Advanced Manufacturing
The Global Agenda Council on Advanced Manufacturing was launched in 2012 following the recommendation of several Forum constituents given the importance of the manufacturing sector for global economic growth in…
The Network of Global Agenda Councils has been closely monitoring the most important issues on the global, regional and industry agendas. Each council, consisting of the world’s foremost thought leaders has developed a brief report outlining the key findings from their deliberations over the last 12 months.
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The Global Agenda Council on Advanced Manufacturing was launched in 2012 following the recommendation of several Forum constituents given the importance of the manufacturing sector for global economic growth in…
Insights Issue Overview Africa’s outlook is now optimistic and its narrative is changing from a developing continent in need of aid to a prime opportunity for growth and prosperity. Many…
Putting Down the Burden: Rethinking the Benefits of Global Ageing “The good news is that, if we act now in a creative and proactive manner, we will have the greatest…
Introduction Corruption – the abuse of entrusted power for private gain – is the single greatest obstacle to economic and social development around the world. It distorts markets, stifles economic…
In 2011-2012 unprecedented political transformations reshaped North Africa. In order to sustain the early success of the transitions and for positive long-term outcomes it became increasingly evident across the Arab…
Roadmap to a Sustainable Future for Personal Transportation The Global Agenda Council on Automotive brings together the stakeholders from the automotive industry, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), suppliers, academia, associations, analysts,…
At US$ 6.3 trillion in 2011, or 9.3% of total worldwide GDP, the impact of travel and tourism is greater than that of some of the biggest manufacturing sectors, namely…
Issue Overview Over the past couple of years, the public perception of the banking industry has dramatically worsened. This deterioration is mostly fuelled by increasing scepticism on the quantity and…
Getting to Zero: Finishing the Job the MDGs Started The coming three years through 2015 will amount to a crossroads on the path of long-term global cooperation. They will contend…
In 2011-2012, the World Economic Forum convened a group of experts, scientists and policy-makers to consider the implications of brain science, mental disorders and the emerging field of cognitive science…
Better understanding, communication, management and mitigating of catastrophic risk. The Global Agenda Council on Catastrophic Risk set out to identify means to achieve better understanding, communicating, and managing as well…
Despite continuous double-digit growth in 2010, the booming Chinese economy faces increasing structural and institutional challenges, due to the export- and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)-led growth model as well as…
A Challenge of Scale and Speed In recent years, an increasing number of governments have focused on adopting new policies favouring a shift towards low-carbon and resource-efficient growth. Similarly, an…
The importance of enhancing national competitiveness has moved up on the agenda of many countries over the past decade. During this same period, traditional cornerstones of globalization have shifted and…
Given the World Economic Forum’s strong global network in the private sector, the Global Agenda Council on Conflict Prevention 2011-2012 agreed to focus its efforts on increasing business’ awareness of,…
Issue Overview Design is a powerful agent for change. Through a process that involves problem-solving and an in-depth understanding of human wants and needs, present and future, designers bring technological,…
Harnessing the Transforming Power of Digital Health Digital Health has the power to radically change the global health landscape – making it better and more efficient. Unfortunately, healthcare has been…
A new public-private model to approach community resilience In recent years, the increase in scale and frequency of disasters has led to an increased involvement of the private sector in…
Transforming Education: Changing Lives Transforming education is as essential for human development and population health as it is for economies. That is the view of the Global Agenda Council on…
Emerging multinationals (EMs) are globally active enterprises originating in such emerging economies as Brazil, South Africa, India, the People’s Republic of China, Turkey, Nigeria and others. They are new poles…
Issue Overview Technology is a powerful tool for change. The Arab Spring clearly demonstrated that many governments are still unsure how to grasp and respond to technologies such as Facebook…
Energy Security and Decarbonization Governments are struggling to address two difficult challenges in managing the supply and use of energy. One is the challenge of making energy systems more secure…
For the first time in 2011-2012, the Global Agenda Council on Europe (the Council) focused solely on Europe, a much-needed evolution in light of the significance and diversity of challenges…
