world economic forum Annual Report2006

Annual Report 2005/06
World Economic Forum
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WEF_AR_COVER:WEF_AR_COVER 8.9.2006 16:05 Page 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.
WEF_AR_PART 1_corr.qxd:WEF_AR_PART 1.qxd 8.9.2006 14:27 Page 2

Contents | 01
Contents
Executive Chairman’s statement 02
Successes and achievements 06
Strategic endeavours 08
Shaping the global agenda 10
Shaping the regional agenda 14
Shaping the industry agenda 20
Creating knowledge networks 22
Building public-private partnerships 26
Working with our members and partners 30
Engaging our communities and constituencies 33
Our organization 36
The Forum community 38
World Economic Forum USA 41
Our financial results 42
Our mission and values 44
The Forum’s Global Education Initiative develops public–private partnerships to transform
education through technology

02 | Executive Chairman’s statement
Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum

Executive Chairman’s statement | 03
The World Economic Forum has once again
demonstrated that it is an organization uniquely
suited to the challenges of the 21st century.
Innovative, dynamic, a catalyst for change – the
Forum has continued to grow and to build on its
reputation. Always with the needs of our members
and partners at the heart of what we do, the last year
has seen a number of strategic developments that I
believe will continue to drive this organization forward.
The strong engagement of our members and partners
is fundamental to the ongoing success of the Forum.
One of my biggest satisfactions this year was to see
the continued strong development of our Industry
Partnership, culminating in the establishment of the
World Economic Forum USA, our North American affiliate,
which will host in New York the global headquarters for
the new Centre for Global Industries. Having achieved
the ambitious target of 100 Industry Partners, we feel
confident that our target of 300 by 2008 will be met.
The greater geographical reach that the New York office
provides will help us to deliver more effectively to our
partners – but we will not lose sight of our guiding principle
that this remains ‘one’ Forum with a strong sense of
shared mission.
I am also proud that we could increase the number of our
Strategic Partners by more than 20% this year. The Forum
will work closely with these companies, supporting them
as they devise and implement programmes that have a
positive impact on business and society, both regionally
and globally.
In view of the new dynamics in the global business
landscape, the Forum this year launched a strategic
new venture, Global Growth Companies, who will
be the global industry champions of tomorrow. These
companies already have a strong presence in their national
and regional markets and are moving into the global arena.
We can now offer them the opportunity to become part of
the broader Forum community, bringing with them their
fresh thinking and dynamism and in return receiving the
insights of our more established members.
In this context in June, we inaugurated the World
Economic Forum’s representative office in China. The
Beijing-based office is the headquarters of the World
Economic Forum’s new Global Growth Companies
community. Prior to the inauguration of the office, Chinese
Premier, Wen Jiabao, received me and the World
Economic Forum’s International Business Council at Zhong
Nan Hai. As with the New York office, it considerably
improves our ability to deliver to all of our members and
partners as well as to the new Global Growth Companies.
A focal point of our year-round activities is our Annual
Meeting in Davos. With more than 2,000 participants from
all walks of life, drawn from 89 countries, under the theme
‘The Creative Imperative’, stakeholders worked together
in workshops and discussion groups to generate
innovative and creative solutions to global challenges.
But what pleased me particularly this year was the record
level of business engagement with so many CEOs and
Chairmen participating and helping the Forum deliver on
its key initiatives.
Davos once again framed the global agenda. And it is
particularly gratifying to see the systematic way that the
Forum develops the programme of the Annual Meeting
through the year, with many task forces, brainstorming
sessions and the outcomes of the regional meetings all
helping to capture what will be the key challenges of the
year ahead. China and India were identified as one of
the core challenges and opportunities of 2006 and I was
particularly pleased by the strong participation of both
business and government leaders from both countries.
Of particular note, also, was the opening address from
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who outlined her
vision for reform of her country and of Europe. The open
Executive Chairman’s
statement

04 | Executive Chairman’s statement
dialogue between such leaders and the business leaders
who make up our members and partners is one of the
aspects that helps to create the ‘spirit of Davos’.
And the Annual Meeting serves as a catalyst for new
initiatives – it’s also a time when we can take stock
of the many successes and achievements. One of the
most significant this year was the Global Plan
to Stop Tuberculosis, launched by Nigerian President
Olusegun Obasanjo, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer
Gordon Brown and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. The
project, a coalition of over 400 organizations, aims to
treat 50 million people and prevent 14 million tuberculosis
deaths worldwide over the next ten years.
The Annual Meeting fits into a framework of regional
meetings throughout the year. These Forums work with
our members and partners to create regional platforms
to assist in dialogue, understanding and, of course,
action. Notably, in May, we provided the opportunity
for the re-establishment of direct contact between the
Palestinian Presidency and Israeli Government, after a
hiatus of 11 months, at our World Economic Forum on
the Middle East. It’s unfortunate to see recent setbacks,
but this is a long road and the Forum has been engaged
in helping to find a solution since the beginning of the
Oslo process. We must all redouble our efforts to seek
a just and lasting solution for the problems of the region.
Throughout the year the Forum continued to develop
its offering as a global thought leader and as a ‘hub’ of
the best minds in the world. We now provide strategic
insights into challenges around the world by systematically
examining the main international risks. Our Global Risk
Network has identified 51 such risks with the valuable
input of the world’s leading specialists from business,
government, academia and NGOs. The results of our
efforts in this field have been documented in our Global
Risk Update. And this year we also launched a Global
Scenario Programme, which has concentrated on the
elaboration of three long-term scenarios for India,
Russia and China. Our strength in research into
competitiveness is already world renowned: our
Global Competitiveness Network draws together
expertise in business and academia to help national
economies improve their competitiveness and strive
towards sustained economic growth. This year we
published the 26th edition of our influential Global
Competitiveness Report.
The Forum has continued to be a catalyst for
public–private partnerships. These partnerships
demonstrate the strong commitment of business to
engage in vital, often life-saving initiatives in areas such
as education, health and water provision. This year, for
example, the Forum’s Global Health Initiative reached
more than four million people with its India Business
Alliance to Stop TB, and elsewhere our work with five
of our partner companies on protecting supply chains
against HIV/AIDS is helping 50,000 people, with the
potential to reach more than a million.
Zeng Peiyan, Vice-Premier of the People’s Republic of
China and Professor Klaus Schwab at the opening of
the Forum’s Centre for Global Growth Companies in
Beijing in June 2006

Executive Chairman’s statement | 05
Such activities reflect our strong belief that businesses
must make a positive contribution to society. The onus
on businesses to be good global corporate citizens is
one that is firmly entrenched in our own ethos and that
of our members and partners.
To build links with partners and offer members the
best service, the Forum needs the most committed,
experienced and talented people. To this end, we started
the Global Leadership Fellows Programme – a three-year
course. Working across a range of projects, the first
tranche of 47 Fellows joined in September, chosen from
1,800 applicants. A new group has already been
selected to start in the coming year.
The Forum for Young Global Leaders also allows us to
draw on the talent and vision of a new generation. The
Forum of Young Global Leaders, which was created in
2004 to define and build a better future, is beginning
to demonstrate the sort of leadership we expect from
such a group of young, vibrant and capable individuals.
A second round of nominations saw this dynamic group
of individuals, all aged under 40, increase from 240 to
415. From 90 different countries, they are working
across a range of programmes and initiatives.
We continued also to work closely with the Schwab
Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship to promote
profitable businesses with a public purpose. A
programme to select the ‘Social Entrepreneur of the
Year’ in 24 countries around the world attracted over
2,000 candidates. The winners have since become part
of the Schwab Foundation, driving membership to over
100.
This year we reinforced the governance team of the
World Economic Forum. Carlos Ghosn, President
and CEO of Renault and Nissan, and Nandan Nilekani,
CEO of Infosys Technologies, were appointed to the
Foundation Board and bring considerable business
expertise with them. The opening of the Centre for
Global Industries in New York heralded the appointment
of Jean-Pierre Rosso as Chairman, the former CEO and
Chairman of CNH Global, who joined the Forum’s
managing board.
This year’s expansion of our activities and the robust
support of our partners and members increased our
income by over 25% to Sfr. 104,766,543. The substantial
increase in new projects and in the personnel required
to sustain that expansion meant this increase was largely
countered by costs. We were, however, able to add a
small surplus to our reserves.
This has been another year of innovation, allowing us
to better deliver for our partners and members, but
always within the clear framework of the Forum’s
mission. I would like to finish by extending my warmest
thanks to our staff, who are the lifeblood of the Forum
and who do incredible work. I would also like to thank
our members and partners, whose commitment and
dedication grows stronger year by year. The close
involvement of many of them in the production of this
annual report – providing insight and advice – underlines
the bedrock on which this Forum is built.
Trust is one of the greatest assets that the Forum
possesses. This trust allows us to assemble all
the stakeholders of our global society to jointly craft
solutions to global problems in a cooperative spirit
with entrepreneurial drive. Once again, I thank you
for your engagement and commitment to the World
Economic Forum.
Professor Klaus Schwab
Founder and Executive Chairman

