Folkemødet is the annual Danish Democracy Festival. Every year, the idyllic island of Bornholm is the home of the festival which is a platform for democratic dialogue between civil society, politicians, business, media, universities, and citizens at large. This also includes the participation of Danish ICMIF members GF Forsikring and LB Forsikring.
Every year in June, the small town Allinge on the island of Bornholm turns into a large celebration of Danish democracy. With more than 2000 political events created by 650 different organisations, the Folkemødet Festival of Denmark, also known as the People’s Meeting, has become an important democratic event in the country and aims to facilitate informal meetings and dialogue between decision-makers and citizens. More than 50,000 citizens, parliamentarians, NGOs, business representatives and grassroots representatives meet at the festival and debate Danish society and celebrate its democracy during the festival. In 2023, the Democracy Festival, is being held from Thursday 15 June to Saturday 17 June.
Danish ICMIF member GF Forsikring and its Foundation GF Fonden say they are hoping to make an impression on this year’s public debate in areas where GF Forsikring has a special interest. The mutual insurer is once again participating in the People’s Meeting on Bornholm, and it has chosen to focus efforts on two debates, both of which take place in insurance and pensions tent.
One debate, “The sustainable working life – hot air or reality?”, took place on Thursday 15 June and focused on how good management can create even more workplaces which have long-lasting employees who say they enjoy a sense of well-being and balance. Mark Palmberg, CEO of GF Forsikring took part in this debate.
The second debate – “Too tired to drive? As dangerous as drunk driving”, will take place on Friday 16 June and looks at how to break the last taboo in driving: fatigue behind the wheel. Jette Ravn, Road Safety Expert and External Consultant for the GF Foundation will participate in this debate.
Mark Palmberg said: “At GF, we believe that we evolve through conversation. Therefore, we hope that a lot of people will want to participate in the debates. If you are not on Bornholm, you can get involved in the debate here on LinkedIn, where we give you information and inspiration throughout the Folkemødet (People’s Meeting).”
Another Danish ICMIF member, LB Forsikring, is also participating at the Festival and in a number of sessions during the event. This year, LB Forsikring will put a special focus on the future welfare; senior citizens in the labour market; and the solutions to needed to prevent future disasters.
On Friday 16 June, LB Forsikring will join a debate on the topic of “Are there limits to welfare?” with a focus on the role of public, private and civil society in welfare in the future. On Saturday 17 June, LB Forsikring will hold the debate “All hands on deck: Seniors are in high demand in the labour market”, in which politicians, NGOs and experts discuss what it takes to make the labour market attractive to older people. On the same day, in the insurance and pension tent, LB Forsikring will host the debate: “Who is responsible for preventing future disasters?”. This will discuss what if required from individuals, politicians and market forces if we are to prevent some of the disasters of the future? This is the focal point of the debate, and LB Forsikring will present some very concrete proposals on how its work in the areas of prevention and disaster risk reduction.
Frej Elbæk Schjeldal, Head of Public Affairs for Danish ICMIF member LB Forsikring, explained his organisation’s participation: “Folkemødet in Bornholm is one of the biggest political events in Denmark, where politicians, organisations and companies gather to discuss and debate important topics. By participating in and organising exciting debates on current insurance-related topics and major topics such as the climate, we put our own expertise and commitment into play for a wide range of stakeholders.”
He continued: “the Folkemødet is also a unique opportunity to meet and create dialogue with politicians, decision-makers, experts, media and stakeholders not only in the insurance and finance industry, but also the many different other industries we as a company have contact with to a greater or lesser extent. By participating, we strengthen our network and create relationships that can be beneficial for us as a company in both the short and long term.”
Frej concluded: “furthermore, as a democratically-owned company, we have both a desire and an obligation to support the development of the democratic conversation, and that is exactly what Folkemødet is about.”
Later this month, there will be a similar event take place in Sweden, known as Almedalen. We are already aware that ICMIF members Afa Försäkring and Folksam plan to take part in this event.
Photo credit: Pelle Rink
