Forte de Copacabana

KAS Brasilien

The International Security Conference "Forte de Copacabana" has been held annually since 2003 during the period of autumn at changing locations in Brazil.

Since 2003, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Brazil hosts the annual International Security Conference "Forte de Copacabana", in cooperation with the foreign policy think tank Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI) and the Delegation of the European Union.

Debates on international security issues

The main objective of the conference is to bring together experts from governments, armed forces, academia and the private sector to discuss current international security issues of common interest for the partners on both sides of the Atlantic.

What started as a relatively small meeting of politicians, experts, academics and military personnel at the Forte de Copacabana, a fortification of the Brazilian Armed Forces in Rio de Janeiro, has become the largest international security conference in Latin America!

Exciting exchange between representatives from Europe and Latin America

The discussions held at the International Security Conference "Forte de Copacabana" are of great practical importance, but also a contribution to the preservation of democracy.

In order to ensure a high-level debate and to promote the exchange between the two regions and present it to a wide audience, each year the program of the conference is carefully planned by all partners and adapted to the current needs and discussions in the field of international security policy.

Long-term cooperation of joint organizers

The success of this event format is due to the successful partnership between the organizers. In addition to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which can look back on more than 50 years of experience in promoting political education and international cooperation in Brazil, it includes CEBRI, which according to a ranking by the University of Pennsylvania is one of the best think tanks in Latin America, and the Delegation of the European Union in Brazil.

Participants with professional expertise

Over the years, the event has been highlighted by the commitment and special participation of distinguished guests and speakers. The presence of various Defense-Ministers from Brazil, Germany and other countries, as well as members of the armed forces, parliamentarians, representatives of the diplomatic corps, researchers, entrepreneurs in the field of international security and academics from numerous regions, represents the success of the event, as they share their knowledge and experience in a pleasant environment conducive to exchanges and debates and serve to influence the political security agenda on both sides of the Atlantic through these exchanges.

Each year the conference attracts more than 500 participants for its presential events. In previous years, the conference was only held virtually due to the pandemic, but still managed to set a record with up to 4000 participants from 45 countries.

The fact that all conferences are always held with English, Portuguese, German and Spanish translation, and include a simultaneous translation in Brazilian sign language to make the event more inclusive, also helped in that regard. In addition, the increased presence of the conference in social media has contributed to greater interactivity with the public and expanded the discussion.

Policy Papers

The annual “Forte de Copacabana” International Security Conference is accompanied by a publication that provides concrete recommendations for security policy action in strategic policy papers in two languages (English and Portuguese).