06 | Successes and achievements
The World Economic Forum is committed to improving
the state of the world by engaging leaders from the
public and private sectors and from wider civil society
in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry
agendas. Here are some of the year’s highlights.
www.weforum.org/latestsuccesses
• The Disaster Resource Network (DRN) sponsored the
deployment of two Medical Action Network emergency
teams following the Pakistan earthquake in October;
delivered more than US$ 3 million of high-priority
relief; and constructed 400 interim shelters in Jammu
and Kashmir.
• Following Hurricane Katrina DRN brought emergency
wireless technology to evacuees. In just two weeks,
the team established the networks needed to connect
11 towns and 10 relief organizations.
• And following the Indonesian earthquake 15 heavily
damaged schools in Yogyakarta will have newly
restored water and sanitation facilities – helping
3,000 students.
• The Global Education Initiative has benefited
more than 50,000 pupils in 100 schools in Jordan.
The partnership between the Forum’s IT member
companies and the government has delivered more
than US$ 25 million in direct contributions. This year
a new programme was launched in Egypt; it will reach
650,000 students and 70,000 teachers.
• The Global Health Initiative launched a pioneering
project to explore how multinationals can protect
their supply chains against HIV/AIDS. Currently this
project involves five multinationals and reaches around
50,000 people. It could potentially reach more than
1 million people.
• The Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis (2006–2015)
was launched by President Olusegun Obasanjo
of Nigeria, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon
Brown and Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software
Architect Bill Gates at the Annual Meeting 2006.
The plan aims to treat 50 million people and prevent
14 million tuberculosis deaths worldwide over the
next ten years.
• The Council of 100 Leaders: West–Islamic World
Dialogue (C-100) identified and approved six new
projects to improve mutual understanding, using
more than US$ 1 million raised from public and private
sources. The projects include a Muslim Leaders of
Tomorrow Forum, a religious leaders study exchange,
media outreach training and a reconciliation reality
television service.
• The Council also presented the first C-100 Award
at the Annual Meeting 2006 to boxing legend
Muhammad Ali for promoting dialogue and
understanding across different segments of
society in the Western and Muslim worlds.
Global Agenda
Successes and
achievements

Regional Agenda Industry Agenda
• As part of the Forum’s Water Initiative the private
sector is working in Uganda to install 1,000 water
‘play’ pumps near public and school buildings. Water
projects have also been launched in India, Mozambique
and South Africa – 70,000 people will be reached as a
result of public-private partnerships working with
existing municipal water networks.
• Member companies of the Forum’s Energy Poverty
Task Force are helping to provide electricity to more
than 11,000 households in the Democratic Republic
of Congo and Lesotho, through hydro and solar
power and existing grids, at an estimated cost
of US$ 16 million.
• Member companies launched the Business Alliance
Against Chronic Hunger. Working with governments
and civil society, the alliance will deliver scalable,
market-based solutions to the persistent problem
of hunger in Kenya.
• Our Forum of Young Global Leaders forged a
partnership with Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf
and tourism companies to tackle the humanitarian
crisis caused by the 2005 earthquake in the country.
They aim to restore the tourist infrastructure and boost
visits to some of the hardest-hit areas.
• The Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI)
now has over 100 signatory companies, representing
a global annual revenue of over US$ 550 billion, and
employing more than 1.5 million people. At the Annual
Meeting 2006, the heads of the main multilateral
development banks agreed to work with PACI to
include anti-bribery requirements as part of their
bidding processes.
• The office of the World Economic Forum USA
was opened in New York. It will act as the global
headquarters of the Centre for Global Industries, which
is responsible for leading the Forum’s industry activities,
including the Industry Partners Programme. The
programme has expanded this year with the addition
of the aviation, travel and tourism; engineering and
construction; and food and beverage industries.
• The Community of Global Growth Companies
was established. Its mission is to enable emerging
multinationals to develop into the next generation of
global champions and become a major force driving
economic development.
• The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship,
which promotes profitable businesses with a public
purpose, chose 24 national winners of the ‘Social
Entrepreneur of the Year’ award. The winners were chosen
from over 2,000 applicants. The lives of over 650 million
people have been improved by the foundation’s work.
Successes and achievements | 07

08 | Strategic endeavours
To continue to act as an effective catalyst for
change, the Forum has created a detailed strategic
framework for future development. Within this
framework we have launched a number of significant
projects and expanded others to make sure that we
continue to engage our members and partners and
to effectively deliver our mission and vision.
Strategic endeavours Centre for Global Industries
In March 2006, our affiliate, the World Economic
Forum USA, opened its New York office to house
the new Centre for Global Industries and to act as
the international headquarters of our industry activities.
By the end of June 2006, five sectors of the Centre for
Global Industries had moved from Geneva to New York,
namely: banking, insurance, investors, diversified
financials and healthcare.
With operations spanning New York and Geneva, the
Centre for Global Industries will focus on developing
the Industry Partners Programme, which is aimed at
engaging global companies in the Forum’s activities
at the sector level. Industry Partners are member
companies of the World Economic Forum who strongly
support our commitment to improve the state of the
world. By the close of the 2005/2006 fiscal year, over
100 companies from six industry sectors had joined the
programme, including more than 50 from North America.
www.weforum.org/forumusa

Strategic endeavours | 09
It’s been my privilege to be associated with the World Economic Forum for over a decade.
When I think about the qualities I have always cherished about it, I am most struck by the
things that should not change year to year – those lasting values that embody an organization’s
character. The character of the Forum that I hope to see a decade from now is exactly what makes it
unique today: an organization that can bring leaders of the most relevant global companies, nations
and social action groups together to address practically the world’s thorniest issues.
An organization’s ‘True North’ is its internal, guiding principles – the ones that hold, even
when times get tough or circumstances change. By recognizing and articulating its principles,
the Forum continues to both reinforce and renew what makes it relevant and unique, and
keeps it independent as it adheres to its mission of setting the global agenda.
ORIT GADIESH
CHAIRMAN, BAIN & COMPANY, USA; MEMBER OF THE FOUNDATION
BOARD OF THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
“ “
Global Growth Companies Global Leadership Fellows
In June, business and government leaders and
Forum members gathered in Beijing to celebrate
the inauguration of our China office and the launch
of the Community of Global Growth Companies.
The community’s mission is to enable emerging
multinationals to develop into the next generation of
business champions and become a major force driving
economic development. It is a cross-industry community of
companies that have demonstrated the clear potential to
become leaders in the global economy within five years.
Membership in the Community of Global Growth
Companies offers an unparalleled means for business
leaders to gain a unique understanding of the key
developments in industry, society and geopolitics that
will have the greatest impact on their future success.
They will also benefit significantly from the many
networking opportunities provided by the Forum.
The Forum’s move into China has been widely supported
by the Chinese Government. Prior to the inauguration
ceremony, Professor Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman,
and members of the Forum’s International Business
Council met with Premier Wen Jiabao, who reaffirmed
China's support for this new programme.
The first annual meeting of the Community of Global
Growth Companies will be held in China in August 2007.
www.weforum.org/ggc
Our members are among the world’s best thinkers and
leaders: to support them effectively, our own people have
to be equally skilled. To ensure that we continue to attract,
develop and retain world-class staff, we launched our
Global Leadership Fellows Programme, a three-year
course that fosters an understanding of how business and
society operate and to hone top-level leadership skills.
From 1,700 outstanding applicants, 47 fellows from
over 30 countries, with excellent academic and work
experience, were selected to participate in the Master’s
programme in Global Leadership. Twenty per cent of their
time is devoted to course work with the remainder spent
working within the Forum. This ‘leading by doing’ approach
means Fellows are core players in all our activities.
Many of the Forum’s partners – CEOs, leading academics,
multilateral institutions and NGOs – are actively involved
in the programme, giving presentations and seminars. In
the spirit of taking leadership for one’s own development,
fellows design their own programme under the guidance
of the dean, Michael Obermayer. Our members will have
seen Fellows in action – at the Annual Meeting 2006, at
regional events and in our many initiatives.
Following the successful first year, a second tranche of
Fellows has been recruited. The programme will be run
on an annual basis, giving us access to a pool of peerless
individuals for the coming years.
www.weforum.org/glf

10 | Shaping the global agenda
Much of the work carried out by the World Economic
Forum during the year is on a worldwide scale.
Collaborating with our members and partners, new
and existing initiatives and programmes have a
positive impact on the global community, improving
society in many ways. It is the World Economic
Forum Annual Meeting in Davos each January that
frames the global agenda and highlights the
challenges facing the world in the coming year.
Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting 2006 brought together 2,340 leaders
from business, politics, academia, non-governmental
organizations, the media, religion and civil society.
As the flagship event of the Forum, the Annual Meeting
represents a year of intense collaboration across all of
our teams and with our members and partners. ‘The
Creative Imperative’ was the theme for the 2006 event,
enabling leaders to develop fresh and practical responses
to a rapidly changing economic and social environment.
This theme was reflected over the five days in Davos, with
lively workshops, discussions and plenary sessions
demonstrating innovative and creative thinking.
Reinforcing the Forum’s nature as a member-driven
organization, the format for this year’s Annual Meeting
again began with a successful ‘town hall’ session. From
a range of possible topics, 600 participants chose the
five core challenges that would be focused on during the
Meeting. These were: the Emergence of China and India;
the Changing Economic Landscape; New Mindsets and
Changing Attitudes; Creating Future Jobs; and Regional
Identities and Struggles.
The top-level business representation was again
complemented by many high-profile leaders from
government and NGOs. The opening address was given
by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and other
participants included China’s Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan,
Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf, Queen Rania of
Jordan, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and former
US President Bill Clinton. All took part in sessions which
ranged in subject matter from leadership in times of
crisis to concerns about climate change.
As always at the Annual Meeting, there were
many highlights. One of these was the signing
of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by
Zhang Xiaoqiang, Vice-Chairman of China’s National
Development and Reform Commission and Professor
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the
World Economic Forum. This MoU led to the opening
of the Forum’s headquarters for the Community of
Global Growth Companies in Beijing in June.
Shaping the
global agenda
Rahul Bajaj, Chairman, Bajaj Auto Ltd India, with a
fellow participant

