Original article featured on the www.meinbezirk.at newsletter.

Born in Kainach, Franz Kolb called the "Kainach International Forum" back to life and wants to connect people all over the world.

KAINACH / UTAH. The Kainach International Forum was named after the village of Kainach, the hometown of Franz Kolb. For centuries, Kainach linked local and international artisans, craftsmen and farmers who traveled via its trade routes. Just as Kainach was a channel for connecting peoples in the Middle Ages, the Kainach International Forum today is a link between people from all over the world. Founded in 1999, the Kainach International Forum has been a platform for internationalists to exchange ideas, share best practices and build international networks. 

Kolb currently resides in Utah and works with the World Trade Association Utah. He started the project again in October 2020 and has started organizing monthly virtual meetings on global relations, politics, business, and trade. The former WKO chairman and Bärnbacher, Erich Bramauer, also helps to organize the monthly event and topics. 

Meeting on International Women's Day

On International Women's Day, participants met from all over the world including regions such as India, Mexico, Poland, Switzerland and many more. "We want to connect people from all over the world so that they can exchange their ideas and opinions," said Kolb at the welcome. Meghan Stettler from Utah, Eugenia Manolidou from Greece, Shalini Duggal from Canada and Karin Buchgraber from Bärnbach discussed the topic of "empowering women in politics, business and society". MEP Simone Schmiedtbauer was unfortunately unable to be there in person, but sent a video message.

Buchgraber spoke about women in politics: "We have already made some progress, but there is still room for improvement. We have to remember that we all have to work together - it's not men vs. women," said the Vice Mayor of Bärnbach. The resilience of women in the COVID-19 pandemic and many other topics were part of the discussion, in which the other participants could also have a say in the chat. "We should celebrate women more often and regularly throughout the year, not just on International Women's Day," Kolb concluded. The next meeting will take place on April 8th and more information is available at  www.kainachforum.org.