Rotary European Summit - Bonn - 2024

Discovering the Magic of Rotary - Insights from the European Summit 2024

I am sitting on the flight back to Ibiza. It's Sunday, 1 September, and I'm pretty tired. But most of all, I am happy and full of beautiful impressions.

I come from Bonn, the former German capital, where the European Rotary Summit 2024 took place, attended by Rotarians from 14 European countries.  

This Summit is like a Rotary International Convention, in a smaller format, and practically "at home" as the journey takes only a few hours.

The Opening Session

The Summit started on Friday at noon with an opening session. Our hosts were two Rotarians from the Rotary Club Bonn International: Abir Haddad and Florian Hofer.

I guess they are not older than 45, speak perfect English, and entertain us with a funny and inspiring moderation. They show us a new face of Rotary that I find both attractive and necessary.  

Don't get me wrong: all ages are very important in Rotary. We all have something to contribute. But I think we all know that younger people are rarely attracted to our fantastic organization. That's why we are all delighted to see Abir and Florian on stage.

Rotary’s Focus on Peace

The opening session immediately shows us the high level of Rotary:

After a warm welcome from the Mayor of Bonn, Katja Dörner, we enjoy an extraordinary concert by a young Korean pianist playing a piece by Beethoven, a famous son of the city of Bonn.  

We hear from RI President-Elect Mario César Martins de Camargo, who reminds us of the importance of raising our voices for peace in the world. He stresses that none of our areas of focus make sense without giving the utmost importance to peace. He quotes our founder, Paul Harris: “Peace is a constant way to routine in our everyday task. The way to war is a well-paved highway. The way to Peace is still in the wilderness.”

Inspiring Keynote Speakers

He is followed by Tim Höttges (CEO Deutsche Telekom), Holger Klein (CEO ZF), Christoph Heusgen (Chairman of the Munich Security Conference), and Gilly Lord (Global Leader, Regulation and Public Policy at PwC).  

Of particular note is Gilly Lord, who links her speech on sustainability to the music of Beethoven—a totally unexpected and very good move!

At the end, there is a panel discussion between Mario César Martins de Camargo, Holger Klein, and Tim Höttges, moderated by Ursula Schoepfer, who navigates this exchange of great ideas with confidence and charm.

Breakout Sessions and Thematic Panels

The following day, after a morning ceremony in which the five different strands of panels to be held throughout the day are presented, the breakout sessions of 90 minutes each—all very interesting and innovative—begin.  

The thematic tracks are: 

  • “Rotary's Role for a Sustainable Future,” 

  • “Relevance of Rotary in a Changing World,” 

  • “Building Peace in Europe,” 

  • “Rotary Supporting Intergenerational Dialogue,” 

  • and “Developing Rotary for the Future.”  

There are three sessions for each track. In other words, there is a huge choice of very current and interesting topics to choose from.

The House of Friendship

The House of Friendship is open all day long. It is a large space in which different Rotary groups present their projects. Among them are individual clubs, large official Rotary groups like “End Polio Now,” official partners like “Shelterbox,” or various Rotarian Action Groups (RAGs).

In the breaks between the panels, people wander around the House of Friendship, letting themselves be inspired by the projects on display, whether on environmental protection, peace, or mental health.  

I enjoy the hustle and bustle, meeting friends I haven't seen for a long time and making new connections. The atmosphere is very friendly, and everyone is looking forward to exchanging ideas and experiences, establishing partnerships, and spending these happy days together.

Advocating for Girls’ Empowerment

As co-founder and secretary of the RAG for Menstrual Health and Hygiene, I also requested a table in the House of Friendship. I share it with our Past President Shekhar Mehta's Presidential initiative of Empowering Girls. I am accompanied by the Ambassador for Girls' Empowerment in the Netherlands, Debbie Kenyon-Jackson.  

We are very happy with our table, where we display reusable sanitary products and promote measures to support girls in countries where they do not have the same opportunities as in Europe. The interest is great—even our former president Holger Knaack says that we must continue with this topic.

Peace Education and Games for Peace

In another corner of the House of Friendship, games for peace are being played. Raphael Schewiola, a captain in the German military, explains a great board game that helps pupils and students understand the politics of peace in the world. Schewiola is dedicated to youth peace education—what a great job!

Moderating the “Peace Café”

The organizer of the Peace Thematic Line, RID-elect Christine Büring, asked me to moderate one of her panels. On Saturday afternoon, it was time for me to moderate my "Peace Café."  

I was already delighted to prepare this panel. I wanted to show some of the countless paths toward a more peaceful society. None of us has to stand alone in front of a tank to stop a war. There are so many small steps we can incorporate into our daily lives to contribute to peace.

At the nine tables set up in the room, representatives speak from the RAG on 

  • Addiction Prevention, 

  • the Inter-Country Committee (ICC), 

  • the European CORE project, 

  • RAG for Peace, 

  • Mediators Beyond Borders, 

  • Music for Peace, 

  • Girls' Empowerment, 

  • Youth Exchange, 

  • and—very interesting!—the Rotary International Representative at the United Nations in Geneva.  

The attendees take away a lot of information about the different works, and in the exchange of impressions at the end of the session, there is a huge desire among all to make this world a more peaceful place for everyone.  

Our D2203 Governor Nominee, Juan José Frias, also attended this panel, which made me very excited.

A Memorable Gala Dinner

Happy to have met so many good, interesting, and inspiring people, and to have fulfilled my task of leading the Peace Café panel, I prepared for the gala dinner on Saturday evening.  

I sat at a table with Rotarians from Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, and Portugal—hurray, that's Rotary! We had a great time, and at the end of the dinner, we all ended up dancing (by the way, Holger and Susanne Knaack are great dancers), and we became friends.

We said goodbye and promised to meet again, at the latest, in Calgary at the International Convention from 21 to 25 June 2025. The next European Summit will be held in Brussels—this time with European and African countries—from 26th to 28th September 2025. Keep an eye out for it!

Why am I telling you all this?  

Because I want to encourage you to attend an international Rotary event. It is at these events that we experience friendship that knows no passports, borders, or religions.  

It is at these events that we begin to understand what a great organization we have at our fingertips. An organization that gives us enormous help (financial, but mostly technical) in everything we do—we only have to ask for it. But if we don't know what's available, how can we ask for it?  

That's why it's worth attending—to get information and, at the same time, enjoy this unique atmosphere that only international events offer.  

Or as Jean-Luc Perrin, RI's representative to the UN, says:

“The magic of Rotary begins when we start to go beyond our clubs.” 

Don't miss this Magic of Rotary!

Denise Klischan,
President, Rotary eClub Ibiza International
D2203. 2024-2025

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