Shaping the global agenda | 11
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave the opening address at the 2006 Annual Meeting in Davos

12 | Shaping the global agenda
As well as having over 240 sessions and workshops
in just five days, the Annual Meeting also provided the
platform for numerous announcements around initiatives
led by the Forum and its members and partners. Not
least among these was the launch of the Global Plan
to Stop Tuberculosis, by Nigerian President Olusegun
Obasanjo, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon
Brown and Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software
Architect Bill Gates. This groundbreaking coalition of
over 400 organizations aims to treat 50 million people
and prevent 14 million deaths from TB worldwide over
the next ten years.
The Global Education Initiative, which launches
collaborative public-private partnerships to improve
education systems, is already enjoying success in Jordan
and Rajasthan. During the Annual Meeting, work was
initiated in Egypt to replicate that success.
Following the major natural disasters of 2005, including
hurricanes in the US and the devastating earthquake
in Pakistan, the Forum was asked to serve as a major
platform for engaging private sector support for relief
efforts. Planning that took place at the Annual Meeting will
lead to the expansion of our Disaster Resource Network,
which mobilizes the resources of the international business
community to rebuild the lives and livelihoods threatened
by natural and man-made disasters.
Under the leadership of the Forum’s Food and Beverage
company members, private and public sector leaders
developed a business-led action plan to help reduce
hunger in Africa and discussed it with UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan. The group has recommended that
the Forum serve as a platform for putting this plan into
action during 2006.
Leaders from several Muslim countries came together in
a session on the modernization of Islamic societies, with
all agreeing that these communities must be allowed to
reform from within. “Take the time to understand the
Muslim world, do not try to manipulate us because that
will alienate us even more,” said Queen Rania of Jordan.
“Modernization is not a bad word, it is in the heart of the
Islamic religion,” said Hajim Alhasani, President of the Iraq
National Assembly. They and Pakistan’s President Pervez
Musharraf and Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan,
called for a dialogue that would improve the world
for everyone.
The Forum’s Council of 100 Leaders: West-Islamic World
Dialogue Initiative (C-100) launched a new award at this
year's Annual Meeting. The C-100 award will recognize
individuals who make especially noted contributions
towards promoting dialogue and understanding between
the Muslim and Western worlds. This year, the first-ever
award from the C-100 was presented to boxing legend
Muhammad Ali, who has devoted himself to the ideals of
advancing tolerance and cooperation around the world.
He recently opened the US$ 82 million Muhammad Ali
Center in his home town of Louisville, Kentucky, with the
Professor Klaus Schwab and Wen Jiabao, Premier
of the People’s Republic of China

Shaping the global agenda | 13
mission to promote respect, hope and understanding
among children and adults.
‘The Creative Imperative’ was echoed in innovative use
of technology, which played a vital role at this year’s
Annual Meeting. A central location offered 25 laptop
and desktop-based stations to access the background
information specific to sessions. Participants were also
offered a portable wireless TabletPC, which allowed them
to access essays covering each session. And with more
than 70% of session seats being reserved electronically
during the week, the Davos community continued to
embrace modern technology.
As the Annual Meeting drew to a close, attention was
drawn back to the theme of ‘The Creative Imperative’.
Panellists in the session agreed that the rise of the
developing world is changing the balance of power.
This makes it vital that social imbalances are redressed,
said James Wolfensohn, former head of the World Bank.
“If we don’t do that, we will not have a stable planet…
and I think Davos is approaching these questions.”
The ‘Davos cycle’ begins as soon as one meeting
ends. As the 2006 Meeting ended, the Annual Meeting
Programme Team began meeting with our core
communities and exploring how best to integrate the work
of the Forum and its members and partners into the world-
class programme that is the Annual Meeting’s trademark.
Open Forum Davos 2006
The Open Forum, organized in cooperation with
the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches, runs
simultaneously with the Annual Meeting. It offers a
possibility for an open debate on globalization and its
consequences. This project demonstrates the Forum’s
commitment to engaging the general public in a
constructive dialogue.
Like previous years, the Open Forum at the Annual
Meeting 2006 attracted over 2,400 people – including a
wide range of local people from all walks of life and those
from civil society. In addition, a large number of people
travelled to Davos specifically to participate in the event.
This year’s overall theme was ‘Respecting, Crossing and
Shifting Boundaries’. Individual sessions addressed both
long-standing general concerns and more focused, topical
issues such as human rights. In all cases, the engaged
discussions between the public and participants of the
Annual Meeting allowed in-depth conversations.
Panellists of this year’s Open Forum included Peter
Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé,
Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch,
and Angelina Jolie, the goodwill ambassador of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
www.weforum.org/annualmeeting
International business – particularly in the global energy industries
– depends on good relationships. I find attending the World
Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting a very effective way of making and
maintaining key relationships. This is not just a matter of rubbing
shoulders with celebrities. Business life is a bit too hectic to devote
several days just to that pleasure. But the Davos meeting fully justifies
the space in my diary each year.
As well as learning a great deal from the exchange of ideas in the
plenary sessions, I expect to have around 20 one-to-one meetings with
key contacts. And this is not just with business people and politicians,
but also often with representatives from NGOs. The atmosphere is
generally very constructive and these meetings are very valuable for
developing mutual understanding. To sum up, for me, Davos is
key for building the right relationships.
JEROEN VAN DER VEER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL,
NETHERLANDS
“
“
Pascal Lamy, Director-General, World Trade Organization,
and Robert Portman, US Trade Representative, at ‘A trade
compromise, for now?’ session in Davos

14 | Shaping the regional agenda
The Egypt Education Initiative –
targeting 650,000 students in
schools
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak opened the World Economic Forum on the Middle East in Sharm El Sheikh in May 2006
2,000

Shaping the regional agenda | 15
During 2005/2006, the World Economic Forum
facilitated high-level gatherings in China, Russia,
India, Brazil, Egypt, South Africa and Japan. More
than ever before, key players from business,
government, academia and civil society took part
in frank informal dialogue, defining action plans and
working out solutions to the most pressing regional
and cross-regional issues.
We successfully introduced a number of new features
to our regional activities, and increased the interaction
between different areas of the Forum as a result. We
created positive and well-received links between our
regional activities and our Industry Partners Programme. By
including high-level private meetings focusing on industry-
specific issues in a regional context, we set the framework
for our Industry Partners to access valuable national and
regional insights in their industries, sharing best practices
and building relations with their peers.
We also developed a more structured flow between the
Annual Meeting outcomes and the agendas for regional
meetings. One tangible example of this was the ‘Davos
Update’ sessions at the start of each regional meeting,
covering topics such as global competitiveness,
international risks and country scenarios. This enabled
engaged discussions on how these global challenges
and opportunities could affect the regions.
Africa
The sentiments of John Page, Chief Economist for
Africa at the World Bank, that “African solutions to African
problems have to come from African people and African
governments” summed up the buoyant resolve at the
World Economic Forum on Africa, held in Cape Town,
South Africa, at the end of May.
At a time of unprecedented African growth, the Africa
meeting, our 16th on the continent, provided a platform
for leaders to discuss the opportunities and challenges
facing the region. It drew leaders from business,
government and civil society from across Africa, including
President Armando Emilio Guebuza of Mozambique,
President Jakaya M. Kikwete of Tanzania, and President
Thabo Mbeki of South Africa.
While acknowledging that much work remains to be done in
Africa, there was a real sense of optimism and an overriding
view that the continent has emphatically turned the corner.
During the event, sessions on global competitiveness,
risk and scenarios – most notably on the rising impact of
China and India – focused on the challenges ahead. The
emphasis moved from highlighting problems to identifying
solutions, and culminated in an emphatic call to learn from,
and do more to sustain, African successes.
Shaping the
regional agenda
HM Queen Rania of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,
Member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic
Forum, with Professor Klaus Schwab

The meeting generated strong commitments to move
forward in specific areas, including optimizing the business
contribution to the fight against pandemics, corruption
and poverty. There were many highlights, including the
launch of the Investment Climate Facility for Africa, with
secured seed funding of US$ 100 million and a strong,
business-led mandate to improve the continent’s
investment climate.
A national council was also launched in Kenya, under the
auspices of the Forum’s Business Alliance Against Chronic
Hunger, with eight multinational and domestic companies
providing time and resources.
A number of future commitments were also made during
the meeting. These included a World Economic Forum-
initiated public-private partnership to strengthen healthcare
systems in Africa, by addressing epidemic and pandemic
diseases in particular. The partnership will be implemented
at the Annual Meeting 2007.
Middle East
A rapidly changing Middle East remained in the headlines
and at the centre of the World Economic Forum’s
concerns. Nowhere is the Forum’s role in providing
a neutral platform for open dialogue and a venue for
‘unconventional conversations’ more important than in a
region where such dialogue and common understanding
is often frustrated by political sensitivities and traditional
rivalries. Our activities in the region help to promote change
by supporting those who are advancing reform and building
understanding between decision-makers from different
parts of the world.
The Forum is playing an active role in the changes
sweeping this region. The Arab Business Council (ABC), for
example, has established itself as a credible and legitimate
voice of the Arab business community. The ABC’s mission
is to help Arab societies to compete effectively in the global
economy and, in the last year, it helped establish national
competitiveness councils in Kuwait and Bahrain, while
Egypt published its third national competitiveness report.
The ABC’s annual meeting in Bahrain included an influential
group of ministers holding the crucial economic portfolios
and, together, they pushed forward the economic reform
agenda in the region. In the coming year, the ABC will work
on five pillars of action: education, investment, trade, media
and competitiveness.
The World Economic Forum on the Middle East took
place in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh in May
2006. It was held under the theme ‘The Promise of a
New Generation’, reflecting both the challenges and the
opportunities presented by the young and growing
populations in the region. A group of local students,
meeting with members of the Forum of Young Global
Leaders, made sure that the discussions reflected the
real priorities of the region’s youth. The meeting also
allowed the integration of other Forum activities into
the Middle East arena, such as Industry Partners,
Global Growth Companies, Scenarios, the Women
Leaders Programme and the Council of 100 Leaders:
West-Islamic World Dialogue.
In the spirit of ‘The Creative Imperative’ – the theme of
the Annual Meeting – the WorkSpace was brought to
Egypt for its debut in the Middle East. The WorkSpace,
one of the highlights of Davos, creates an environment
where participants can break into smaller groups
and brainstorm concepts. It provided the engine of
productivity of the meeting, hosting workshops that
generated new ideas, and initiated a number of projects
in the areas of innovation, branding, financial services
and infrastructure. Dialogue was a recurring theme of the
event, which was characterized by an usually high level
of openness and frankness. It brought together the
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Israeli
Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, for the first high-level meeting
of Palestinian and Israeli officials in 11 months, while an
important delegation of political and business leaders from
Israel met with their Arab counterparts.
The Sharm El Sheikh meeting saw the official launch of
the Egypt Education Initiative, which is a partnership