Building a Bridge to Somewhere: A Comprehensive Solution to Stabilize the Eurozone Over the past year the Global Agenda Council on Fiscal Crises has focused almost exclusively on the ongoing…
The global food and economic crises have driven tens of millions more people into food insecurity, leaving 925 million living in hunger today. Shortfalls and volatility in global food supplies…
The Contribution of Entrepreneurship to Economic Growth and Employment Unemployment, under-employment and less than robust economic growth are huge challenges in multiple parts of the globe. Many see entrepreneurial early-stage…
New Models for Engagement in Fragile States The challenge and opportunity for the private sector is to find new models to forge partnerships between private sector capital, corporations, entrepreneurs, and…
Issue Overview The need to rethink the role of government has been brought home to us forcibly by a series of cataclysmic events in the 21st century. In the worst…
Is genetics the next V-chip, or an iPad? In other words, will genetic technologies be leapfrogged by other, less cumbersome technologies, or will genetic science launch a technological revolution, akin…
The Geopolitical Risk Global Agenda Council aims at establishing Geopolitical (and inherently Geoeconomic) Risk as a primary category in the discourse on economic and political global governance. Geopolitical and geoeconomic…
Summary1 After focusing on Regional and Preferential Trade Agreements in 2010-2011, the Members of the Global Agenda Council on the Global Trade System, chaired by Peter Draper, recognized that the…
Making a Serious Case for Happiness and the Economics of Well-Being Happiness is high on the global agenda: progress can no longer be measured by profit alone. A consensus is…
Towards a New Era in Healthcare: Realizing the Promise of Precision Medicine Precision medicine promises to deliver the most significant changes on the healthcare horizon: improving diagnosis, treatment and patient…
Making the Business Case for Human Rights The Human Rights Context The Global Agenda Council on Human Rights has selected the promotion of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Human…
Innovative Technological Solutions to Enhance Supply Chain Integrity and Transparency Illicit trade involves money, goods or value gained from illegal and otherwise unethical activity. It encompasses a variety of illegal…
1) Insights Issue Overview In recent years, India has emerged as one of the fastest growing democracies in the world. This has raised aspirations within India and expectations outside, and…
Issue Overview Accelerating velocities, borderless information flows and the empowering of individuals are just some of the ways that connectivity is redefining the underlying dynamics of society. Yet, as ubiquitous…
Issue Overview “An informed society is one where citizens have the resources, education and skills to access and participate in the free flow of reliable and useful information through a…
Insights The world is facing an unprecedented urban shift. Only one century ago, one in ten people lived in cities; today the figure is 50% and by 2050, 70% of…
The Global Agenda Council on Institutional Governance has as objective to analyse three sets of challenges and to provide feasible recommendations to address them: the rise of deglobalization and its…
Issue Overview The insurance and asset management industries play a critical role in the global financial system and aim to contribute to economic growth in both mature and emerging markets.…
Insights Issue Overview The global Intellectual Property (IP) system is a tool for regulating and facilitating trade information and knowledge, along with innovative and creative goods and services. As economies…
In the context of economic uncertainty and the quickly materializing risk of a worldwide double-dip recession, it is a challenging task for the Council to find the right balance between…
Issue Overview Predictably, 2011 was marked by increased threats of disruption to online services, including breaches and denial of service attacks. It was also a year peppered with heated discussions…
A. Overview The Global Agenda Council on Japan focuses on Japan’s national transformation, bridging Japan and the activities and networks of the World Economic Forum. Council members served as catalysts…
Insights Of all the critical issues affecting regional stability in North East Asia, those surrounding the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are arguably the most severe and immediate, with…
A. Issue Overview The Global Agenda Council on Latin America (The Council) is a group of recognized leaders from various sectors of society and nationalities who provide their expert input…
The Global Agenda Council on Logistics & Supply Chain has completed a successful second term. The Council has delivered significant impact through: Action-oriented initiatives like the Supply Chain & Transport…
Long-term investing as a theme has become increasingly prominent. Long-term investing, as defined by the World Economic Forum, is “investing with the expectation of holding an asset for an indefinite…
