ISF International Security Forum

Monday, 30 May 2011, 14:10 - 14:20

Ladies and Gentlemen
Dear Participants

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 9th International Security Forum in Switzerland. I am glad that so many of you have made your way to Zurich. The ISF has found a loyal (and ever-growing) circle of friends around the world – exactly what its founders intended when they launched this conference 17 years ago.

"Regional and Global Security: Meeting Tomorrow’s Challenges Today" is the theme for this year’s ISF. All would agree that action today is better than waiting to undo the problems of tomorrow. This is what we all try to do, in our day-to-day life, and it is what we are bound to seek while preserving and enhancing our security as well.

But we must acknowledge that nothing is more difficult than anticipating the future. Who among us could have predicted the current state of the world even a few years ago? Who could have envisaged the large-scale economic crisis shaking parts of the world, or the nuclear and natural catastrophes that have devastated parts of Japan, or the sweeping revolutions across the Arab world? Very likely no one could have.

There is only one certainty and that is we cannot know the future. However, as security experts and leaders we are nevertheless bound to prepare for uncertain outcomes and to anticipate, as far as possible, what might come.

We are responsible for meeting challenges to our security. Therefore, we gather here, at the ISF 2011, to discuss together – instead of each contemplating alone – what this future might look like. And thereby, hopefully, we will build a clearer vision of what is needed to preserve and enhance security, a precious common good. Towards this end, I wish you all an interesting and inspiring conference!

Ueli Maurer
Federal Councilor
Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports

Listen to Welcome Address (Audio)

Location

Plenary Room