Bogoljub Karic

Founder

Braca Karic Foundation

For over five decades, Prof. Bogoljub Karić has been a pioneer in entrepreneurial, humanitarian, and cultural activities. His efforts have consistently aimed to enhance prosperity and quality of life, offering new opportunities to people in the Balkans and beyond.
Prof. Karić created the unique 'Paradigm for Peace and Development', aimed at achieving lasting stability and progress in the region. This approach underlines the interdependence of peace and economic development. Its philosophy fosters an efficient cycle of imminent success, promoting growth across the region's diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural communities.
As the youngest son of Danica and Janićije Karić, Bogoljub was born on 17 January 1954 in Peć; he comes from the renowned Karić family that traditionally worked in craftsmanship and trade; this tradition and history of the Karic family can trace its roots
back to 1763. The philosophy of growth, hard and creative work has long been part of the heritage of his ancestors, but truly blossomed with Bogoljub’s endeavors. His ‘Paradigm for Peace and Development’ promises to bring well-being to millions of people and offers a solution to the stubborn, vicious circle of poverty, underdevelopment, social and national unrest, misery, and war.
The central pillars of Prof. Karics’ paradigm are Partnership and Education, which equally bear fruit, to be enjoyed by all. This is why he, together with his wife, founded two crucial institutions - The Braca Karic University and The Braca Karic Foundation.
Founded in 1992, the ‘Karić Brothers University’ was the first private university that was established in Eastern Europe during the communist era. The University embodied Prof. Karics’ spirit of cooperation and entrepreneurship and succeeded in educating thousands of young managers and other professionals imbued with these ideals and knowledge in their respective fields, helping Serbia and the region to modernize and grow.
Prof. Karic’s father, Janicije, was a well-known peacemaker and arbiter in Pec. He was, on numerous occasions, asked to help peacefully resolve and mediate arguments within the Serbian community, within the Albanian community, and in disputes between Serbs and Albanians. This gift for easily and successfully mediating disputes was passed down to his son Bogoljub as well.
In 1999, immediately after the war and the bombing of FR Yugoslavia and following the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement, Prof. Bogoljub Karić took a significant step by inviting Adem Demaci, a leading Kosovo Albanian political figure, to Belgrade.
During this visit, they held a media conference where Prof. Karić introduced his paradigm for peace. Together, they urged the ruling parties from both sides of the conflict to support the development of economic relations and joint ventures across key economic, social, and political areas. Prof. Karić strongly believed that fostering such cooperation was the essential path to addressing and resolving the underlying causes of the war in Kosovo and Metohija.
During his visit, Mr. Demaci made an appearance on the national television station
‘RTV BK Telecom’, at the invitation of its founder, Bogoljub Karić.

In his interview, Mr. Demaci discussed the root causes of the estrangement between
Serbs and Kosovo Albanians, proposing specific political initiatives to bridge these
divides. Regrettably, these suggestions were ignored by Serbia's ruling political elite
at the time.
Prof. Karić, committed to his peace and cooperation initiatives, also extended these
efforts beyond Kosovo and Metohija. He actively promoted similar approaches to
strengthen Serbia's relations with other neighboring countries, including Croatia,
Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Albania.
In 2002, he headed the largest ever Serbian delegation of entrepreneurs to visit and
discuss possible ventures with the Albanian Chamber of Commerce. Gratitude for
Prof. Karics’ effort and initiative was reciprocated by a hundred Albanian
entrepreneurs when they visited Belgrade the following month. These visits helped
strengthen relations between the two countries and establish common goals for peace
and prosperity for both. During this visit Prof. Karic was also the leading proponent in
establishing a direct airline connection between Belgrade and Tirana.
In 2003, for the first time since the wars in the former Yugoslavia, Bogoljub Karić, as
the president of the Association of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Yugoslavia,
organized a visit to Zagreb for over 50 private companies from Serbia.
In 2005, the President of the Atlantic Council of Croatia, Dr. Radovan Vukadinović
PhD, invited Prof. Karić, as the most successful businessman from the region, to
participate in the furthering of diplomatic and economic relations in the region. His
efforts for outstanding contribution to the development of regional economic relations
was recognized and awarded by the Atlantic Council of Croatia in June 2005 at the
"Libertas" University in Dubrovnik. At this event Prof. Karic also gave a lecture to the
students on the topic "The future of economic development in the Western Balkans
through partnership and cooperation”.
His pro-European and pro-Atlantic activities continue intensively even today, through
numerous personal contacts with leading politicians and businessmen of Europe, the
USA, and the world, with the aim of establishing a unified European policy in the region
and thus expedite the membership of the Republic of Serbia to the EU and NATO.
One of his most important acts of support for the strengthening of relations between
Serbia and the West and for the integration of Serbia into the EU came in 2004 when
Prof. Karic took part in the Presidential elections in Serbia. He won third place with 20
% of the vote, and in the second round of the presidential election supported Boris
Tadić. This support allowed Mr. Tadic to be elected President. Prof. Karics’ campaign
slogan was "Serbia Has Strength"; in his campaign Prof. Karic outlined his economic
program for revitalizing the Serbian economy and consistently emphasized that Serbia
must become a full member of the EU and NATO.
Together with the ‘Braca Karic Foundation’ Prof. Karic was involved in countless
humanitarian and cultural activities, always striving to improve the quality of life,
resolve burning issues, make peace, progress, and preserve Serbia’s cultural
heritage. The Foundation, like the Karic family, continues to promote tolerance,
cooperation and peaceful coexistence between different nations, religions, and
cultures – not only in Serbia but also in the region and the world

Tuesday 28

15.20 - 15.40
A NEW PARADIGM OF PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE WESTERN BALKANS
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The Western Balkans region shares the historical and developmental characteristics of countries in transition from pre-modern to modern economic, social, cultural, and political development. This original Model of Peace and Development represents a vision of the transition of the region to a developed state and creates preconditions for lasting peace and well-being of its inhabitants, regardless of their ethnic, religious, and other civilizational characteristics