Slovenia

Slovenia

With three-fifths of its territory covered with forests, Slovenia is genuinely green. It is also one of Europe's most water-abundant countries. On its relatively small territory of just over 20 thousand km2, it boasts extraordinary landscape diversity and biotic wealth.

A remarkable 55.3% of the country is protected land – the second highest percentage in the world. Environmental care is deeply ingrained in the Slovenian culture. Be it in the city or in the countryside, the connection between Slovenians and their natural environment can be felt everywhere. In 2016, Slovenia was named the first Certified Green destination in the world. 

Environmental action is also a pillar of Slovenia's relations with the world. Slovenian diplomacy has a long tradition of mainstreaming green topics in all its areas – from human rights to security, from business to science. Water and climate diplomacy figure particularly high on the agenda and are closely linked to Slovenia's international development cooperation and humanitarian aid. As the country with the highest number of beekeepers in the world, Slovenia has also a strong pollinator diplomacy. In 2017, on its initiative, the international community proclaimed 20 May World Bee Day. 

Water and climate diplomacy figure particularly high on the agenda and are closely linked to Slovenia's international development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

Together with another Green Group member, Costa Rica, Slovenia is member of the core group of countries which invested over a decade of work in the international recognition of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. These efforts culminated in the UN General Assembly resolution in 2022.

Since independence, gender equality and empowerment of women have been high on Slovenia’s foreign policy agenda. The country is a strong advocate of the human security concept that puts the individual at the centre of all efforts, including in all phases of conflict management. 

In line with this, Slovenia will, as a member of the UN Security Council 2024–25, focus, among other priorities, on the impacts of climate change (and other environment-related threats) to peace and security, with a special focus on the gender dimension.