Wilton Park is an

executive agency An executive agency is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate, to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government or Nort ...

of the UK

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreign ...

providing a global forum for strategic discussion. Based since 1951 at

Wiston House Wiston House is a 16th-century Grade I listed building set in the South Downs National Park on the south coast of England, surrounded by over of parkland in Wiston, West Sussex. It is the home of Wilton Park, an executive agency of the Foreign ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, it organises over 70 dialogues a year in the UK and overseas, bringing together leading representatives from the worlds of politics, business, academia, diplomacy, civil society and media. In 2021, Wilton Park celebrated its 75th Anniversary.

History

Wilton Park was founded 12 January 1946 by Heinz Koeppler as part of an initiative inspired by

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

, who in 1944 called for Britain to help establish a democracy in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It takes its name from the

Wilton Park Estate The Wilton Park Estate is located in Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire. History The Wilton park estate once belonged to the monks of Burnham Abbey. It is mentioned in 1412, with John Amond as farmer. In 1702 it was acquired by the Basill family ...

, near

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, west-northwest of central London and south-southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High W ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

: between January 1946 and June 1948 more than 4,000 Germans attended re-education classes to discuss democratic processes with visiting political figures and intellectuals. In 1991 Wilton Park became an Executive Agency to 'give it more operational autonomy and a more secure financial footing' through the opportunity to raise more of its funding, and it now raises all its running costs. In 1968 HRH

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

visited Wilton Park for its 100th conference. In 1980, Wilton Park was used as a venue for South African representatives to meet behind closed doors. In 1988, Wilton Park held its first overseas conference outside Helsinki to debate Europe in the 1990s. In 2006 Wilton Park marked its 60th anniversary with a private dinner and a speech delivered by

Lord Triesman David Maxim Triesman, Baron Triesman (born 30 October 1943) is a British politician, merchant banker and former trade union leader. Triesman is a Labour member of the House of Lords. Triesman previously sat as a Labour peer until resigning th ...

on future conflicts. In 2009 Richard Burge, a former head of the

Countryside Alliance The Countryside Alliance (CA) is a British organisation promoting issues relating to the countryside such as farming, rural services, small businesses and field sports, aiming to "Give Rural Britain a voice". History The Countryside Alliance ...

(1999–2003) and Director General of the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

(1995–1999), took over as Chief Executive. In 2010 Wilton Park held its first conference on

cyber security Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, the ...

after the

Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 was announced by the newly formed Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government of the United Kingdom in May 2010, and published on 19 October 2010. The previous major review of UK defence strateg ...

identified cyber attacks as a major threat to the United Kingdom. The Rt Hon Baroness

Gisela Stuart Gisela Stuart, Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (''née'' Gschaider; born 26 November 1955) is a British-German politician and life peer who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Edgbaston from 1997 to 2017. A former member of the La ...

was appointed Chair of Wilton Park in October 2018. Tom Cargill has been the Chief Executive of Wilton Park since January 2021.

Wilton Park Dialogues

Wilton Park organises specifically tailored events on key global issues. Events are typically in person, but can be virtual or hybrid also. During

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

in 2020-21, Wilton Park facilitated over 100 virtual dialogues. While Wilton Park dialogues are traditionally hosted at

, events can take place at different venues and are increasingly being held internationally outside of the UK. Wilton Park has hosted conferences in countries including Slovenia, Sweden, Serbia, Switzerland, USA, Finland, Uganda, Malaysia, Czech Republic, Japan, Brazil, Germany, Norway and more. Meetings provide a neutral environment where conflicting views can be expressed and debated openly and calmly, allowing acceptable compromise and resolution to be achieved. It encourages innovation in global thinking by provoking lively debate and promoting inclusivity among the policy makers and opinion formers. Discussions are non-attributable, held under the Wilton Park Protocol, to encourage frank exchanges and open dialogue.Wilton Park
/ref> Wilton Park's policy priorities include: * Conflict prevention, resolution and state building * Defence and security * Global economy * Global health * Human rights, good governance and faith * Multilateral institutions, key countries and regions * Sustainable development and the environment

References

External links

Wilton Park
{{Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Wilton Park Wilton Park is an executive agency of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office providing a global forum for strategic discussion. Based since 1951 at Wiston House in Sussex, it organises over 70 dialogues a year in the UK and overs ...

1946 establishments in England