World Economic Forum

The Indian government is stepping up investment in infrastructure

New Delhi, India, 10 November 2009 – Not only is India an IT superpower but it is also looking to find its place on the world stage in manufacturing, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry of India, told participants at one of the final sessions of the World Economic Forum’s Indian Economic Summit.

“A lot is happening on the manufacturing side,” he said. “The key impediment to becoming a global hub is not infrastructure bottlenecks, but entrepreneurship and leadership capability. Any country that has these two elements can overcome the hurdles.”    » read more »

Nordic countries continue to have the smallest equality gaps between men and women

New York, USA, 27 October – Iceland (1) has claimed the top spot of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2009 from Norway (3) which slipped to third position behind Finland (2). Sweden (4) completed the Nordic countries’ continued dominance of the top four. The report’s Index assesses countries on how well they are dividing their resources and opportunities among their male and female populations, regardless of the overall levels of these resources and opportunities.    » read more »

China allocates 40% of stimulus package to environment-related projects

Seoul, Republic of Korea, 19 June 2009 – “We believe that a strong economy and a clean environment are not mutually exclusive, and that Korea has to take an active part in tackling climate change,” Han Seung-Soo, Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, told 350 participants from 35 countries at the 18th World Economic Forum on East Asia today.    » read more »

Ends With Shaping Of G20 Agenda

Seoul, Republic of Korea, 19 June 2009 – East Asia can drive the critical post-crisis structural reform of the global economy, business, government and civil society leaders participating in the 18th World Economic Forum on East Asia agreed at the closing session of the two-day meeting.

Next year, the Republic of Korea will assume the chair of the G20, which has become the main forum for addressing global economic challenges.    » read more »

Kofi Annan launches the Africa Progress Panel (APP) Annual Report 2009 at World Economic Forum on Africa

Cape Town, South Africa, 10 June 2009 – Kofi Annan, speaking at the launch of the APP Annual Report 2009 on the opening day of the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town called on African leaders to turn the current global economic meltdown into an opportunity for the continent based on shared responsibility with their international partners.    » read more »

ExxonMobil and Vital Voices Launch Africa Businesswomen’s Network at World Economic Forum on Africa

June 10, 2009 -- CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) and Vital Voices Global Partnership3 today joined with local businesswomen’s organizations throughout Africa to announce the launch of the Africa Businesswomen’s Network (ABWN) at the World Economic Forum on Africa.    » read more »

Schwab Foundation announces the winners of the Africa Regional Social Entrepreneurs 2009 Award ahead of the World Economic Forum on Africa, Cape Town, South Africa, 10-12 June 2009

Cape Town, South Africa, 9 June 2009 – The Schwab Foundation has recognized three new social entrepreneurs with significant impact in the region as winners of the Africa Regional Social Entrepreneurs Award for 2009. David Kuria, Chief Executive Officer, Ecotact, Kenya; Patrick Schofield, Chief Executive Officer, Streetwires Artists Collective, South Africa; Mitchell J. Besser and Gene Falk, Co-Founders of mothers2mothers, active in Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia, will join other leading social entrepreneurs at the World Economic Forum on Africa, on 10-12 June 2009.    » read more »

Zuma will address over 700 leaders from Africa and around the world who will gather from 10 to 12 June

Geneva, Switzerland, 25 May 2009 – Jacob Zuma, the new President of South Africa, will host the 19th World Economic Forum on Africa, which will be held in Cape Town from 10 to 12 June 2009. Over 700 of the most prominent leaders from Africa and other parts of the world will gather to deliberate under the theme Implications of the Global Economic Crisis for Africa.    » read more »

Middle East leaders call on new US administration to push progress on Palestinian-Israeli conflict

Dead Sea, Jordan, 17 May 2009 – Middle East leaders have called on the new US administration to push progress on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which they said lies at the heart of instability in the region.    » read more »

Geneva, 7 May 2009 – Chief executives from some of the world’s leading companies have called on governments to more effectively and robustly implement the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the CEOs threw their support behind the world’s only universal anti-corruption instrument, stating that it “holds the promise of curbing corruption and creates a level playing field for all participants in the global economy”. They praised the Convention, describing it as “an essential instrument in the fight against corruption”, but they underlined the need for the establishment of an implementation review mechanism at the next Conference of States Parties to be held in Doha in November 2009.    » read more »

The World Economic Forum’s Educating the Next Wave of Entrepreneurs report issues a call to action to catalyse entrepreneurship globally through education

Geneva, Switzerland, 23 April 2009 – The World Economic Forum’s Global Education Initiative (GEI) today launched its report, Educating the Next Wave of Entrepreneurs. Building on the GEI’s mission to help countries implement education systems that are sustainable, scaleable and relevant, the report provides specific recommendations for the academic, public, private and non-profit sectors to collaborate in supporting the development of entrepreneurship ecosystems, in which education is a key driver.    » read more »

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 16 April 2009 – The World Economic Forum on Latin America closed on Thursday on a note of optimism for the region and called for “stronger collaboration” between private and public sector initiatives to address the global economic turbulence. Over 500 participants endorsed a strong message that was sent to the heads of state who will attend the Summit of the Americas tomorrow in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. “Latin America is now a source of solutions” amid the global crisis, said Robert Greenhill, Managing Director and Chief Business Officer, World Economic Forum.    » read more »

Geneva, Switzerland, 12 February 2009 – In the first research effort of its kind, the World Economic Forum’s Logistics & Transport Community, with the support of Accenture, has quantified and ranked opportunities to reduce supply chain carbon intensity in a report released today.

Supply Chain Decarbonization examines the role the logistics and transport sector plays in reducing emissions in its own operations and by influencing shippers and buyers to undertake broader supply chain improvements. According to the report, logistic activities contribute annually approximately 5% of the 50,000 mega-tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions generated by all human activity.    » read more »

Relationship between water and energy takes on new urgency with mounting pressure on limited freshwater resources, underlines new World Economic Forum report

Geneva, Switzerland, 19 February 2009 – The World Economic Forum’s Energy Community today launched the Thirsty Energy – Water and Energy in the 21st Century report. The report explores the risks and opportunities inherent in the ancient relationship between energy and water, which has taken on a new urgency as competition for finite freshwater resources rises. Produced in partnership with Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), the report includes perspectives from prominent experts and decision-makers.    » read more »

Geneva, Switzerland/New York, USA, 17 February 2009 – The World Economic Forum today released the Globalization of Alternative Investments Working Papers Volume 2: The Global Economic Impact of Private Equity Report 2009, one of the most exhaustive studies of private equity involving thousands of companies going back to the 1980s. Among the chief findings of the report are that private equity-owned firms are, on average, better managed than government-, family- or privately owned firms.    » read more »