between the Government of Egypt and the Forum’s IT
members community, based on the proven model of the
Jordan Education Initiative. In its first phase, the Egypt
Education Initiative will benefit 2,000 schools by providing
innovative content for curricula, training for teachers and
students, and IT infrastructure. The initiative is a concrete
example of how the Forum can bring together
governments and the private sector in productive
partnerships to benefit the region.
Asia
In recognition of the increasing importance of Asia
in shaping global and industry agendas, the World
Economic Forum had a strong presence on the
continent this year.
In September 2005, we held the 25th China Business
Summit in Beijing. This saw the start of the negotiation
process that led to a signed Memorandum of
Understanding at the Annual Meeting in Davos and
culminated in the opening of our office in Beijing in June
2006. This new office is tasked with developing the
Community of Global Growth Companies.
The emergence of Chinese companies was a key focus
of the summit, and a private working group session
convened to look at the how the Chinese stock market
could be further developed. This discussion took place
as part of an ongoing workstream focusing on ‘Nurturing
the Early Stage Investment Climate’, one of the working
groups within the Forum’s Financial Services and
IT/Telecom Industry Partners programme.
For the IT/Telecoms sector, this session also concluded a
programme of private activities between business leaders
and subject experts that explored potential scenarios for
China’s future over the next 20 years, and in this context,
the challenges and opportunities related to senior
management talent and intellectual property.
The Summit also saw the first-ever survey of the Asian
business response to HIV/AIDS, which showed that firms
on the continent are beginning to take preventive actions
against the impact of the disease. The survey was
carried out by the Forum’s Global Health Initiative,
in partnership with Harvard University, the American
Foundation for AIDS Research and UNAIDS.
In India, New Delhi played host to the 21st India
Economic Summit, where the keynote address was
given by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Forum launched its India Scenario project with
the participation of Montek Aluwahlia, Vice-Chairman
of the National Planning Commission. This was the
Forum’s first regional scenario project. The first-
ever ‘town hall’ on India’s Global Competitiveness
also took place, concluding that improving India’s
competitiveness in the global economy will depend
on improving basic infrastructure and reducing waste
in government spending.
To devise additional recommendations for improving the
country’s performance, the Forum and the Confederation
of Indian Industry (CII) commissioned a nationwide survey
by Indian broadcaster NDTV, which polled 1,076 people
across India to gauge their views on what areas of
improvement hold the most promise.
The India summit also saw new initiatives taking flight.
The Forum’s Water Initiative and the CII launched an
alliance of Indian and multinational businesses for the
purpose of improving the availability and quality of water
for local businesses, communities and the environment.
Building on the success of the Jordan Education
Initiative, the Forum, the government of Rajasthan, the
CII and the Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative
(GeSCI) launched a new initiative aimed at improving
public education in Rajasthan through an extensive
programme of public-private cooperation.
At the Annual Meeting, there was a record level of top
Asian government participation. This year was the first
The World Economic Forum plays a very important role in
providing a platform that brings together an eclectic group of
industry and thought leaders. The Annual Meeting has the best
collection of ‘business thought capital’ in one location and allows for
incisive and stimulating debate on crucial issues.
It provides an opportunity to refresh one’s ideas through many
thought-provoking sessions – ranging from technology initiatives, the
state of the economy, global collaboration and important emerging
social issues. It has helped create an understanding of the imperatives
of leadership in a global context and the challenges of a culturally
diverse work group.
Davos was a great experience for me and is a very effective
platform to connect with the global business fraternity.
AZIM H. PREMJI
CHAIRMAN, WIPRO LIMITED, INDIA
“
“

time a Chinese state leader – Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan
in 2006 and Executive Vice-Premier Huang Ju in 2005 –
has come to Davos in consecutive years. It was also the
first time four Japanese ministers took part, despite
direct conflict with the winter session of the Japanese
Diet (the country’s legislature). Other Asian leaders
participating included President Hamid Karzai of
Afghanistan and President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan.
Three senior Indian ministers and three chief ministers
also participated – the largest and most senior delegation
ever, with all six taking part in the summit’s India
Everywhere campaign. Other participants from the
continent included Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon,
one of the candidates to be the next Secretary General of
the UN, and Haruhiko Kuroda, President of the Asian
Development Bank.
A busy year was rounded off in June with the World
Economic Forum on East Asia in Tokyo – the first time we
have ever held a regional meeting in Japan. Organized in
partnership with Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of
Corporate Executives) on their 60th anniversary, the
event was an outstanding success. The highest-ever
ratio of top-level representatives at a regional meeting
participated. This included ten cabinet members including
the Japanese Prime Minister and the Governor of the
Bank of Japan. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi hosted
the opening reception at his residence.
Highlights included the signing of five new Japanese
member companies. Representatives of the ruling Liberal
Democratic Party established a Davos Dietmembers
Caucus of over 70 Japanese members of parliament, and
20 participants met privately with the Forum’s Executive
Chairman Klaus Schwab to discuss how Japan should
raise its international profile, using the Forum as a platform.
The theme for the event was ‘Creating a New Agenda for
Asian Integration’ and a number of priorities for the region
were identified by participants. These were: to create or
assign regional institutions to discuss energy, security and
environmental issues; to address the impact of Indian and
Chinese growth on the future competitiveness of South-
East Asia; to increase energy efficiency in major consuming
countries and industries; to sustain Japan’s recovery while
cutting its fiscal deficit; and to resolve Japan’s historical and
territorial disputes with China and Korea.
The steps that many companies within Asia are making
onto the global stage was reflected by the increase in
the Forum’s Asian member companies – rising from
128 to 145. The vast majority of new Asian members are
Industry Partner calibre and ranked in the Fortune 500.
This year information communications technology company
Lenovo became the first Industry Partner from China, while
energy company TEPCO became the first from Japan.
Indian companies Infosys and Reliance continued in their
valuable role as strategic partners.
Europe
In October 2005, over 300 participants from 25 countries
joined the World Economic Forum in Russia. The sessions
covered two main themes, with the first concentrating on
the question: ‘How can Russia move from a resource-
based economy to more sector diversification?’
Participants engaged in discussions about the role of IT,
the financial sector, the impact of high energy prices and
opportunities in fast-growing markets, such as the food
industry and retail and consumer markets. Governance and
rule of law was the other topic, with participants focusing
on what legal and regulatory environment the Russian
private sector needs to prosper. After two days of
discussion and interaction, participants agreed on a
number of key action points, which were presented to the
Russian Minister of Economy. These were: to ‘name and
shame’ corrupt officials at all levels; to improve Russia’s
checks and balances system; to increase the rule of law by
recognizing property; to support an independent judiciary
and to create a free press; to simplify the visa system; and
to identify areas of potential comparative advantages other
than natural resources.
The Annual Meeting in Davos was the key event for our
European constituents, who made up nearly half of the
History teaches us that the most intractable problems demand
response rooted in collective action. As we face new and more
complex challenges associated with deepening global integration, the
need to mobilize beyond national borders and across public, private and
non-profit sectors has become an inescapable priority.
The World Economic Forum is emblematic of this kind of partnership-
working. It brings together the right people, in the right setting, with
the right mindset to deliver results. Through a broad base of activities,
the Forum responds to the most difficult policy problems with practical,
urgent action – in global public health, in education, in economic
development, and in security. I am honored to support the Forum
as it evolves new strategies for collaborative action.
RAJAT K. GUPTA
SENIOR PARTNER, MCKINSEY & COMPANY, USA
“ “

participants. The European agenda of the World Economic
Forum, as in previous years, was strongly represented at
the Meeting, which was opened by the German Chancellor,
Angela Merkel.
While most discussions involved the European point of view
– from innovation and creativity to migration and religion –
several sessions focused on intrinsically European
questions such as how to revitalize the continent’s identity
or how to best leverage the fresh impetus provided by
the new member states. Other sessions addressed
critical upcoming European issues, including identifying
the continent’s prime security concerns and how to revive
the European Monetary Union and the EU Growth and
Stability Pact.
More country-related discussions resulted in clear
commitments to bring together our members and partners
to exclusive follow-up gatherings with their respective
goverrnments in the course of 2006.
Latin America
The World Economic Forum on Latin America was held
in April 2006 in São Paulo, Brazil, under the general theme
of ‘Building a Stronger Latin America in the Global
Economy’. Over 300 top-level participants from business,
government and civil society – including Brazilian President
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – explored how the region can
achieve and sustain high economic growth with equitable
income distribution.
Participants in Davos, São Paulo and around the
world have worked to develop innovative solutions and
approaches and to set priorities for action that would
constitute an agenda for Latin America to enhance its
global competitiveness. Some of these proposals were
included in a list of ten recommendations for social and
economic change that were issued in a communiqué at
the closing session of the Latin America meeting. After
reviewing them, participants voted to focus this year on
education – specifically teacher training and improving
the quality of schools – and on employing public-private
partnerships to invest in much-needed infrastructure in
rural areas, underdeveloped regions and urban slums.
North America
The Annual Meeting continues to play an extremely
important role in addressing the North American
agenda and serves as a crucial event for US and
Canadian members. In 2006, six US cabinet secretaries
and scores of prominent CEOs, were among the North
American participants.
This broad participation contributed to the discussion
and dialogue on topics ranging from trade and labour
markets to foreign policy. US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice participated in a teleconference on
the US freedom and democracy agenda and former US
President Bill Clinton provided a special message in an
interactive dialogue with the Forum’s Executive Chairman
Professor Klaus Schwab.
www.weforum.org/events
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the
World Economic Forum on Latin America in São Paulo in April 2006

