LJUBLJANA, May 18 (Xinhua) -- More than 150 beekeepers from around the world gathered in Slovenia for a conference Friday to discuss the role of bees and challenges in beekeeping ahead of the first World Bee Day, declared by the UN to be observed on May 20.

Philip McCabe, president of the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations or Apimondia, highlighted the role of bees as pollinators, saying there were many challenges ahead.

Speaking at the conference, Slovenian Agriculture, Forestry and Food Minister Dejan Zidan said that by having World Bee Day declared, Slovenia symbolically proved that honey bees and other pollinators were endangered and should be helped.

"We secured an important victory, and now we're going forward," he said, stressing activity had been launched to have bees declared an endangered species at the EU level.

Slovenian Beekeepers' Association president Bostjan Noc, who had given the idea for World Bee Day and is happy it was declared, said celebrations alone would not save honey bees, but concrete measures to protect them will.

Zirovnica Mayor Leopold Pogacar added he was proud that World Bee Day was being celebrated in the hometown of the pioneer of modern beekeeping, Anton Jansa (1734-1773).