to happen.
Named after former German Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker, who supported the Robert Bosch Stiftung for many years as a member of its Board of Trustees, the Forum values dialogue for its own sake. This approach requires connecting diverse experiences, enduring disagreement, and constantly re-evaluating one's own judgment.
The Forum brings together people from different parts of the world. It is rooted in the conviction that we can only understand the challenges of our time if we learn to see the world through the experiences of others.
Forging Partnerships and Building Alliances
We are living through a period of profound change. International cooperation is coming under pressure, democratic systems can no longer be taken for granted, and geopolitical certainties are shifting. Much of what was long considered stable must be rethought. It is precisely during such times that questions of partnerships and alliances arise in new ways. Under the guiding theme "Forging Partnerships and Building Alliances," the 2026 Richard von Weizsäcker Forum is dedicated to exploring these questions.
At its core are the shifts in global power, the resilience of democratic societies, the renegotiation of social cohesion, the tension between economic prosperity and the climate crisis, and the political and societal implications of digital technologies. The goal is not analysis alone; it is also a search for new forms of cooperation in a world that has become more complex, more conflict-ridden, and simultaneously more interdependent.
This year's Forum will take place from 5-8 October. It will begin with a lunch hosted by the State of Berlin followed by the Festival of Ideas.