20 | Shaping the industry agenda
The World Economic Forum’s business members
and partners became more deeply involved in our
initiatives and programmes this year. By working
closely with these organizations, we learn what
issues are important to them – and many of our
new projects flourish as a result.
Industry Partners Programme
This year our affiliate, the World Economic Forum USA,
opened the new headquarters for the Centre for Global
Industries in New York. Central to the activities of this
new office will be to continue the development of our
Industry Partners Programme, complementing the
already existing industry activities in our Geneva office.
Industry Partners are select member companies of
the World Economic Forum who strongly support our
commitment to improve the state of the world. The
unparalleled convening power of the Forum brings these
companies together through a series of modules during
the year. The Industry Partners Programme will provide
participants with privileged access to industry insights,
aiding them in their strategic decision-making processes.
We launched the Industry Partners Programme in 2005,
in the IT and telecommunications, energy and financial
services industries. This year saw the expansion of the
programme into engineering and construction; food
and beverage; and aviation, travel and tourism. Already
100 companies have become Industry Partners and we
remain on target for our goal of 300 companies across
12 sectors by the end of 2008.
Industry Partners are involved in a broad range of our
projects, and this year was an incredibly successful
one for the programme.
IT and Telecommunications partners launched an
in-depth analysis of China through the Forum’s China
and the World Scenarios 2025, with a specific focus
on the challenges and opportunities related to intellectual
property and talent. In addition, two cross-industry
projects were launched, focusing on the convergence
between media and IT and the role of technology in
financial services.
Financial Services partners collaborated with the
Chinese government with regard to relaxing laws on
the establishment of offshore venture capital-backed
Chinese enterprises.
In the Energy sector, CEOs of Industry Partner
companies and energy ministers convened at a first-ever
Energy Summit in Davos 2006. This highly successful
event focused on investment in energy security and
simulated a terrorist attack with its effects on energy
markets. Also, CEOs from Energy partners put forward
recommendations shaping the form and content of the
G8 and G20 climate framework post-2012.
Engineering and Construction partners helped collaborate
with the World Bank on anti-corruption practices that
resulted in including anti-bribery language in bidding
documents for infrastructure projects financed by
the World Bank. Meanwhile, Food and Beverage
partners launched ‘Halving Hunger’, an action-oriented
public-private partnership to reduce hunger in Kenya,
and ‘Working towards Wellness’ which develops best
practices on adult health and physical fitness.
In addition, the ‘Industry Partners in Davos’ programme
was launched at the Annual Meeting 2006, providing
Industry Partners with a series of exclusive meetings to
engage with key decision-makers on critical global issues.
Technology Pioneers
As the world becomes ever more technologically
advanced, it is essential that the Forum harnesses
Shaping the
industry agenda

Shaping the industry agenda | 21
the work of innovative companies and utilizes it in an
effective manner. As a result, we support and
highlight the work of between 30 and 50 companies
as Technology Pioneers every year.
Potential Technology Pioneer companies are identified
and assessed by an expert selection committee. This
year, 36 pioneers were selected. These companies
develop and apply the most novel and transformational
technologies in the fields of IT, renewable energy and
biotechnology/health. The work that they undertake
holds the promise of significantly affecting the way
business and society operate.
Pioneers make an invaluable contribution to the Forum’s
initiatives, workstreams, regional activities and to the
Annual Meeting, and will continue to constitute an
important supportive community for our work. Moving
forward, the community will work closely with the
Centre for Global Growth Companies.
www.weforum.org/aboutus
Partnering against corruption
Corporate commitment to action against corruption
and bribery is growing. As a result, over 100 CEOs of
leading companies have signed the Forum’s Partnering
Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) support statement,
which calls for a zero-tolerance policy towards bribery
and the development of a practical and effective
implementation programme.
The PACI made significant strides this year. On World
Anti-Corruption Day, 9 December 2005, the four major
anti-corruption initiatives working with the private sector
– PACI, the International Chamber of Commerce,
Transparency International and the UN Global Compact
10th Principle – agreed to coordinate their efforts to support
the business fight against corruption and bribery. The focus
is on sharing best practices among signatory companies,
implementation, as well as self-evaluation.
At the Annual Meeting 2006, PACI and the multilateral
development banks agreed to develop concerted
anti-bribery requirements from companies seeking contracts
internationally and to work together at regional and country
levels in anti-corruption awareness-raising events.
www.weforum.org/paci
The World Economic Forum provides a remarkable opportunity
for business, political and intellectual leaders to discuss the most
important issues facing the global community and to develop solutions
for tough economic and geopolitical challenges. One such challenge is
corruption in the conduct of international commerce, which robs local
populations in under-developed countries of critically needed resources
and curbs economic growth.
Under the auspices of the Forum, Fluor is actively involved in the
Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI). PACI is an extraordinary
endeavor, with different business sectors joining forces to make integrity
the foundation on which businesses operate. I’m proud that real
advances are being made with PACI and at an accelerating pace.
This initiative serves as a great model of how, by working together
through the World Economic Forum, we can make a difference
in our global community.
ALAN L. BOECKMANN
CHAIRMAN AND CEO, FLUOR CORPORATION, USA
“
“
Larry Page, Sergey Brin (Co-Founders and Presidents, Google Inc.) and Sir Richard Branson (Founder and Chairman, Virgin
Group Ltd) at the Google reception in Davos

22 | Creating knowledge networks
Dominic Casserley, McKinsey, United Kingdom, speaking at the joint session of the financial services and
IT governors meeting in Davos
sessions
with experts have been
organized this year during
various Forum events for
our members and partners
More than
1,000
WEF_AR_PART 2.qxd:WEF_AR_PART 2.qxd 8.9.2006 14:43 Page 22

Creating knowledge networks | 23
Businesses and governments face a constantly
shifting landscape in the drive to realize political,
industrial and societal change. It is, therefore, essential
that they have a comprehensive understanding of
where they stand in the current economic climate,
their strengths and weaknesses, and the risks that
exist now and those they may face in the future.
The identification and analysis of these factors are the
responsibility of the World Economic Forum’s Strategic
Insight Teams, launched in 2004. This year, our Strategic
Insight Teams – whose main programmes are global
competitiveness, global risk and scenario planning – played
a pivotal role in the Annual Meeting 2006 by designing
the programme. They were also key players in supporting
the growth of the Forum’s Industry and Strategic Partners.
Global Competitiveness Network
This year, the Global Competitiveness Network
(GCN) became the new face of the former Global
Competitiveness Programme. The small but distinct
change recognized the wide-ranging yet cohesive efforts
that are required in this field to bring about economic
growth. The network creates a platform for discussion
and debate for the business community, government,
academia, international organizations and civil society by
providing invaluable insights into the policies, institutions
and factors affecting national competitiveness.
One of the GCN’s key tasks is to examine the ability
of national economies to achieve sustained economic
growth and long-term prosperity and thereby stimulate
the necessary strategies to attain these objectives. In
September 2005, the 26th edition of its annual flagship
publication, The Global Competitiveness Report, was
released. This publication remains the top international
reference for measures of competitiveness, providing
critical insights to the business community and policy-
makers on competitiveness issues.
This year, the report covered a record 117 economies, up
from 104 last year, and presented comprehensive data on
over 100 variables on competitiveness. Sources included
the latest national and international statistics, as well as
the results of the Forum’s annual Executive Opinion Survey,
which captures the views of almost 11,000 business
leaders on their commercial environments.
In March 2006, the GCN launched the fifth annual
Global Information Technology Report, which assesses the
impact of information and communication technology (ICT).
The report’s Networked Readiness Index (NRI) measures a
country’s propensity to exploit the opportunities offered
by ICT for development and increased competitiveness
and provides an important tool in understanding the
proliferation of such technology.
The GCN also delivered an additional publication this
year – the Latin America Competitiveness Review – as the
backbone of content for the World Economic Forum on
Latin America in April 2006. This is the latest in a series of
regional competitiveness reports, and the second study
produced on Latin America in the past five years.
While these publications provide a solid foundation to
the work of the GCN, they are just part of a much bigger
picture. In response to an appeal from leading executives
and experts of the Forum’s Travel and Tourism industry
group, the GCN began work on designing a Travel
and Tourism Competitiveness Index to capture the
attractiveness of a large number of countries as tourist
locations. A Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report
will be launched in early 2007 and will provide a powerful
tool for industry members to enter into informed dialogue
with policy-makers, to identify areas for potential reform
in the sector.
The GCN played a major role in a series of private/public
sector roundtables. The first such event was held in April
Creating knowledge
networks

