World in 2024 Conference

We have a challenging year ahead of us in all fields

The annual conference “The World in 2024 – powered by Carlsberg” was opened in front of a large interested audience. This is one of the oldest conferences organized by Color Media Communications and has already become recognizable as an event that closes the current year with an intersection of the current political, business, and social environment of Serbia and raises issues of importance in the coming year.

As every year, key figures and top state and international officials gave their conclusions and projections about the coming period at the opening. The general sponsor of the conference is Carlsberg Serbia, and NLB Komercijalna Banka, Mobi Bank, and Telekom Srbija supported the event. The institutional partner of the event was UNICEF Serbia.

After Robert Čoban, Director of Color Media Communications, opened the conference and announced engaging participants within the panel, Ivica Dacic, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Foreign Affairs, US Ambassador H. E. Christopher Hill as well as ministers Danica Grujičić, Minister of Health, Slobodan Cvetković, Minister of Economy, Tomislav Momirović, Minister of Foreign and Internal Trade, Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, Minister of Education and Đorđe Milicevic, Minister without Portfolio in charge of coordinating activities and measures in the field of relations with the diaspora.

Also speaking at the opening of the conference were Brankica Janković, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, and François Jacob, UN Permanent Coordinator in Serbia.

Anketa 1: Where would you like to live if it wasn’t Serbia? Any EU Country – 76%, USA – 16%, China or Russia – 4%, Something else – 4%

The first panel gathered ambassadors on What’s new in the West? How Europe will respond to the challenges of 2024? The participants were H. E. Edward Ferguson, British Ambassador, H. E. Anika Ben David, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden, Ilia Koberidze, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Georgia, and Miloš Todorović, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs. The moderator was Dragan Simić, dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences.

Anketa 2: Should Europe continue to accept migrants? Yes, they are needed – 22%, Yes, but to follow the rules – 44%, Not at all – 33%

Panel no. 2 covers the topic: Banking 4. 0 Digitalization, Consolidation and Expectations of 2024. The speakers were Dejan Janjatović, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of NLB Komercijalna Banka; Aleksandar Bogdanović, President of the Executive Board of Mobi Bank; Aleksandra Ognjanović, Director of the Digital Banking and Innovation Sector, Erste Bank, and Sladjana Sredojević, International Cooperation and Education Specialist, Head of the Banking Training Center, Association of Serbian Banks. It was moderated by Biljana Stepanović, General Manager of Business Info Group.

Who is most to blame for the war in the Middle East? Israel – 16%, Hamas – 29%, Both – 55%

Panel no. 3 The Corporation – Final Account 2023 of the Economy of Serbia and the Region was moderated by Dragan Močević from Pro Educa – Center for Education. Participants were Erik Košuta, president of Dragon Maritime Group; Marija Radulović, president of the Croatian Business Club; Irena Brajović, director of Confindustria in Serbia; and Toplica Spasojević, from Privrednik Serbian business club.

Who is most to blame for the war in Ukraine? Russia – 46%, Ukraine and The West – 20%, Both – 35%

Panel no. 4 was The Future Begins Now Investing in Early Development and Learning for Sustainable Social Development. Participants were Ljljana Marolt, Ministry of Prosete, Head of the Group for Pre-School Education, Dr Milica Pejović Milovančević, Director of the Institute for Mental Health and National Coordinator of the Special Working Group for Early Development of the Ministry of Health, Tamara Paunović, Councilwoman for Social Protection and Gender Equality in the City Administration of Bor, Jelena Zajeganović Jakovljević, PhD, Head of the Program for Health and Early Development of Children, UNICEF in Serbia. Moderated by Vesna Savic Djukic, head of the private sector cooperation program, UNICEF in Serbia.

Panel no. 5: Your body is yours! Both online and in the real world!, and participated Borka Jeremić, head of the UN Population Fund office for Serbia, doc. Snežana Vuković, Ph.D., Head of the Department for Human and Minority Rights in Education, Ministry of Education, Tatjana Prijić, Assistant Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Hristina Cvjetičanin Knežević, an expert on gender and media, and Jovana Kvržić, influencer. The moderator was Andrej Klemenčić, a journalist.