Golden Bee Award presented to Dr Slobodan Davidović from Serbia
The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, organised a ceremony to confer the Golden Bee Award, the highest national award for bee protection and the recognition of the role of bees and other pollinators in ensuring food security, sustainable agriculture, nature preservation, biodiversity and cultural heritage.
Presidential Palace, 24 May 2023
News
In her keynote address, the President of the Republic of Slovenia said she was proud of Slovenia’s achievements and contribution to international efforts to protect bees and other pollinators since 20 May was declared World Bee Day by the UN General Assembly on our initiative. According to President Pirc Musar, pollinators are an integral part of the global environmental and food agenda, and coordinated international cooperation on this issue is more important than ever before, especially because food and environmental security are also preconditions for international stability and peace. The President therefore reiterated that the global ecosystem is at a critical point, while the gap between the needs and measures is growing, and that without a radical change in our attitude to the environment, our common future is in serious jeopardy. "We know that pollinators are the best indicator of the state of the environment, and that some of them are decreasing in number at an alarming rate. Wild solitary bees do not have a beekeeper to watch over them, which makes their habitats all the more endangered. More investment in research is needed, which is the motive behind this year’s Golden Bee award ceremony," said the President, highlighting the role of each individual in protecting pollinators.
"Slovenia is a green land and home to the world’s largest number of beekeepers per inhabitant. We therefore have a moral obligation to share our beekeeping knowledge and technology and encourage the protection of pollinators around the world," said President Pirc Musar, adding that the Golden Bee Award is undoubtedly one of Slovenia’s main tools for raising awareness about the importance of pollinators and promoting special achievements in pollinator protection.
The Golden Bee Award was presented to Dr Slobodan Davidović from Serbia. He accepted the award from the President, who also congratulated the other two finalists, Dr Fani Hatjina (from Greece) and Dr Pau Enric Serra Marin (from Spain).
Dr Davidović is a young researcher and head of the SERBHIWE project, which conducts innovative strategic research, complementing it with genetic research on wild bees and pollinators, and sets milestones for the development of measures to reverse the decline of pollinators by 2030. Together with his project team, he analysed the genetic diversity of wild bee colonies and drafted a plan to analyse populations living in the wild without human intervention.
The ceremony also featured performances by young musicians Tjaša Rauter, Peter Mandelj Mejač and Jakob Istenič from the Ljubljana Music and Ballet Conservatory and dancers Eva and Katarina from the Šinšin dance studio in Kamnik.
The guests were also addressed by Irena Šinko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, who is also the President of the Golden Bee Award Committee.