24 | Creating knowledge networks
in Brussels with Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for
Information Society and Media. Another took place at
the World Economic Forum on the Middle East in May.
In 2005–06, the GCN and the Forum’s Arab Business
Council (ABC) continued efforts to become a catalyst of
the creation of national competitiveness councils in the
Middle East. At a Competitiveness Council Workshop,
organized by the Forum’s GCN and Middle East teams in
June 2005, Bahrain launched its National
Competitiveness Council. Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Tunisia
and the United Arab Emirates have expressed interest to
follow suit. The ABC and GCN teams are working on
developing the next steps.
The GCN collaborates with key Forum members and
partners. In 2005/2006, we partnered with FedEx, Gallup
International and Microsoft, as well as external
organizations, including the InterAmerican Development
Bank, Transparency International, USAID and the World
Bank.
www.weforum.org/gcn
Global Risk Network
In an increasingly complex and interconnected world,
risks can no longer be contained within geographical or
industrial boundaries. The Global Risk Network (GRN)
was founded by the World Economic Forum in 2004 to
advance new thinking on global risks; to generate risk
mitigation measures; and to integrate knowledge on
global risks.
This year, the programme moved forward with the
particular help of several strategic partners.
The GRN’s work this year culminated in the release of the
Global Risk Update 2006 at the Annual Meeting 2006. This
was, however, one part of a larger programme. Throughout
2005, the expanding GRN held risk-specific workshops in
London, Zurich and New York, bringing together academic
and business network members to discuss global risks.
Including sessions and workshops at the Annual Meeting
2006, regional meetings, and other events to which it was
asked to contribute, the Global Risk team were involved in
more than 20 events during the year.
Meanwhile, the Global Risk Update 2005 was used
extensively by Forum members and partners as the
basis for exploring the changing risk landscape with
their own potential external business partners. It also
served as a valuable tool in allowing GRN partners to
place their business risks in context and to elaborate
risk mitigation ideas, a process that will continue through
further collaboration with the Forum. And, via a
partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Wharton
School,
the GRN sharpened its methodologies of analysing
global risk.
The GRN’s work will provide a sound knowledge base
for regional meetings and Industry Partners, as well as
deepening the engagement with the academic side of
the network.
www.weforum.org/globalrisks
Scenario Planning
Since its inception two years ago, the Forum’s Business
Insight/Scenario Planning team has, in collaboration with
a global network of experts, launched large-scale
scenario projects on the future of India, China and Russia
within the global context.
The projects look at the way each country might develop
in the long term and explore possible challenges, along
with potential outcomes. While providing valuable insights
into the potential growth of the countries under review,
the scenarios will also be used to explore future trade
and foreign direct investment dynamics in the regional
meetings of Africa, India and China.
The India scenarios – co-developed with the
Confederation of Indian Industry – were launched both in
India and at our Annual Meeting 2006. They are currently
being used for stakeholder debate within India, thus
strengthening the regional agenda.
My association with the World Economic Forum began in the year 2000. It was the dawn of
a new millennium and both Infosys and India were beginning to reap the benefits of integrating
into the global economy. However, it was our firm belief that the 21st century global company should
benefit society as well as its shareholders. Working with the Forum on public-private partnerships in
addressing today’s social and economic challenges seemed the natural thing to do.
I have always been impressed by the diversity of ideas and clarity of thought expressed at the
Annual Meeting as well as the regional meetings. My involvement with the International Business
Council has given me the opportunity to share action-oriented solutions with visionaries who seek
to make a positive difference.
I was honoured when the Forum invited me to be a member of their Foundation Board in January
2006 and am keen to continue contributing to the fulfilment of the Forum’s objectives in
improving the state of our world.
NANDAN M. NILEKANI
PRESIDENT, CEO AND MANAGING DIRECTOR,
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES LTD, INDIA
“ “

Creating knowledge networks | 25
The Russia scenarios were at the core of the World
Economic Forum in Russia and the Energy Industry
Partnership in 2005, while the China scenarios were central
to the IT/Telecoms and Energy Industry Partnerships. Both
were also launched at the Annual Meeting. The scenarios
examine such issues as global integration, geopolitical
stability, employment, demographics, infrastructure,
leadership, administrative reform, political reform and rural
development. They aim to develop a shared understanding
from which business leaders, policy-makers and other key
decision-makers can implement strategies beneficial to their
countries and the world.
The Scenario Planning team also began far-reaching
projects in other areas. These included: an 18-month
examination of the future of the Gulf States within the
regional and global context; the convergence between
the IT, telecoms, and media and entertainment sectors
as part of the Industry Partners Programme, and the
future of technological innovation in financial services.
Forum Faculties
The activities of the Global Competitiveness Network, the
Global Risk Network and Business Insight/Strategic Planning
benefit greatly from the support of the Forum Faculty.
The faculty is one of our richest sources of intellectual
capital. Its members include many of the world's most
distinguished thinkers, experts, scientists, commentators
and cultural leaders. Faculty members contribute to the
identification of issues and development of content for
regional events and the Annual Meeting; participate in
discussions at our events; and assist in workshops,
Governors Meetings and Industry Partners activities.
Discussion during a WorkSpace session in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

26 | Building public-private partnerships
Disaster Resource Network-India provided technical assistance on the project of constructing 400 shelters in the Poonch
District of Jammu and Kashmir (India)

Building public-private partnerships | 27
As one of the leading advocates of the concept
of good corporate citizenship, the World Economic
Forum has always upheld the conviction that business
has a central role to play in society – a conviction
that is shared by our members and partners. Today’s
complex global challenges cannot be solved by one
agency alone. That is why we believe in facilitating
public-private partnerships, so that many necessary
advances can be achieved – with stakeholders such
as governments and NGOs working closely with
companies to apply the resources and competencies
of business for the benefit of all.
The Forum’s Centre for Public-Private Partnership
engages Forum members with governments, international
bodies and civil society organizations in practical initiatives
to drive more effective action or improve public policy
on global and regional problems. Such initiatives form an
important part of the Forum’s Industry Partners Programme.
Ongoing initiatives in health, water, education and
climate change see Forum members making important
contributions, alongside other companies, governments
and NGOs. In 2005/2006, new partnerships were
launched to combat hunger in Africa and improve
private sector cooperation with United Nations
disaster relief efforts.
Global Health Initiative
The Global Health Initiative (GHI) built momentum during
another strong year by further engaging businesses in
public-private partnerships to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and
malaria, and helping promote important new projects.
The launch of a new programme – HIV/AIDS: Going
Beyond Big Business – explores how companies, such
as our Industry Partners Eskom, Unilever and
Volkswagen, can work with governments, NGOs
and international organizations to help their small and
medium size suppliers establish HIV/AIDS workplace
programmes. The programme has the potential to
reach one million employees in small and medium
size enterprises.
The GHI provided a platform for and led the launch
of the Global Plan to Stop TB by 2015 at the Annual
Meeting 2006. This new plan aims to treat 50 million
people and prevent 14 million tuberculosis deaths
worldwide over the next ten years through an alliance
of 400 organizations.
The first of their kind, the international Malaria Workplace
Guidelines were developed and designed by the GHI to
help businesses in malaria-endemic countries control the
disease in the workplace and the wider community.
Water Initiative
The Forum’s Water Initiative enabled the public and
the private sectors to work more closely this year. One
key development was the establishment of an Indian
Business Alliance on Water with the United States
Agency for International Development, the United
Nations Development Programme and the
Confederation of Indian Industry.
This alliance aims to improve the availability and quality
of water in India. It will act as a platform to launch
a series of water projects in India. The first project,
conceived at the Annual Meeting 2006, is a state-wide
public-private-community partnership on water in
Rajasthan. Work is also in progress related to waste
water reuse, infrastructure development and policy
dialogue in both India and Southern Africa.
Global Education Initiative
Education for the next generation of the world’s growing
population is an urgent priority for us all. The World
Economic Forum’s Global Education Initiative (GEI) aims
to utilize the strengths of the private sector, along with
Building public-
private partnerships