Issue Overview The Global Agenda Council on Media, Entertainment & Information was formed in 2010. Since then it has focused on two main themes: industry-related risks and opportunities, and the…
Political and economic uncertainty calls for greater business engagement in migration The Global Agenda Council on Migration 2011-2012 addressed this issue by examining two separate, but interrelated, perspectives on the…
Exploring the Nature of a New Energy Architecture We are on the threshold of great change: the needs of emerging markets, rising populations and environmental pressures, make the transition to…
Section 1: Objectives, Issues and Narrative Overview – Context The New Models of Leadership Council was established in the 2011-2012 term to respond to a series of evolving factors that…
In 2011-2012, the Global Agenda Council on Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons sought to leverage and augment the efforts of governments, international organizations, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations to…
An Ocean of Resources Oceans cover 71% of our planet’s surface. They contain vast ecosystems, cover extensive mineral beds and wash a million kilometres of diverse coastline. Taken together, services…
Issue Overview Organized crime exacts a multi-billion cost on legitimate business, distorts markets and causes widespread ill-effects across society. Fuelled by the same forces of globalization that have expanded trade,…
Promoting Regional Trade to Foster Inclusive Growth in Pakistan Focus The Global Agenda Council for Pakistan has focused on promoting regional trade as a means for enabling inclusive growth. The…
Sometime around the end of October 2011, the world welcomed its seven billionth inhabitant. From a historical perspective, that milestone was reached in a very short time: it took over…
“Sustainable development is the answer to poverty reduction. And business is key for sustainable development.” Defining the Drivers of Poverty Reduction: Engaging Businesses for Sustainable Development In 2000, 189 countries…
Harnessing Private Capital as a Force for Global Economic Growth1 Many of the world’s most urgent short- and long-term economic problems require the attention of private capital providers. Whether the…
While the real estate sector continues to fulfil its brick-and-mortar function of meeting people’s rudimentary needs of shelter, its broader fundamental role in global financial stability, economic recovery, social well-being…
Issue Overview The word “robot” was invented by the Czech artist Josef Čapek and introduced into the English language by his brother, Karel Čapek, in his 1920 science-fiction play R.U.R.…
Defining the New Business Covenant The context of business in today’s world has changed dramatically in recent decades: just as the impact of companies on society and the planet has…
Insights 1. Issues: In the search for solutions to issues that transcend national boundaries (e.g., climate, trade, marine conservation, illicit trade, human rights), decision-makers encounter an ever-growing variety of initiatives.…
Mobilizing Talent: Driving Growth “The success of any national or business model for competitiveness in the future will be placed less on capital and much more on talent. We could…
Introduction The Global Agenda Council on Space Security has completed its second year of existence. After a very successful meeting during the Abu Dhabi Summit in October 2011, the Council…
Changing the Way We Consume Insights Issue Overview In the four years since the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Consumption Initiative started, an estimated 450 million people have been lifted out…
Important work has been accomplished to strengthen the global financial system since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008, but the system remains fragile. The International Monetary Fund (IMF)…
The Global Agenda Council on Terrorism was formed in 2010 as an offspring of the former Global Agenda Council on Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction. The focus on terrorism…
A. Overview In its first year of existence, the Global Agenda Council on the United States (the Council) observed the rapidly changing global landscape and established a new framework through…
Section 1: Insights and Issues Setting the Context: Values in Crisis The Global Agenda Council on Values was established in 2010 as a logical follow-on from a conversation on values…
Water Is Life, Economy and Society “Water is a vital enabler of sustainable development and a resource under growing stress. Taking action to improve water security will yield multiple development…
Five Challenges, One Solution: Women A set of research and policy recommendations to face five of today’s most pressing challenges The world is experiencing multiple transformations. Demographic, societal, political, economic…
Global Crisis, Global Opportunity: Investing in the Challenge of Youth Unemployment The World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Youth Unemployment is charged with tackling one of today’s most explosive…