New Class of Young Global Leaders Announced
200 business, civic and cultural leaders under the age of 40 from 50 countries will be brought together to collectively shape the future.
Geneva, Switzerland 9 January 2006 – The Forum of Young Global Leaders announces the names of its new class of Young Global Leaders today.
The 2006 Young Global Leaders (YGLs) include nearly 200 representatives of business, government, academic disciplines and civic organizations of the age of 40 or under. They are brought together under the Forum’s mission to shape the future by providing talented and global-minded men and women a platform for collective brainstorming and entrepreneurship in the global public interest.
The 2006 YGLs hail from 50 countries ranging from Argentina to Zimbabwe. The USA has 41 new Young Global Leaders and the United Kingdom has 7. The People's Republic of China features 12 YGLs. Chile, Switzerland and the Republic of Korea are well represented with four new YGLs each.
The 2006 class of Young Global Leaders includes over 60 business leaders, more than 30 civic leaders, and dozens of artists, journalists and academic leaders. They were chosen among 3,500 candidates by the Forum of Young Global Leaders’ nominating committee, headed by Queen Rania of Jordan.
Together with the 2005 group of over 200 YGLs, they will engage in the 2020 Initiative, a comprehensive endeavour, to understand current and future trends, risks and opportunities at both the global and regional levels, formulate a positive vision for the world in 2020 and put forward concrete strategies to translate their vision into action. Throughout 2005 the community of Young Global Leaders formed task forces addressing priority areas, namely: development and poverty, global governance and security, environment, education, and health.