YGLs at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2007

Over 100 Young Global Leaders participated in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2007 in Davos from 24 to 28 January to advance their efforts in shaping a better future. The programme focused on three main themes:

• Networking: YGLs had an opportunity to meet over 2,000 top decision-makers and influential leaders and discuss some of the key developments shaping the global agenda.
• Learning: Integration and exchange with various communities of the World Economic Forum to build knowledge on different areas. The programme included meetings with the Technology Pioneers to discuss latest innovations and trends from the world of tech and with CEOs from the worlds top companies to discuss key challenges in todays fast-moving business environment. An interactive session with members of the C-100 also took place to discuss the role of faith and religion when forming constructive solutions for the world's most challenging problems. Other interactive sessions were held in conjunction with the Young Arab Leaders, where participants met for private conversations with H.M. King Abdullah II Ibn Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Ahmed Nazif, Prime Minister of Egypt, on the future of the Middle East.
• Action: In the closing workshop, Young Global Leaders discussed existing and new projects which will contribute to shaping the world in 2030. These projects will be further developed in the coming months and will be presented during the Young Global Leaders Annual Summit in Dalian, Peoples Republic of China.

	New Partnership with Harvard University

The Forum of Young Global Leaders is pleased to announce a new partnership with Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government (KSG).

Supported by David Rubenstein (Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Carlyle Group) and Bill George (author of Authentic Leadership and Member of the Board of the World Economic Forum Inc.), the partnership will create one of the world's foremost executive education leadership programmes. The programme is designed exclusively for members of the Young Global Leaders community to build true global identities to lead the next generation. The curriculum will focus on advancing the leadership capabilities of the participants as well as on learning about key global issues and trends likely to face their generation. The curriculum is currently being developed with leading KSG and Davos faculty and the Forum team. The Forum will be seeking input from the Young Global Leaders in the coming weeks and will keep you posted on how you can get involved.

	Health Initiative: Table for Two Year-round school meals for 30 children to be donated

A group of Young Global Leaders in Japan have developed a programme called "Table for Two" an outstanding example for the impact of our community.

Under the Young Global Leaders Health Initiative, a group of Young Global Leaders in Japan have developed a programme called "Table for Two". The programme seeks to address the imbalances of obesity and lifestyle-related diseases in developed countries, as well as hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Every time someone eats a healthy meal at cooperating company cafeterias in developed countries, 20 cents is donated to fund a healthy school meal in a developing country through the World Food Programme, the biggest school meal provider in the developing world.

A two-week pilot of the programmme was conducted in February at the headquarters of Itochu Corporation a global trading firm where Claire Chino, a YGL, serves as the corporate counsel. The pilot was supported by Compass Group the world's largest food service company. The 13,757 people who used the cafeteria during those two weeks made 3,878 purchases of healthy meals, bringing the total contribution from Itochu and Compass to 133,800 yen (about US$ 11,500). With school meals costing 20 cents per student, the donation will support year-around school meals for 30 students. The donation will be given to the World Food Programme, the largest provider of school meal programmes around the world.

The pilot was covered broadly on national television news (NHK) as well as in national newspapers (Nikkei, Asahi, Jiji Tsushin). The programme has already been endorsed by 40 Young Global Leaders from around the world. To see who has already endorsed the project and sign up, click here.

	Launch of the Love Campaign

A group of Young Global Leaders launched the Love: Brands Helping Customers Reduce CO2 Emissions initiative in Davos during the inaugural Climate Change Nightcap.

The objective of the initiative is to encourage the worlds most influential businesses to reduce their own emissions and leverage their brands to encourage behavioural change on the part of their customers.

As part of the campaign, the group also launched the Book of Love, a manifesto for decision-makers in industry and politics all over the world which shows how to achieve environmental victories that will reduce the negative consequences of climate change. It is a testament to what has already been achieved by companies and individuals committed to low-carbon solutions and a blueprint to help other companies take advantage of the new low-carbon economy.

	New Leadership Support for the Forum of Young Global Leaders

The Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum has asked David Aikman to take the overview responsibility for the YGL-community inside the governance structure of the Forum.

David is a Forum Director and currently Head of the Partnership Team which is responsible for the Forum’s relationships with corporate partners. He is a permanent guest on the Forum’s Managing Board and chairs the Project Review Board which oversees the allocation of resources to the Forum’s projects and initiatives. David is Canadian and holds an MBA from IMD and a BA in English and German Literature from Dalhousie University, where he was a member of the President’s Leadership Class (an innovative programme to develop leaders for service that took him on volunteer development and education projects in Guyana and India). Prior to joining the Forum in 2003, he worked for the International Olympic Committee in Business Development, Marketing and Licensing for seven years. David (35) and his wife, Anne, live in Lausanne with their two children, Juliette (6) and Owen (2).