government and civil society, to support education reform.
Through a sustainable and collaborative approach, new
technologies, especially in information and communication
technology (ICT), have modernized educational systems,
skills development and quality learning.
The Jordan Education Initiative, the Forum’s first public-
private partnership launched in 2003, has helped 82,000
students and trained over 3,500 teachers in the public
education system. In Jordan, 100 discovery schools are
now fully networked and connected, with access to
computer labs. We have applied learnings from Jordan
to other new education initiatives. The Rajasthan Education
Initiative, for instance, is applying innovative and locally
appropriate public-private partnership models to improve
educational outcomes, while the Egyptian Government,
through the Egyptian Education Initiative, is targeting
650,000 students and 70,000 teachers in 2000 schools.
We are now working with our GEI partners to develop a set
of activities to impact and catalyse education public-private
partnerships on a global level, partnering with key
education institutions such as UNESCO.
Climate change
Building on the successful G8 Climate Change Roundtable
process at the Annual Meeting 2005, the World Economic
Forum has been invited by the UK Government to
contribute to a new project on climate change. The G20
‘Gleneagles Dialogue’ was launched in September 2005,
and will last up to the G8 Summit under Japan’s
Presidency in 2008.
This dialogue process will involve a series of meetings to
shape policy recommendations on climate change for the
period 2008–2012 and beyond. The Forum is proud to be
part of this important dialogue and to give businesses the
opportunity to add their input to the process.
Engagement in the Gleneagles Dialogue complements our
other areas of climate change work, such as our Global
Greenhouse Gas Register, the development of Voluntary
Carbon Standards, and a global register of offset projects
that aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Global Governance Initiative
The Global Governance Initiative (GGI) monitors the
efforts of governments, the private sector, international
organizations and civil society towards achieving the
United Nations Millennium Development Goals on
international development, security and environmental
protection. The GGI released its third annual report in
January. For the first time since its inception, the report
declared the world had improved its efforts in the areas
of peace and security, poverty, hunger, health and
education. This suggests that the focus given to poverty,
Africa and development issues by a raft of 2005 events
– the G8, high-profile campaigns such as Make Poverty
History and the Live 8 concerts, and new policies in
major developing countries – had a genuine impact.
Efforts to improve the environment and human rights,
however, slipped backwards in 2005.
The findings of the report, based on working groups of
internationally renowned experts, were presented to world
leaders at briefings in Washington and Davos and widely
disseminated through the media. The project has helped
chart a course for world leaders to improve progress
toward global commitments over the course of three years.
Council of 100 Leaders:
West-Islamic World Dialogue (C-100)
During the year, the Forum’s Council of 100 Leaders:
West-Islamic World Dialogue (C-100) – a community
that promotes understanding and cooperation between
Western countries and countries with predominantly
Muslim populations – had a number of successes.
The council’s ‘Action Track’ raised US$ 1.2 million
funding for four NGO projects through the generosity of
HRH Prince Al Waleed of Saudi Arabia and our Industry
Partner Xenel/Saudi Cable. The C-100 also coordinated
with Islamic Relief to give prominence to the
Humanitarian Forum for expanding safe charitable giving.
28 | Building public-private partnerships

Through my interactions with the World Economic Forum, I’ve seen the positive impact
public-private partnership can have on global issues such as education. My parents, who
were both doctors, taught me the importance of a good education, and I truly believe that education
and the internet are the two great equalizers in life. Entire countries are using education and information
technology to lift themselves out of poverty and compete successfully in the global marketplace.
I am extremely proud of Cisco’s involvement in the Forum’s Global Education Initiative and it’s
truly an honour to be part of such a groundbreaking educational model. What began in 2003 as an
educational pilot in Jordan has today become a model that is being replicated in countries like Egypt
and India with the potential to be replicated around the world. This exemplifies what can be achieved
when public, private, and NGO organizations join together to give back, make a difference, and
improve the state of the world.
JOHN T. CHAMBERS
PRESIDENT AND CEO, CISCO SYSTEMS, USA
“ “
Building public-private partnerships | 29
In addition, it played a key role in raising US$ 1.7 million
from Forum member IBM for the C-100 endorsed
Meadan project, which will build technologies to bridge
the divide between the Islamic world and the West.
One particular highlight of the year was the inaugural
C-100 Award, which was launched at the Annual Meeting
2006. It was presented to boxing legend Muhammad Ali
for promoting dialogue and cooperation.
Information Technology Access for Everyone
On the basis that new models of collaboration were
required to close the divide between those who have
access to the benefits of technology, and those who
do not, the CEOs of many of the world’s leading
technology companies mandated the establishment
of World Economic Forum’s IT Access for Everyone
Initiative (ITAFE).
By surveying over 50 ICT projects in developing and
emerging countries, ITAFE established that the best
solution involved a robust ecosystem of participants,
and the right business model for long-term sustainability.
This involves the collaboration of multiple partners from
the public and private sectors and the local NGO
community in tackling specific individual needs:
education, employment and health.
Partnering with Brazil’s largest education foundation,
Fundação Bradesco, ITAFE piloted a job training and
job search service in a local community in São Paulo.
Through the use of agents carrying handheld devices,
and special centres equipped with computers, individuals
were able to learn certain skills and discover what jobs
were available. This pilot programme is now permanent,
run by Fundação Bradesco.
Disaster Resource Network
The goal when facilitating many of our public-private
partnerships is for the programme to ultimately be
self-sustaining and successfully run itself. The Disaster
Resource Network (DRN) is a perfect example of this.
The DRN is helping companies around the world play
an increasingly important role in international disaster
preparedness and response operations. In 2005, the
DRN and corporate partners in engineering, construction,
telecommunications and logistics put their resources to
work on the ground following the tsunami, the South Asia
earthquake and Hurricane Katrina.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, 400 families in
Gujarat, India moved into newly constructed transitional
shelters; more than 3,000 injured people in the Allai
Valley received emergency medical care; and thousands
of others benefited from an airlift of US$ 3 million of high-
priority relief supplies – medicine, hospital equipment,
blankets, six-person thermal tents, generators and water
sanitation equipment.
www.weforum.org/initiatives

30 | Working with our members and partners
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman and CEO, Nestlé, at the Annual Meeting 2006 in Davos
Member and
Partner companies
involved in public-private
partnerships organized
by the Forum529

Working with our members and partners | 31
The businesses that we work with – across all
industry sectors and geographical regions – bring
a level of expertise that plays a vital role in our
initiatives and programmes.
Members
Our members represent the world’s foremost 1,000
global companies. Characteristics of members include:
• their rank among the top companies within their
industry and/or country
• the global dimension of their activities
• their leading role in shaping the future of their industry
and/or region
Organizations that apply to become Forum members
undergo a rigorous selection process based on strict
rules. On average, our membership committee accepts
just one out of every five applications. Those that are
chosen to become members are leaders in their sector
or region and demonstrate creative and innovative
solutions to some of the world’s most
challenging problems.
As core to all our activities, members exhibit their
commitment to the mission of the Forum by engaging
at the Annual Meeting and in our various regional
activities or initiatives and programmes. Be it the sharing
of best practices in the management of HIV/AIDS in the
workplace, the active contribution on the advisory board
of one of our Industry Partners Programmes or the
engagement in one of our regional events, the Forum is
in a unique position of being able to provide its members
with the platform for the voice of global business.
In 2005/2006, 107 new members were selected
to join the Forum’s growing community. They were:
Abdulhadi A. Al Qahtani Sons Group Adveq AFLAC Inc.
Akzo Nobel NV Alghanim Industries Altimo Aluminium Bahrain
American Express Company APEX-Brasil (Trade and Investment
Promotion Agency) Areva Autodesk Inc. Barrick Gold Corporation
Bayer AG Biocon India British Airways Plc British Columbia
Hydro and Power Authority Cambridge Energy Research
Associates Inc. (CERA) Carlson Wagonlit Travel SAS Central Bank
of Nigeria Cerberus Capital Management LP China International
Capital Corporation Limited China Mobile Communications
Corporation China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec
Corp.) Compagnie Financière Tradition Daiichi Pharmaceutical
Co. Ltd E*Trade Financial Corp. EFG – Hermes Holding EFG
International EgyptAir Electronic Arts Inc. EMC Corporation
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat)
Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW) Erste Bank der
Oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG Federal-Mogul Corporation
Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited Freescale Semiconductor
Inc. Gilead Sciences Inc. Government of Rajasthan Grupo
Omnilife Gucci Group Gulf Finance House Humana Inc.
Huntsman Corporation Hyundai Motor Company IDB Holding
Corporation Ltd Italcementi SpA JFE Holdings Inc.
KarstadtQuelle AG Kuwait Petroleum Corporation Lagardère SCA
LANXESS AG Lenovo Group Limited Linklaters Marinopoulos
Brothers Merck KGaA Molson Coors Brewing Company MTV
Networks Mubadala Development Company Munich Re
(Münchener Rück) Nakheel National Health Service (NHS)
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Nile Clothing
Company Norsk Hydro Asa OJSC Telecominvest Omnicom
Group Inc. Oriental Weavers Group PADICO Pakistan
International Airlines PIA Pantech Group Petrol Ofisi AS PGSI
Limited Phoenix Satellite Television Co. Ltd Playtex Products Inc.
Polska Grupa Farmaceutyczna SA Pomona Capital Port of
Rotterdam PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) PWC Logistics Qatar
Financial Centre Quadrangle Group LLC Reliance Energy Ltd
Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Group Plc Russian Aluminium
(RusAl) JSC Sace SpA Satyam Computer Services Ltd SBS Seoul
Broadcasting System (SBSi) Schering-Plough Corporation Serco
Group Plc Shinsei Bank SVB Capital Symantec Corporation
Telenor ASA The Exxel Group The Nigerian Stock Exchange The
St Paul Travelers Companies Inc. TMK Tupperware Brands
Corporation UBA Group Union Bank of
Nigeria Plc US Trust Corporation Visteon Corporation Warburg
Pincus LLC Warner Music Group (WMG) Washington Mutual Inc.
(WaMu) WI Harper Group Inc.
www.weforum.org/partners
Working with
our members
and partners
As CEO of a company with revenues derived primarily from food packaging, I am acutely aware
that chronic hunger is a daily problem for over 850 million people a year, shortening lifespans and
damaging health, while creating a major barrier to development. I believe that businesses such as ours
have a moral obligation to take action to alleviate chronic hunger. However, this complex problem can
only be solved through partnership between business, government, NGOs and civil society – making a
real, sustainable difference requires a joined-up approach.
The World Economic Forum has provided a platform to create and launch the Business Alliance
Against Chronic Hunger, a multistakeholder group which will work to solve the root causes of hunger,
starting on the ground in Siaya District in Kenya. For me, this initiative clearly demonstrates how
the World Economic Forum, and its Industry Partners, can translate intentions at the highest level
into on-the-ground action.
WILLIAM HICKEY
CEO, SEALED AIR, USA
“ “

