New Energy Architecture 

The world’s energy architecture – defined as the integrated physical system of energy sources, carriers and demand sectors shaped by business, government and civil society – is in a state of transition. Decision-makers must take a long-term view of how a country’s energy system responds to the three key imperatives of energy: to promote economic development and growth, be environmentally sustainable and ensure energy access and security. The Forum – in collaboration with its knowledge partner – has developed an index to measure how the energy systems of 124 countries perform against these three imperatives and which are the factors determining the most successful energy transition to date.

New Vision for Agriculture 

This initiative aims to achieve food security and sustainable agricultural growth through market-based solutions. To do this, it facilitates collaboration between governments, corporations, international organizations, farmers and civil society. This is an umbrella project that has catalysed partnerships in 14 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America, while also collaborating globally with the G8 and G20. The project’s three main objectives are: 

• Facilitating leadership commitment and action by supporting dialogue and cooperation, and harnessing the strengths of each stakeholder group 
• Supporting country transformation by building innovative, action-oriented partnerships in 14 countries around the world 
• Promoting innovation and best practice by engaging diverse leaders to share experience and solutions

Grow Africa 

Launched in 2011 in collaboration with the African Union and NEPAD, Grow Africa helps to accelerate investment in agriculture. It connects governments, businesses, investors, farmers and development partners to advance ambitious agricultural initiatives. By acting in concert, partners can reduce risk and overcome market barriers. 

Grow Africa acts as a trusted connector and problem-solver for governments, the private sector and other partners as they work together on accelerating responsible investment in agriculture. It aims to: 

• Help countries convert their agricultural efforts into increased flows of private-sector investment, and connect partners with opportunities to resolve constraints by innovating, sharing best practice and building capacity 
• Mobilize resources by sourcing investors, unlocking access to finance and reducing risk; and promote accountability as levels of job creation, income and food security rise 
• Help partner countries generate sustainable, inclusive private-sector participation to achieve 6% agricultural growth 

Public-Private Cooperation on Climate Change 

The Forum has been invited to collaborate with the United Nations to help develop public-private cooperation on key areas of climate change, designed to have a tangible impact by 2020, when a new global agreement is scheduled to start. The portfolio of activities will form part of the Secretary General’s Leader’s Summit on Climate Change, in September 2014. 

The UN is negotiating a new accord on climate change, to start in 2020. Leaders at the 2014 Annual Meeting in Davos will discuss and then help build a portfolio of substantive public-private collaboration on climate change by the time of the Secretary General’s Leaders’ Summit in September. The three main objectives are: 

• To support worldwide public, private and civil-society cooperation on climate change 
• To address key areas of climate change that will also deliver material and quantifiable benefits to society and the economy by 2020 
• To invite global leaders to come up with a plan of action by September 2014

Circular Economy 

The MainStream initiative, jointly launched by the World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, is driven by business to transform wasteful global resource flows into the future building blocks of a restorative, circular economy 

Over two years, the initiative aims to help establish an industry-led collaboration by focusing on the following: 

• Developing a roadmap to identify a better understanding of material impurities. 
• Building a business case for the use of more efficient materials 

Water Initiative: Stewarding the Water Resources Group 

The Water Resources Group (WRG) is a global partnership that supports governments in managing the water needs of their countries. It brings together decision-makers, leaders and experts to develop sustainable water policies, carry out economic analysis and strengthen nations against impending water stress. 

The World Economic Forum’s Water Initiative is stewarding the 2030 WRG in its current phase of activity. The objectives are: 

• To support the 2030 WRG’s move from three to six country partnerships by June 2014. It is currently working in six countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America 
• To explore potential activities with an additional four countries, each of which have expressed an interest in collaborating 
• To demonstrate how the 2030 WRG and private sector can develop meaningful interaction and cooperation for mutual economic and social benefit. This is a significant shift from the traditional roles of each sector

Responsible Mineral Development Initiative (RMDI) 

This project aims to help countries develop their mineral resources in a socially and economically responsible manner. It seeks ways to promote trust and understanding between governments, the private sector, civil society and communities 

Specific aims of the project include: 

• Organizing a series of country-specific roundtable meetings on responsible mining 
• Advancing dialogue among stakeholders at regional and national levels 
• Using the framework of “mineral value management” to measure perceptions and expectations regarding the value generated from mining 
• Creating partnerships with other organizations to establish RMDI as a key part of the global mining architecture 

Engaging Tomorrow’s Consumer 

This project looks at how to engage millennial consumers in sustainable lifestyles. 

Over 2014, the project will test strategies for making an impact. These include: 

• Engaging Marketers: to incentivize brand marketers to embed sustainability in their products and marketing campaigns 
• Building the Consumer Case: to develop a more inspirational and aspirational language around sustainability 
• Digital Platform for Consumer Collaboration: to create a non-branded, collaborative social media platform that will raise consumer awareness and increase engagement around sustainability

The Future of Urban Development 

The initiative works in partnership with cities around the world, helping to make urban innovation accessible to city leaders and businesses alike. It does so by convening a community of more than 100 industry leaders, city leaders and experts to rethink solutions to urban development. 

The project focuses its community of leaders and experts on a suite of complementary activities. These include: 

• Global Dialogue on New Models for Urban Problem Solving: the community exchanges information on innovative new ways to address urban challenges, ranging from tech-enabled solutions, new governance structures, and more. Sessions are held at the Forum’s major regional and annual meetings 
• Champion City Model: board members turn dialogue into action by working directly with mayors of select Champion Cities to test the new models. The activity is currently focused on Chinese cities, but will expand to India and potentially other regions in 2014 
• Aggregating Corporate Leadership around Cities and Climate Change: multiple efforts focusing on climate change and resilience have been established involving mayors, various foundations and the private sector. As this activity grows, the initiative will explore ways to accelerate the scaling-up of public-private partnerships 
• Urban Anthologies: the Global Agenda Council on Urbanization produces an annual book highlighting major insights into urbanization