WHO WE ARE
OUR HISTORY
WHAT WE DO
 

WHO WE ARE

The Global Leaders for Tomorrow

The Global Leaders for Tomorrow are young but proven leaders from business, politics, the arts and civil society. The GLT community represents the new generation of leaders who demonstrate a commitment to addressing issues beyond their immediate professional interest. GLTs are global decision-makers already holding positions of considerable influence and responsibility. The mission of the GLT community is to improve the state of the world by taking action on issues critical to the global agenda of the future. Media Leaders constitute a group of leading editors and commentators from the world's most important publications and media organizations who meet together on the occasion of the Forum's Annual Meeting. During the two-day private meeting among peers, the Media Leaders discuss issues at the top of their agenda for the coming year and meet with some of the most prominent political and business leaders who are in Davos for the Annual Meeting. On the occasion of the World Economic Forum's regional summits, the Media Leaders group takes the form of an informal gathering, usually over lunch or dinner on the eve of the event and, in some cases, an additional meeting during the event. The group is composed of editors and commentators from the leading regional and local media organizations, as well as those attending the summit from outside the region. Topics for discussion include priorities for the region and issues common to media in the region.

Academies of Science

To meet many of the key challenges of the 21st century, governments and international organizations will require scientific, evidence-based advice. An international scientific advisory mechanism has been organized by the world's leading scientific academies to provide timely information and scientific judgements to international decision-makers. This group met together for the first time in Davos, Switzerland at the Annual Meeting 2000 of the World Economic Forum. Attending were the presidents of many of the world's leading Academies of Science including Africa, China, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, Germany, India, France, USA, Sweden and Japan.

Business Consultative Group

The purpose of the Business Consultative Group is to provide an informal and efficient framework for an exchange of opinions among the leaders of the world's major business organizations which takes place during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, and the opportunity to exercise great influence on the process of shaping the global agenda.

Forum Contributors

Forum Contributors provide knowledge, experience and expertise to the ongoing activities and events of the World Economic Forum. Principal Forum Contributors from around the world include public figures, prominent journalists, leaders of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and labor unions, and other representatives of civil society. Forum Contributors help ensure that the broadest range of thought and opinion is represented at regional summits and the Annual Meeting, and make a valuable contribution to Forum events and ongoing activities.
 

Forum Fellows

Forum Fellows are individuals with global leadership or expertise within academic, scientific or cultural areas, or representing key academic, research or cultural institutions.

They are committed to involvement in and contribution to the work of the

Forum and provide valuable input for the Forum's meetings and activities during their term of involvement. There are approximately 300 Forum Fellows, each being involved for a three-year period.

Public Figures

Leading decision-makers from government and major international organizations are key partners in all of the World Economic Forum's activities. Their active participation in the Annual Meeting in Davos and in the regional economic summits makes the World Economic Forum a unique interface between the public and private sectors worldwide.

Technology Pioneers

Technology Pioneers are a community of the most innovative new technology companies from around the world. Originally established as a joint initiative with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, the first group of Tech Pioneers met in January 2000 during the Annual Meeting in Davos. In addition to excelling in their businesses, the Technology Pioneers are committed to enhancing social progress through technological innovation. They share a vision of a world where technology is also used to improve the human condition.

Our History

In 1970, Klaus Schwab, Professor of Business Administration, took the initiative and the personal risk to convene Europe's chief executives to an informal gathering in the Swiss mountain town of Davos in January 1971, to discuss a coherent strategy for European business to face challenges in the international marketplace. He secured the patronage of the Commission of the European Communities, as well as the encouragement of Europe's industry associations. This is the beginning of the World Economic Forum.

Our Mission

The World Economic Forum is the foremost global partnership of business, political, intellectual and other leaders of society committed to improving the state of the world.
Members, constituents and collaborators have a unique opportunity, through their association with the World Economic Forum, to engage in processes of developing and sharing ideas, opinions and knowledge on the key issues of the global agenda.
The World Economic Forum is an independent, impartial, not-for-profit Foundation which acts in the spirit of entrepreneurship in the global public interest to further economic growth and social progress.

 
WHAT WE DO

Following a number of contacts with many of its member companies and a number of NGOs, the Foundation has started this initiative with the intention of creating a better understanding between some of the major global companies and some of the most influential NGOs. While each group has its own agenda, its own role to play, and has to assume its distinct responsibilities, preliminary discussions in the context of this "Informal Dialogue Initiative" have allowed the idenfication of the possibility to develop cooperation between business and NGOs in improving some framework conditions.

higher achievement
 

Changing Corporate Governance in Russia

Scepticism about boardroom practices and corporate behaviour in Russia remains high. The frustrations also run deep within the country's more progressive businesses. Russian and international business leaders discuss the path to reform via the World Economic Forum's corporate governance initiative for Russia.

