World Economic Forum Promotes a Global Governance Agenda and Network
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
On February 1, 2009, the World Economic Forum ("WEF") announced the launch of its Global Redesign Initiative, a multi-stakeholder dialogue to develop "recommendations for adapting the structures and systems of international cooperation to the challenges of the 21st century." One year later, the WEF is in the process of transforming itself from an annual business forum into a year-round global governance think-tank and public policy organization.
The WEF is an independent, international organization incorporated as a Swiss not-for-profit foundation. The WEF aims to be "the foremost organization which builds and energizes leading global communities; the creative force shaping global, regional and industry strategies; and the catalyst of choice for its communities when undertaking global initiatives to improve the state of the world." The Global Redesign Initiative ("GRI") is the vehicle through which the WEF is attempting to realize these three aims.
The WEF has defined nine themes for the GRI:
1. Creating a Values Framework
2. Building Sustained Economic Growth
3. Strengthening the International Monetary and Financial System
4. Creating Employment, Eradicating Poverty and Improving Social Welfare
5. Managing and Mitigating Global Risks
6. Ensuring Health for All
7. Enhancing Global Security
8. Ensuring Sustainability
9. Building Effective Institutions in an Empowered Society
The GRI process integrates the WEF's diverse communities through a series of meetings and activities "structured to promote integrated thinking and develop concrete proposals to update and upgrade structures of international cooperation in a wide range of areas." During the course of the GRI process:
• Industry working groups, initiatives, and regional summits provide inputs;
• These inputs are provided to Global Agenda Councils, expert panels that meet virtually throughout the year and face-to-face in Dubai each November;
• The expert insights of the Global Agenda Councils are used to build the agenda for the Annual Meeting of the WEF in Davos at the end of January;
• The contributions of the Annual Meeting participants are formulated into proposals that the relevant experts present to policymakers and business leaders at a special meeting in Doha; and
• The contributions are also integrated into an ongoing agenda development process that serves as an outline for future action
The WEF's Network of Global Agenda Councils is the centerpiece of the GRI. The Councils consist of over 1,000 of the world's leading experts who develop ideas and proposals in more than 50 thematic areas of international cooperation. From 2009 through 2010, an estimated 3,000 leaders from all of the WEF's industry, government, civil society, academic, and media communities will provide input to this process through their participation in GRI-related sessions during the WEF's regional and global meetings and community gatherings. They will be supplemented by national "hearings" hosted by the GRI patron governments of Qatar, Singapore, and Switzerland.
Prior to the WEF's 2010 Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, held January 27-31, the GRI published the 2010 Global Agenda Council Reports (the "Reports"), the recommendations of which were placed on the agenda for the Annual Meeting. The Reports included the following global governance recommendations:
• Decision-Making and Incentive Systems (p.36) - Policy makers should take into greater account international social science research regarding social norms and incentive systems.
• International Legal System (p.56) - A Global Rule of Law Commission should be established.
• Education Systems (p.72) - A global commission should be established to redesign the current global architecture in education by streamlining processes.
• Faith (p.77) - Dialogue among leaders of different religious faiths, government, business, and civil society should be promoted so that there is a global consensus on values. The G20 will then make structural changes necessary to put in a global economy based on those values.
• International Security Cooperation (p.124): A new consensus on global security responsibilities should be required and the G20 should be empowered to address the new security agenda.
• Climate Change (p.144) - Low-carbon growth plans should be developed subject to international registry and measurement, reporting, and verification.
• Innovation (p.164) - All non-military publicly-funded scientific research should be free and open to the world online.
• Ocean Governance (p.169) - The Law of the Sea Treaty should be updated and strengthened, both as to implementation and enforcement.
• Sustainable Energy (p.180) - A Sustainable Energy Free-Trade Area (SEFTA) should be established through the G20.
• Emerging Technologies (p.196) - A new Global Centre for Emerging Technology Policy should be created.
• Energy Security (p.200) - A permanent biannual World Energy Forum should be established that will eventually lead to a new global energy organization to provide norms-based governance of global energy markets.
• Nutrition (p.213) - A Global Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition Redesign Initiative should be established.
• Philanthropy and Social Investing (p.256) - A new social contract should be created that makes clear the responsibility of business leaders and the wealthy to work towards a better world.
• Systemic Financial Risk (p.273) - A new regulatory framework should be established with greater authority over G20 members.
The participants at the 2010 WEF Annual Meeting considered these and other recommendations. A final report is to be released at the time of a special intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder meeting, tentatively scheduled in Doha, Qatar, in spring 2010. The report will seek to "elaborate both the parameters of an optimal system of global cooperation as well as a set of pragmatic, actionable steps in specific areas of international cooperation." It will include "systematic recommendations" consisting of "broad guidelines and concrete proposals to improve the systematic coherence and impact of global institutions and arrangements, including an elaboration of the shared values and changes in political culture that are crucial to achieving global cooperation in the 21st century." The final report will also include "issue-specific recommendations" consisting of "proposals to reform or redesign structures and arrangements of international cooperation in individual problem areas."
Following public announcement of the final report's findings and recommendations, the WEF plans to "stimulate a vigorous discussion around the world through extensive use of new and traditional media about the potential for and necessity of major improvements in global cooperation." The different stakeholders of the WEF and particularly the Global Agenda Councils of experts will continue to act as "monitoring boards" for implementation and "as continuous drivers for necessary adjustments and improvements."
Through the publication of the final report's findings and recommendations and the ongoing monitoring by the Global Agenda Councils, the WEF will have effectively institutionalized its vision for global governance.
Jim Kelly is the President of Solidarity Center for Law and Justice, P.C., a public interest civil and human rights law firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. The opinions expressed herein are his own.
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