Annual Report 2009-2010
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Annual_Report_2010_16Aug:Layout 1 17.08.10 08:06 Page 2 COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE STATE OF THE WORLD Annual Report 2009-2010 www.weforum.org Annual_Report_2010_16Aug:Layout 1 17.08.10 08:07 Page 3 Contents Executive Chairman’s Statement Page 2 Managing Board Statement Page 4 Shaping the Global Agenda: The Annual Meeting 2010 Page 6 Shaping the Global Agenda: Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2009 Page 8 Shaping the Regional Agenda Page 9 Shaping the Industry Agenda Page 10 Our Intellectual Backbone Page 11 Improving the State of the World through Multistakeholder Initiatives Page 14 Special Achievements 2009-2010 Page 15 Our Business and Non-Business Communities Page 17 Public Engagement Page 21 Our Organization Page 22 Our financial results Page 25 Annual_Report_2010_16Aug:Layout 1 17.08.10 08:07 Page 1 World Economic Forum Annual Report 2009-2010 1 The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Annual_Report_2010_16Aug:Layout 1 17.08.10 08:07 Page 2 Executive Chairman’s Statement World Economic Forum Annual Report 2009-2010 2 Executive Chairman’s Statement Professor Klaus Schwab Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum The global economic crisis continues to challenge “business, government, civil society organizations and individuals to cope with its roiling impact, adapt to new post-crisis realities and determine how to create fresh opportunities for growth and engagement in society. The financial emergency in Europe and turbulence in the markets underscore the need for constant vigilance and close cooperation to respond quickly to critical issues such as coordinating financial regulatory reform to prevent another meltdown or rebuilding Haiti following the devastating earthquake. To serve our Partners, Members and challenges of the 21st century by both Through this comprehensive co-creative” constituents during the past year, the 40th tackling immediate problems and shaping process, the councils proposed numerous anniversary of the World Economic Forum solutions to global issues that require innovative recommendations, highlighting was a great opportunity and privilege for significant time and great care to new partnerships and systemic my colleagues and me as we pursued implement. The Global Redesign Initiative approaches to adapt and better prepare together our mission to improve the state (GRI), which was launched at the Annual the global system for contemporary of the world. Meeting 2009, convened all our challenges. This resulted in the publication communities and constituents to find of 58 concrete proposals in a report titled The international community must ways of improving international Everybody’s Business: Strengthening purposefully move ahead with approaches cooperation and restructuring institutions International Cooperation in a More to critical long-term priorities, such as and mechanisms of global governance. Interdependent World. These proposals fighting climate change, reforming The Forum’s more than 70 Global Agenda were discussed and debated at the Global education systems for globalization age Councils, a brain trust of over 1,500 Redesign Summit in Doha, Qatar, at the and dealing with persistent public health experts and thought leaders from end of May 2010. deficiencies and poverty, especially in business, government and civil society, developing regions. drove this landmark collaboration, with the The GRI is not an end in itself, but rather strong support of four patron the beginning of a sustained process in In the past year, the World Economic governments – Qatar, Singapore, which these proposals are further refined Forum has once again been privileged to Switzerland and Tanzania. and advanced into the various global, demonstrate that it is an organization regional and national political processes, uniquely suited to addressing the Annual_Report_2010_16Aug:Layout 1 17.08.10 08:07 Page 3 Executive Chairman’s Statement World Economic Forum Annual Report 2009-2010 3 including the preparations for the G20 In times of uncertainty and extreme participants enthusiastically supported the Summit that the Republic of Korea will volatility, there are of course opportunities. Forum’s efforts to marshal further its host in November and the critical United The Forum, as a respected and neutral intellectual resources and multistakeholder Nations Climate Change Conference in platform for addressing the world’s major membership. At the same time, they Mexico at the end of that same month. challenges, is more widely recognized and stressed the urgency of moving from The GRI has added a new dimension to embraced than ever. At Davos-Klosters in discussion to real action. the World Economic Forum: to be a highly January 2010, 2,500 leaders from over 90 welcomed partner of governments and countries participated under the theme Indeed, as we look ahead to the fourth international organizations when they “Improve the State of the World: Rethink, “Summer Davos” Annual