SUCCESS STORIES OF

As a universal blueprint for sustainable development, the 2030
Agenda is the only way to ensure stability and prosperity forall. The complexity and scale of current global risks call for
its accelerated implementation. It requires unwavering
political and financial commitment, as well as theexploration of new and innovative approaches toprotect people, peace and the planet. Among these,
global pollinator diplomacy is emerging as a refreshingand creative endeavour, which easily connects people
across sectors and borders.

SLOVENIA'SPOLLINATORDIPLOMACYBEES FOR
PLANET ANPLE, _With their role in tending to approximately 80% of foodcrops, pollinators are essential for global food security and thehealth of both humans and ecosystems. Amidst the largest foodand environment crisis in recent history, their importance is greater than ever. Additionally,beekeeping serves as a remarkably positive tool for protecting livelihoods and building
resilience in vulnerable communities affected by climate change and conflict.

...

.

In Slovenia, bees and other pollinators have served as valuable allies in our international efforts
for more than a decade. We are grateful for the strong global support for Slovenia's initiative
to declare 20 May as World Bee Day. Through our diplomatic network, we have launchedsome 300 pollinator projects in collaboration with partners around the world, with theprimary objective of restoring pollinator-friendly ecosystems and empowering
vulnerable social groups. We are proud to present a selection of success stories here.
We hope that these initiatives inspire replication and expansion, and we extend aninvitation to the global community to build upon the opportunities presented byinternational pollinator action in the years ahead.
Tanja Fajon

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairsof the Republic of Slovenia

REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIAMINISTRY OF FOREIGNANO EUROPEAN AFFAIRS-- SLOVENIAAID & P:.Rn.lERSI-UPSWorld map of projects

BEEKEEPING AS A WAY OF EMPOWERING MINE VICTIMS

Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina - Sarajevo, Banja Luka
Duration: since 2021
Partners: UDAS Amputee Organisation of Republic of Srpska, ITF Enhancing Human Security,
Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia (KIS)

The project has empowered over 100
landmine victims from 19 cities in BiH
through beekeeping - a unique meansof psychosocial rehabilitation, astable source of income and acontribution to local biodiversity.
Apart from the equipment andtraining, a rich local support
network has been established: acentre for beekeeping, a web
platform, an association ofbeekeepers with disabilities andwomen, and a series of workshopswith 400 participating primaryschools. In parallel, the Slovenian
Embassy in Sarajevo has organised
diverse pollinator-related public
diplomacy actions all across BiH.

FRIENDS OF THE AMAZON BEES
Location: Brazil - Quilombo Africa,Abaetetuba, Para

Duration: since 2023
Partners: NGO lnstituto Peabiru

With support of the Slovenian
Embassy in Brasilia, the NGOaempowers
Peabiru
Ouilombola
vulnerable
community in the heart of theAmazon to take care of theendangered native stinglessbee. The project provides
beehives and training onsustainable honey production tothe local population, targeting
primarily young adults andwomen. It protects their livelihoods
and strengthens their resilience, whilestrengthening the local biodiversity
through sustainable beekeeping practices.

BEE RESILIENT - POLLINATORS IN CHANGING ENVIRONMENT(Future-Fit Scenarios)
Location: Denmark and Finland
Duration: May 2023 - May 2024
Partners: national beekeeping associations,
national foresight capability organisations,WFP Nordic Office, the Nordic Genetic
Resource Center, ministries of environment
and agriculture

Through a participatory approach,the project aims to create scenarios
about the future role of bees andother pollinators in severe weatherenvironments. It analyses the impactof climate change, social processes
and security trends on their ability toensure safe food supply andenvironmental balance. The results willalso be relevant for other geographicalareas facing extreme weather conditions. The
goal is to strengthen measures to protect bees
and other pollinators, both in their own right and as
part of the global food security efforts.

BEE AWARE - ENCOURAGING CHILDREN AND YOUTH TOWARDSPOLLINATOR ACTION

Location: Egypt - Cairo
Duration: since 2023
Partners: Arab Beekeepers Union, Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia, Agricultural ResearchCentre - Ministry of Agriculture Egypt

After having planted more than 100 honey plants in 2023, the project now focuses onawareness-raising activities targeting children and young people. In 2024, preschool andprimary school children from disadvantaged areas will paint local apiaries with Slovenianand Egyptian motifs. In addition, the Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia will present
Slovenian experience to the Egyptian
Arab Beekeeping Association andAgricultural Research Centre both in beekeeping and inawareness-raising projects
and campaigns.

POLLINATOR ECOSYSTEM PRESERVATION AND AWARENESS RAISING

Location: Greece - Patras
Duration: since 2023
Partners: University of Patras, Agri-Food Partnership of theRegion of Western Greece
The Slovenian Embassy in Athens and theUniversity of Patras teamed up to plant a Bee
Garden in the University's botanical gardens.
Young volunteers prepared an ecosystem
restoration plan, planted around 200 honeyplants and nurtured them. They weresupported by the Beekeeping Academy ofSlovenia (KIS), whose expert instructed them inpollinator ecosystem preservation and pollinatornutrition, particularly in view of natural disasters
that regularly affect both Greece and Slovenia.
The project is set to continue and grow, involving
the broader local community.