Five Russian companies are committing themselves to a corporate governance code of conduct. A feedback mechanism to monitor the progress made by the committed companies will be created immediately after the Annual Meeting 2001. By bringing to the table key players from both the supply side and the demand side as well as regulators, the Forum hopes that over the next few months this basic intermediation role will enable it to produce a "Gresham law" in reverse: the good companies will evict the bad ones (in terms of corporate governance) and that, as a result, more capital will become available. If this comprehensive pilot project proves successful, it might well be replicated for other emerging market economies.

Corporate Performance

Launched in 1999 under the joint leadership of the World Economic Forum and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTT), the Corporate Performance Project aims to develop corporate governance practices in order to help enhance corporate performance in the form of stable, sustainable and profitable growth. Building on a number of projects and studies related to the issue of corporate governance, this project goes beyond the compliance aspect in most present discussions on corporate governance to develop the linkage with corporate performance. It also addresses the impact of the rapid development of e-commerce for corporate governance. A possible next step in the project could include the study of the benefits of a certification process regarding corporate best practices, along the lines of the IS certification model.

Environmental Sustainability Index

The Environmental Sustainability Index is based on a project developed by the Environmental Task Force of the Global Leaders for Tomorrow of the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University. The index is a measure of overall progress towards environmental sustainability developed for 122 countries.

The Future of the Multilateral Trade System

The World Economic Forum has established a small working group to help identify some "common denominators" along which the discussion on ways to help strengthen and expand the multilateral trade system could be restarted after the failure of Seattle. The objective is to explore possibilities to overcome the present deadlock between industrialized and developing countries on whether or not there should be a linkage between further trade liberalization and environmental and labour standards and on how to integrate issues such as investment or competition policy in multilateral trade discussions. The initial proposal of this working group will help shape the content of the discussions on trade during the Annual Meeting 2001.

Global Climate Change and the Automobile

During the Automotive Governors Meeting 2001, the Governors engaged in a dialogue with the heads of two leading environmental NGOs on the issue of the automobile's contribution to global climate change. Following the dialogue, the Governors agreed to establish a process for the industry to meet with relevant stakeholders (including government and civil society) to advance this complex and highly political issue in a proactive manner. The first meeting among representatives of the automobile member companies is targeted for April 2001 and will focus on determining project deliverables and timing. The Governors agreed to report back on progress at next year's Governors Meeting.

Global Corporate Citizenship Initiative

Corporate responsibility is an increasingly important issue for companies operating internationally. The backlash against globalization, rising consumer interest, and the increased importance of civil society are driving broader discussion of the local, national, and international responsibilities of companies and an examination of the best practices available to address them. The Forum will seek to test and advance the concept of corporate responsibility in cooperation with its global network. Among the aspects of the issue this initiative could explore are: Examining the concept of corporate responsibility in the context of a global economy. Surveying, integrating, and improving corporate responsibility reporting and certification frameworks. Identifying and promulgating best practices in various dimensions of corporate responsibility. Examining the impact of corporate responsibility on overall competitiveness. Developing effective mechanisms for communicating responsible global corporate citizenship to the public and shareholders.

Global Digital Divide Task Force

This Task Force was created at the Annual Meeting 2000 by the IT and Media and Communication Governors of the Foundation. Over the last year, it has developed a framework for action, "From the Global Digital Divide to the Global Digital Opportunity," which was submitted to the G-8 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit 2000. Most of the proposals were adopted during the Summit and have become part of its final communiqué. This framework for action enumerates a set of policy actions and initiatives that each stakeholder group can undertake to address the challenge of bridging the divide. Following the G-8 Summit, the Task Force has continued its work and as a result of discussions druing the Annual Meeting 2001, is developing concrete proposals in the domains of education, connectivity and regulatory frameworks.

The Foundation has launched this initiative in order to make the Global System work better. Its purpose is to monitor the performance of international institutions and existing global public/private partnerships in addressing ten major global challenges that the world community is facing today. The task force has established a number of criteria and parameters in assessing the efficiency with which these issues are addressed on a yearly basis. This monitoring process will lead to the creation of a Global Governance Index, enabling the broader public to identify and measure the progress made by international cooperative efforts aimed at addressing the following issues: poverty, inequality, environment, health, human rights, the knowledge gap, armed conflicts, economic instability and crime. Based on its assessment, the Task Force will issue pragmatic recommendations and proposals on how the performance of the Global System could be improved in addressing these global issues.

Malaria, HIV, tuberculosis and childhood diseases attack not only the health of nations but also their potential for development and prosperity. Following discussions at the Annual Meeting 2001 in Davos, member companies of the World Economic Forum are launching a partnership with the World Health Organization, in cooperation with representatives from developing countries, relevant NGOs and experts. The context of this partnership is the initiative to involve business in a closer and more systematic way in the fight against disease. This initiative for global health will build on existing good practices and enable corporations to work together to develop new and innovative ways in which they can do good while doing well. Businesses and corporations from a range of sectors already have the experience of effective action to promote improved health outcomes.