Meeting of the reach out to all stakeholders in global Redesign, Rebuild”. The Annual Meeting is New Champions in Tianjin, People’s society to define optimal solutions for not only the world’s foremost business Republic of China, in September 2010 global problems. gathering, with 1,400 top executives and the next Annual Meeting in Davos- participating, it also offers unparalleled Klosters in January 2011, we must all Based on the work of the Global Agenda opportunities for corporate chiefs to focus on how to turn proposals into viable Councils, the GRI, WELCOM and all the interact with the most important political policies. All decision-makers today have to foundational elements established by the leaders, thought leaders, Young Global cope with tremendous time pressure and Forum over the last 40 years, our new Leaders, Women Leaders, Trade Union the ever-increasing complexity of issues. initiative, the Global Agenda Partnership, Leaders and heads of NGOs, all carefully Our role is to help to sort out priorities and represents a logical evolution. The core selected to make sure that all the to connect the relevant issues and actors idea behind it is to provide an interactive constituents of global society are in a world where much more cooperation platform for business and governments to represented and fully integrated in the is urgently required to master the face the critical challenge of agenda. transformational change that we clearly understanding the nature and drivers of need. systemic risks and the potential Our Partners, Members and all our vulnerabilities of their strategies and communities – from the Social The work of the past year has shown that policies. The Global Agenda Councils will Entrepreneurs to the Global University the efforts of all stakeholders are essential support a comprehensive effort to find Leaders, from the Technology Pioneers to to adapt the international system to our ways to avoid systemic shocks and the Faith Communities – have never been increasingly interconnected and mitigate risks. The aim is to create a more active and responsive. We could not interdependent world. The cross-cutting “Global Situation Space” for real-time risk have facilitated this unprecedented level of efforts of our undertakings have drawn on management based on the analysis of sincere collaboration without the nearly every aspect of our capabilities and worst-case scenarios and to establish the commitment of our dedicated and hard- inspired us to improve the state of the necessary partnerships for action among working team in our offices in Geneva, world with an even deeper sense of governments, business and experts. New York, Beijing and now Tokyo. They mission. My colleagues and I at the World reflect the great diversity of our Economic Forum remain dedicated to As we move to create the Global Agenda membership and our activities. cooperate with our Partners, Members Partnership, what is clear is that the and communities, whom I thank for their Forum must strengthen its already I am pleased to welcome Alois Zwinggi to engagement and loyalty over the past considerable role as a trusted aggregator the Managing Board who has joined us year. I am passionate about leading an and integrator of information, data and from the Holcim Group to lead our Human organization that has attracted so much insight relevant to our Partners, Members, Resources and Finance teams. Marisol talent committed to the spirit of communities and constituents. Argueta de Barrillas, the former Foreign entrepreneurship in the global public Minister of El Salvador, also joined us as a interest. We have to continue to venture to new Senior Director. I note that women now horizons, reflecting the world as it represent over 60% of Forum staff at the integrates new players. This year, the director level and above. Forum held regional meetings in three developing nations – Colombia, Tanzania Reflection on the 40th anniversary of the and Vietnam – all of which had never World Economic Forum has not given way before hosted a Forum event. This to complacency, but rather has served as demonstrated our commitment to a reminder of the continuing importance of ensuring that all voices are heard and that the principles on which the organization participation in all our activities is as was founded. At our recent meetings, representative as possible. including the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters and the Global Redesign Summit in Doha, many Annual_Report_2010_16Aug:Layout 1 17.08.10 08:07 Page 4 Managing Board Statement World Economic Forum Annual Report 2009-2010 4 Managing Board Statement In living up to our motto of entrepreneurship in the global “ public interest, the World Economic Forum is more committed than ever to serving our Partners, Members and communities in innovative and effective ways. A central focus of our attention is on how to broaden and deepen the capacity of our staff to handle more complex and challenging responsibilities and to make the interactions with all Partners and stakeholders as productive as possible.