32 | Working with our members and partners
Strategic Partners
The Strategic Partners of the World Economic Forum
are one of the driving forces behind our activities and
communities and are actively involved in our endeavours
at the global, regional and industry levels. Drawn from the
leading corporate global citizens, they provide essential
leadership in support of the Forum’s mission to improve
the state of the world.
Our Strategic Partners help shape our initiatives, projects
and task forces and provide intellectual guidance through
the participation of their most senior executives in steering
boards and advisory groups as well as through seconding
dedicated staff to the Forum’s operations. Without their
considerable financial support and in-kind services, the
Forum would not be able to deliver its programmes and
advance worldwide economic and social progress.
During the last year, the number of companies involved
with the World Economic Forum at this level increased
from 49 to 60 companies, from virtually every industry
sector. In addition, their individual support and
engagement in our activities, public-private partnerships
and communities increased significantly.
As part of their strategic partnership, companies support
the Forum’s industry partnerships and regional summits.
Strategic Partners played an active role in the Forum’s
industry workstreams, meetings and projects.
The new communities of the Forum, such as the Forum for
Young Global Leaders and the Global Growth Companies
programme, each had between two and five Strategic
Partners involved at their early stage of development to
help shape their programmes and activities.
The newly formed Partners Advisory Group met twice
to provide input into the global agenda. As a group,
they are the best representatives of global, multi-sectoral
business perspectives and their input generated over
30 sessions. Their perspectives on the programme
helped ensure that more sessions at the Annual Meeting
had practical business value to participants.
As at 30 June 2006, our Strategic Partners are:
ABB Accel Partners Accenture AMD Apax Partners Audi
Avaya Bain & Company Barclays Bombardier Booz Allen
Hamilton British Telecom CA Cisco Systems Citigroup
Credit Suisse Deloitte Deutsche Bank Deutsche Post World
Net Deutsche Telekom Dubai Holding E*Trade Financial Corp.
Economic Development Board of Bahrain Ernst & Young
Fluor Corporation Goldman Sachs Google HP HSBC
Infosys Technologies Intel Corporation Investcorp JPMorgan
Chase KPMG Kudelski Group Lehman Brothers Manpower
Marsh & McLennan Companies McKinsey & Company
Merck & Co Merrill Lynch Microsoft Corporation Nakheel
NASDAQ Nestlé New York Stock Exchange Nike PepsiCo
Pfizer PricewaterhouseCoopers Qatar Airways Reliance
Industries Saudi Basic Industries Corporation Siemens
Swiss Re The Coca-Cola Company UBS Volkswagen WPP
Zurich Financial Services.
www.weforum.org/strategicpartners

Engaging our communities and constituencies | 33
A key driver behind the World Economic Forum’s
activities are the communities of member and
partner companies. We have developed specific
capabilities to foster these communities and
encourage them to interact.
The Forum of Young Global Leaders
In its first full year, the Forum of Young Global
Leaders made an immediate impact on a number
of our programmes as well as expanding its community
of dynamic and inspiring individuals all aged under
40. In January, our selection committee, composed of
media leaders and chaired by Queen Rania of Jordan,
announced the new class of 180 individuals. The
community now has 415 members from 90 different
countries representing all regions and stakeholder groups.
Since their inaugural summit in June 2005, the Young
Global Leaders have created several task forces in the
areas they consider will be priority concerns for the
world in 2020. One such project is Reinventing Aid,
which studies how international aid needs to be
rethought in order for the world to meet the Millennium
Development Goals. Other areas of focus include
health, education, global governance and security,
and the environment.
In addition, in response to an appeal from Young Global
Leaders in Pakistan after the October 2005 earthquake,
a delegation visited the affected areas and set up a task
force to contribute to the reinvigoration of the tourism
infrastructure that is critical to economic recovery.
At their second Annual Summit, held in Vancouver,
Canada, in June 2006, Young Global Leaders
brainstormed on the theme ‘Innovations 4 the future’,
and continued the work on their task forces to shape
the world in 2020. Significant progress was achieved
on several fronts: for example, to address global climate
change, a group of YGLs decided to launch a series
of actions to raise awareness among leaders and the
public, engage the private sector in focusing on business
opportunities and spread best practices to change
consumer behaviour.
The voice of the younger generation of leaders was
integrated throughout the year’s activities, both at the
Annual Meeting in Davos – where 150 Young Global
Leaders participated actively across all sessions – and
at our regional events.
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
The World Economic Forum works closely with the
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship to
support profitable businesses with a public purpose.
Together, the two organizations aim to open up
networking opportunities to visionaries who have a
driving passion to improve society. The support of the
foundation has allowed high-impact social entrepreneurs
to mobilize millions of dollars of investment and to
serve as inspirational role models in their countries
and around the world.
In 2005, the foundation spearheaded an effort with
media partners in 24 countries worldwide to search and
select the ‘Social Entrepreneur of the Year’ in each of
those nations. The foundation screened over 2,000
candidates, with finalists and winners being selected by
national selection committees of business and thought
leaders in each participating country.
All the winners have since become members of the
foundation. The community today is made up of 100
leading innovative entrepreneurs, whose initiatives have
the capability to be replicated to resolve similar
challenges elsewhere.
Engaging our
communities and
constituencies
The World Economic Forum is a great example of how the
public and private sectors can join together to foster creative and
innovative ideas that address some of society's most difficult challenges.
Microsoft is committed to improving affordability and technology access
for underserved populations and helping to create opportunity through
economic development. As a result, we will continue to partner with a
wide range of organizations, including the World Economic Forum. I
strongly believe that these partnerships are essential if we are going to
achieve the high ambitions that the World Economic Forum has
set for addressing critical issues around the world.
BILL GATES
CO-FOUNDER, BILL AND MELINDA GATES
FOUNDATION; CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF SOFTWARE
ARCHITECT, MICROSOFT CORPORATION, USA
“ “

34 | Engaging our communities and constituencies
The International Business Council
The International Business Council (IBC) is a community
of 100 highly respected and influential chief executives
from all industries. As in previous years, the IBC
gathered twice during the last 12 months for peer
exchanges on global risks which were the cornerstone
of the IBC Summer Meeting. Also, just two weeks before
her party won the German election, the IBC met with
Angela Merkel – now German Chancellor – to discuss
her vision for her country in the context of Europe.
At the IBC’s Winter Meeting, which took place at
the Annual Meeting 2006 in Davos, the council
exchanged views with Zeng Peiyan, Vice-Premier of the
State Council of China, about the country’s new five-year
plan. They continued their trade dialogue during a joint,
private IBC session with some of the key trade deal-
makers, including: Peter Mandelson, Trade Commissioner
at the European Commission; Celso Amorim, Minister of
Foreign Relations for Brazil; Pascal Lamy, Director-General
of the World Trade Organization; Robert Portman, US
Trade Representative; and Mark Vaile, Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister for Trade, Australia.
In addition, the IBC members had an opportunity to
meet in private with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in
Beijing on 13 June prior to the official launch of the
Community of Global Growth Companies and the
opening of the Forum’s new office in the city.
Women Leaders Programme
Through our Women Leaders Programme, the Forum
is committed to promoting women’s leadership and
the issues affecting women’s lives globally. The proportion
of women participating in the Annual Meeting 2006
increased to 16%.
In 2005, the programme launched its first Gender
Gap study, a new benchmarking tool ranking countries
according to the size of the gulf between the sexes in
critical areas such as political empowerment, health,
educational attainment and economic opportunity. Based
on the reception this study received, we are currently
working on the second in the series. Through the creation
of a new Gender Gap Network, the Women Leaders
Programme reaches out to appropriate policy-makers to
ensure effective dissemination of, and action around, the
information revealed by the study rankings.
Civil society organizations
Civil society organizations continue to occupy a central
position within the Forum’s multistakeholder platform.
Their unique expertise and far-reaching influence in
a variety of fields make them valuable collaborators
in a number of our initiatives and programmes.
At both the Annual Meeting 2006 and the regional
events, civil society organizations, including non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) and labour leaders,
played significant roles in defining the global and regional
agendas. NGOs also continue to provide substantive
input and guidance to a number of Forum workstreams
and activities.
As the new Centre for Public-Private Partnership evolves
and deepens its activities, it is expected that NGOs will
form an integral part of its framework, helping to shape
specific initiatives in important ways.
www.weforum.org/aboutus
For almost two decades, PricewaterhouseCoopers has been a dedicated supporter of the
World Economic Forum. I have personally been involved with the Forum for many years and
have observed the important difference it makes – in both significant and subtle ways.
On a global scale, the Forum brings together thought leaders to expand the dialogue on, and
seek solutions to, key issues of the day – from global economic growth to critical social problems.
My involvement with the Forum’s International Business Council gives me a deeper understanding
of critical issues facing the leaders of today’s businesses, such as global risks and trade.
Then there are the successful regional, industry and partner events where I, along with others,
have the opportunity to engage in dialogue with political and business leaders and establish valuable
relationships. It is my fervent hope that the Forum will continue to create foundations of understanding
and pathways to future solutions.
I value and appreciate the Forum’s ongoing commitment to improving the state of the world
through thoughtful and intelligent dialogue with world leaders.
SAMUEL A. DIPIAZZA, JR
GLOBAL CEO, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, USA
“
“

Engaging our communities and constituencies | 35
650
The work of social entrepreneurs
of the World Economic Forum
has improved the lives of over
million people
Yoel Sharon, Israel’s Social Entrepreneur of the Year, co-founded Etgarim to help thousands of people with disabilities and special needs
to participate in adventure sports

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