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BEEKEEPING AS A WAY OF EMPOWERING YOUNG WOMEN REFUGEES AND
ORPHANS
Location: Iran - Karaj
Duration: 201 9-2022
Partners: Iranian Beekeepers' Association, University of Tehran, Afghan Refugee School Karaj

The Slovenian Embassy in Teheran offered six urban
beehives and capacity building to the school for
Afghan girls, children of refugees in Karaj. The
purpose of the project was to familiarise themost vulnerable parts of Iranian society,especially street children and children ofAfghan refugees, with the opportunities
offered by beekeeping and theproduction of honey and honey-based
products. The project's focus was on
independent work with bees, theproduction of honey and honey-based
products, and the basics of marketing.

WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT THROUGH BEEKEEPING
Location: India - Mohand, Uttarakhand
Duration: since 2023
Partners: NGO AHEAD, Indian government institutions

The programme empowers women in one of India's most vulnerable and closed
communities, the van Gujjar's at Mohand. Equipped with beekeeping kits and skills, accessto the Indian honey market and a beekeeping
certification, these women gained ineconomic and social independence.
Beekeeping offered them an activity
which was close to their living spaceand life vision yet presented a great
innovation in their everyday life.
The programme had a positive
impact on the quality of life of
their families and the localcommunity. After the successful
start in 2023, the programme
continues and is growing.

FEMALE BEEKEEPERS AS AGENTS OF POSITIVE CHANGE

Location: North Macedonia - North East and the Vardar region
Duration: 2023-2025
Partners: ADRA Slovenia, ADRA North Macedonia, several education & business partners from Slovenia

The project provides climate-resistantbeehives to 50 families and trains them in particular women and young people- in organic beekeeping and bee
product entrepreneurship. In parallel,a media campaign and a pilot
honeybee park serve as an
educational tool to promote bee
conservation, biodiversity and theimportance of honey plants among
decision-makers and other 60,000+citizens. The project paves the way
for rural development, localisationof food production and women'sempowerment, while preventing ruralmigration by creating new employment
opportunities for women and youngpeople.

BEE AND TEA FAMILY DAY

Location: China - Beijing
Duration: since 2023
Partners: Apicultural Science Association of China (ASAC), China National Botanical Garden, Museum ofBeekeeping Beijing, architects from the University of Ljubljana and Tsinghua University, Medex

To raise awareness of the importance of bees inurban environments and the protection ofnature in cities such as Beijing, the Embassy of
the Republic of Slovenia in Beijing initiateda project facilitating knowledge exchange
between Slovenian and Chinese students
in the design and construction of urban
apiaries. The awareness-raising event
Bee and Tea Family Day in the China
National Botanical Garden presented aSlovenian design of an urban apiary,
Medul, by the Slovenian architect Prof.
Vlatka Ljubanovic and Ms Iva Sodnik, aresultofcollaborative
efforts
ofarchitecture
students
withSlovenian
beekeepers.

BEE-FOREST PROJECT

Location: South Korea - Province Gangwon,
Hyeon-nam Reservoir
Duration: since 2023
Partners: Korean Rural Community Corporation,
Hanns Seidel Foundation Seoul, local beekeeping

associations

South Korea has long been struggling withhoneybee disappearance. The Slovenian
Embassy in Seoul partners with localstakeholders to bring them back to the "silentforests" bordering North Korea, wherewildfires have driven away local fauna anddevastated biodiversity. The project's partners
planted "Bee Bee Trees" in 2023 to boost pollinatorsand prevent forest fires. In a follow-up, they will beorganising pollinator- and biodiversity-related workshops
and promotional activities. The Slovenian Embassy also boasts arooftop beehive and organises local World Bee Day celebrations.

BEEKEEPING AS MEANS OF EMPOWERING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Location: Ukraine - Kharkiv regionDuration: since 2024
Partners: Hadiatsk Agricultural College, "Pavik" Cooperative in Cherkasy, National University ofBio-Resources and Nature Management of Ukraine, ITF Enhancing Human Security, Beekeeping
Academy of Slovenia (KIS)

BEES ARE OUR FRIENDS

Location: Romania and Moldova
Duration: since 2021
Partners: Beekeeping Association of Romania, Ministry of Education of Romania, National Associationof Beekeepers of Moldova, Ministry of Education and Research of Moldova

The project fosters a love of nature and bee advocacy among children. It encourages thenational educational authorities to integrate pollinator-related contents into school curricula.
It also trains the teachers to raise pollinator-awareness among children. Through sessions withbeekeepers and field trips to local apiaries,
children discover the importance ofbees and pollinators for theecosystem and themselves. After
two successful editions inRomania, the project now
continues in Moldova.

The project empowers war-affected people
with disabilities to realise their talents andskills through beekeeping
animportant source of income, life
quality and social integration. It
combines
trainingwithpsychosocial rehabilitation andincludes several phases, fromtheoretical beekeeping basics
and practical training in honeyprocessing
tocourses
onmarketing, branding, financial
planning and management, as
well as master classes on theelaboration of honey products.
Moreover, the project's positive
impact on the local biodiversity
preservation is a much welcome bonus.