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THE TÄLLBERG FORUM 2006
How on earth can we live together?
TEXT: CARIN BALFE ARBMAN
PHOTOS: NEXTWORK & ANDERS HANSER
Tällberg Foundation’s yearly gathering at Tällberg has evolved into an important ongoing open conversation on the wider issues facing business and society.
 Bo Ekman, founder and Chairman of the Tällberg Foundation, is described as a distinguished businessman, a lover of music - and a fierce advocate of human rights, sustainable development, and social justice. |
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 The musical experience is an essential part of the Tällberg Forum. Each year the Tällberg Foundation awards a scholarship to a young folk musician from the region of Dalarna |
This summer more than 450 leaders from across the world and from various sectors of society will gather at Tällberg, Dalarna to engage in an open dialogue on the most urgent global issues of our time.
The participants are chosen to provide diversity of men and women, of old and young, and a true mix of nationalities from all continents: politicians, global corporate leaders, thought leaders, artists, clerics, civic leaders and NGO leaders.
“We live in a world of transition, where the need for new ideas and strategies to deal with our common challenges is greater than ever. The Tällberg Forum is a contribution in this direction,” says Bo Ekman, founder and Chairman of the Tällberg Foundation.
Tällberg Foundation is a non-profit organisation established in 1981. Over the years, the foundation’s yearly gathering has evolved into an important ongoing open conversation on the wider issues facing business and society.
“In designing the Forum we have tried to develop a format free from formalities and hierarchies where people can come as individuals, not as representatives of institutions”, says Bo Ekman.
Bo Ekman is a former Volvo executive chairman and owner of SIFO in Sweden. Over the years, Ekman has worked with many of the world's leading companies, governments, the United Nations and several NGOs.
The Foundation’s underlying tenets are humanism and a holistic systems approach. The Tällberg Workshops are also unique in truly integrating intellectual discussions with artistic experiences as an essential part of the process. The participants are encouraged to bring their families and friends, creating a relaxed and informal atmosphere.
Last year more than 450 leaders from over 70 countries gathered at the Tällberg Forum addressing the question: “How on Earth Can We Live Together? Exploring Frameworks for Sustainable Global Interdependence.” The Forum offered 11 plenary sessions, 52 workshops, 25 activities; nature walks, excursions, 15 cultural performances, and two large open-air concerts.
“This year’s Tällberg Forum will focus on the need to find solutions to a dual challenge: we need, on the one hand, to reconcile our need for energy and economic growth with the fragilities of the environment; and on the other hand, we have to continue to strengthen the framework for fair governance and human rights. All these issues need to be addressed together”, says Bo Ekman.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will open the Tällberg Forum 2006. The Forum is taking place from June 28 to July 1 in Tällberg, Sweden. The plenary sessions and open-air concerts are open to the public.
More information: www.tallbergforum.org, www.dalhalla.se, www.dalarna.se
Tällberg
THE VILLAGE OF TÄLLBERG, population 217, overlooks Lake Siljan and is located three hours by car or train, northwest of Stockholm.
Tällberg is at the heart of Dalarna, a region that has stood out as a symbol of Sweden. It was here, in the Lake Siljan region, that Gustav Wasa rallied the farmers to a successful uprising in 1521 against the occupying Danes. The people of Dalarna have always been known for their independence and strong indigenous culture.
At the turn of the last century, Dalarna started to attract artists, composers, writers, poets and tourists. Dalarna became a prime destination in this period of national romanticism. Tällberg became its epicentre.
Tällberg is part of the Municipality of Leksand, which is a highly entrepreneurial region. Close business and cultural ties have been developed with Japan, China and the Baltic states. The Dalarna of today is deeply embedded in the global economy through forestry, manufacturing, energy, trade and all-year-round tourism.
Mining used to be a leading industry. In 1288, the world’s oldest shareholder-company – Stora Kopparbergs Bergslags AB – was established in Falun. The copper mine that financed Sweden’s wars in the 17th and 18th centuries is now closed but has been selected a "World Heritage" site by UNESCO. Stora is now merged into Finnish/Swedish StoraEnso with forestry and paper mills in Dalarna. Borlänge, a major trading centre, has one of Sweden’s largest steel works. In nearby Ludvika, ABB has one of its major factories in Sweden.
An important part of the philosophy behind Tällberg Forum is the integration of the local with the global. Dalarna is an example of a region in transition – struggling to come to terms with a regional identity, handed down through history - clashing with political, economic and demographic realities of our day.
But still the region is marked by its national romantic heritage and is often labelled as archetypical Sweden. The most widely known symbol of Sweden – the Dala Horse – is manufactured on the shores of Lake Siljan.
An interesting paradox is that the issues of diversity and global identity are discussed here in the shadow of the heart of national romanticism.
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