Security in its broadest sense has become one of the most central issues facing the world today, from terrorism to protection of infrastructure to personal security issues and information security. The age of globalization has witnessed not only increasing interdependence and mobility of capital, goods and people but also the growing interconnectedness of global challenges and their diverse effects on citizens everywhere. This interdependence, highlighted by technological advances resulting in a web of interrelated networks, has increased vulnerability to security threats. The exchange of information and knowledge across borders has become critical in the development of cooperative and effective international responses to these challenges.

Building on the tradition of Switzerland, and Geneva, of bringing multi-stakeholder groups together on neutral ground, the Geneva Security Forum will focus on new threats, future security challenges and the integral role of IT, with the goal of finding interoperable solutions that reach across cultural, religious, economic and geographical divides. The interconnectedness of today’s security threats requires a coordinated response involving the key players from relevant sectors of business, government, intergovernmental organizations, academia and civil society. Bridges need to be built and compromises found if we are to build a safer world for our children. The Geneva Security Forum is optimally placed to perform this critical and urgent global service.

The Geneva Security Forum will be an innovative security event consisting of:

• a high-level forum focusing annually on important, urgent and future security challenges, providing a platform for debate and characterized by forward-looking, outside the box thinking
• a showcase of security solutions providing an opportunity for companies and organizations to display new advancements directly related to the content of the forum
• training and educational sessions expanding on themes addressed in the forum, providing an opportunity to focus on specific issues in greater detail

The Geneva Security Forum will provide a three-track conference programme that will: address the social, political and economic implications of security; promote and showcase commercial and technological security applications, products and services; and offer training seminars on the topic of security.

• Stakeholders: The Geneva Security Forum will be a targeted, global, high-level and multistakeholder gathering. The stakeholders will be those from business, government and civil society engaged in, or concerned about the protection of assets and prevention of loss.
• The Geneva Factor: The Geneva Security Forum will be convened in Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva offers a highly skilled labour force, a culture of neutrality and privacy and a national sense of international diplomacy. These are powerful characteristics that provide The Geneva Security Forum with credibility and trustworthiness to be the pre-eminent annual global security conference.
• Innovation: The Geneva Security Forum will seek out the most innovative security applications, products and services to employ in the context of the conference. Likewise, The Geneva Security Forum will facilitate debate on the latest political, commercial, technological and criminal trends.