The NATO Public Forum is a public event jointly organized by the NATO Public Diplomacy Division with civil society organisations, taking place during the Summit meetings of NATO’s Heads of State and Government. In 2023, the NATO Public Forum took place during the Alliance’s Summit in Vilnius, on 11-12 July 2023. The NATO Public Diplomacy Division has organized the event in collaboration with the Eastern Europe Studies Centre, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Munich Security Conference, and the Atlantic Council.

The Public Forum aims to promote a better public understanding of NATO’s policies and goals and the decisions to be adopted at the Vilnius Summit, through dialogue and engagement with a unique and diverse group of stakeholders, from Heads of State and Government and Ministers, to international security experts, opinion formers, academics, journalists and young people, in a series of panel discussions, debates, and interactive sessions on various topics on NATO’s agenda.

The Eastern Europe Studies Centre (EESC) has been selected to co-host the event in Vilnius together with its international partners. EESC is an independent and non-profit think-tank located in Vilnius, Lithuania. Established in 2006, the organisation specialises in analysing international policy processes and Lithuania’s role in them. Through collaboration with experts from various fields, the EESC publishes insightful analytical material, organises events, undertakes international and national projects. Its founders include the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and Vilnius University.