From Art to Climate Change: Where World Leaders Tackle Issues Discreetly

During a recent travel to Austria I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful castle Leopoldskron in Salzburg and to discover a fascinating project. The nonprofit organization Salzburg Global Seminar – founded in 1947 by three Harvard students – hosts programs at the castle on topics from climate change and health care to the role that the arts can play in community development.

Apart from environmental initiatives such as the foundation “National Park City” there have been projects to fight diseases such as bird flu, the creation of a health network or a worldwide educational alliance.

Sure, there are already Aspen and Davos – but Salzburg Global is a discreet initiative where global leaders (such as Hillary Clinton, Kofi Annan, Vanessa Redgrave or Orhan Pamuk) mingle with young academics and entrepreneurs. 40 percent of the board members are women. I discovered Salzburg Global as an outstanding initiative to build a better world. A safe haven for delivering new ideas.