World Economic Forum (6do encyclopedia)



The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss-based organization committed to improving the state of the world through collaboration among business, government, civil society and academia. Founded in 1971 as the European Management Forum, the WEF was initially established to provide European business leaders with a platform to exchange ideas and explore new business opportunities.

Today, the WEF is a global network of over 1,000 member companies, including some of the world’s largest corporations, as well as prominent political, academic, and civil society leaders. The organization’s annual meetings in Davos, Switzerland, bring together heads of state, business leaders, and other influential figures to discuss a wide range of global issues.

The WEF’s stated mission is “to improve the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.” To achieve this goal, the organization focuses on a number of critical areas, including international trade, energy policy, environmental sustainability, healthcare, and global security.

One of the WEF’s core initiatives is its Global Competitiveness Report, which provides an annual ranking of the competitiveness of nations based on a number of economic and social indicators. The report is widely used by policymakers and business leaders to identify strengths and weaknesses in their respective countries, and to develop strategies for improving their competitiveness on the global stage.

Another key initiative of the WEF is its Global Gender Gap Report, which assesses the relative gaps between women and men across four key areas: health, education, economy, and politics. The report has been instrumental in driving gender equality efforts across the globe, and has helped raise awareness of both the progress that has been made, as well as the remaining challenges that must be addressed.

In addition to its research and reporting initiatives, the WEF also plays a leading role in convening high-level dialogues on some of the world’s most pressing challenges. These dialogues bring together diverse groups of stakeholders to explore innovative solutions to complex issues, and to drive forward progress towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

While the WEF’s work is often focused on the global level, the organization also engages closely with regional and local stakeholders to ensure that its initiatives are responsive to the needs and priorities of different communities around the world. In recent years, the WEF has expanded its reach through a number of new partnerships and initiatives focused on promoting economic growth, reducing inequality, and fostering sustainable development.

Critics of the WEF have raised concerns about the organization’s perceived elitism and lack of transparency, arguing that its focus on elite networking and high-level discussions may be out of step with the needs and priorities of ordinary citizens. However, the WEF maintains that its work is essential to advancing progress towards a more sustainable and equitable world, and that its efforts have helped foster greater collaboration and cooperation across a wide range of sectors.

Overall, the World Economic Forum is a leading global organization committed to improving the state of the world through partnerships and collaboration. While its work is not without controversy, the WEF remains a critical voice in driving forward efforts to promote economic growth, reduce inequality, and create a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.


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How an ‘energizer bunny,’ cheeseburgers and $14 billion helped Canada woo Volkswagen

The Toronto Star

23-05-14 10:00


Canadian Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne cold called Volkswagen North American CEO Scott Keogh in March 2021, beginning a year-long negotiation that ended in the announcement of VW's Plant Canada project. It aims to build a $4bn, 40 GWh-capacity battery assembly plant in southern Ontario, alongside a $1.4bn expansion of Ford’s Oakville assembly complex that includes the on-site production of electric powertrains. Champagne and Ontario Premier Doug Ford wooed and cajoled VW with offers of financial incentives and a highly trained workforce, and St. Thomas, just south of London and a rail hop from Michigan, was chosen as the assembly site ahead of another Canadian location and a US state. Construction is expected to start in 2023 and deliveries from 2025.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/2023/05/14/how-an-energizer-bunny-cheeseburgers-and-14-billion-helped-canada-woo-volkswagen.html
A timeline of negotiations toward the Volkswagen battery plant in Canada

The Toronto Star

23-05-14 10:00


Volkswagen (VW) is planning to build a C$5.1bn ($4.26bn) electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Ontario, Canada. The 40 GWh factory, which will produce battery cells for EVs, is set to be one of VW's biggest and will create 2,000 jobs. Although the location was chosen over Kansas and Tennessee, the decision is seen as a boost for the US and Canadian auto industries, and for the provinces of Ontario and Quebec following the closure of many plants in recent years. "Our among us industrial heartland will stretch from Windsor all the way across to Quebec City," said Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. The plant, worth C$5.1bn ($4.26bn), is set to begin production in 2028, and will receive around C$1.3bn in grants and other loans from the Canadian, Quebec and Ontario governments.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2023/05/14/a-timeline-of-negotiations-toward-the-volkswagen-battery-plant-in-canada.html
Linda Yaccarino: an advertising veteran enters the wild world of Musk’s Twitter

Financial Times

23-05-12 20:19


Linda Yaccarino has been appointed CEO of Twitter by Elon Musk, the platform’s majority shareholder. Yaccarino had previously been an executive at Comcast's NBCUniversal. She is a respected figure in advertising and her appointment is expected to start mending Musk’s relationships with advertisers. This is of great importance for Twitter as advertising is its main source of revenue. After Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44bn last year, many top agencies and brands paused their spending on the platform, leading to the company’s revenues falling by around 50%. Yet, advertising insiders say that Yaccarino's biggest obstacle to restoring the platform’s business may be Elon Musk himself, who is known for his unorthodox management style and his tendency to lash out at those who challenge him.

https://www.ft.com/content/df736d6a-cc50-4ba4-a426-568a90c9cf4b
Factbox: Linda Yaccarino: the advertising executive Musk picked as new Twitter CEO

Reuters

23-05-12 19:46


Twitter has named Linda Yaccarino, the former chairperson of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, as their new CEO. Yaccarino spent nearly 12 years at NBCUniversal and was instrumental in modernising the company's advertising strategy across television and digital properties. She has also served in various executive roles at Turner Entertainment and is currently the chairperson of the World Economic Forum's Taskforce on Future of Work. The appointment comes as Twitter tries to reverse a plunge in ad revenue.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/linda-yaccarino-advertising-executive-musk-picked-new-twitter-ceo-2023-05-12/
Kudos to the NRL for backing the Voice. Now for the rest to follow their lead

The Sydney Morning Herald

23-05-12 19:37


The National Rugby League (NRL) has become the first sport in Australia to back the introduction of an Indigenous Voice to parliament. Several players and coaches have vocalised their support for it, with the decision receiving widespread praise. Speaking in support of the proposal, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said Indigenous people “have deep bonds with rugby league and are part of our fabric at all levels, from grassroots participants and fans to the Indigenous stars who light up the NRL and NRLW". The NRL has already established an Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council to advise on Indigenous issues, successfully utilising the knowledge of Indigenous experts to address issues. The NRL is the first of seven major sports in Australia expected to support the Indigenous Voice proposal.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/kudos-to-the-nrl-for-backing-the-voice-now-for-the-rest-to-follow-their-lead-20230512-p5d7vu.html
Ukraine: The Latest - 'The hotel shook from over a dozen explosions'.

Telegraph

23-05-16 16:29


Kyiv officials say six hypersonic missiles were launched at the city and shot down, but there is no evidence of the incident. International monitors and journalists denied reports of any such missile attack. The Ukrainian government has not commented on the alleged attack. Experts say claims of such a missile strike are highly unlikely, and would be a significant escalation of the conflict.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/16/the-hotel-shook-from-over-a-dozen-explosions/
The conservative weakness for contrarianism has driven a lot of them crazy. Exhibit A: Danielle Smith

The Globe and Mail

23-05-16 20:48


Many conservatives have developed a mindset of “enlightened skepticism” regarding “shopworn liberal nostrums” that has devolved into a kind of addiction to debunking truth, writes Canadian columnist Andrew Coyne in The Globe and Mail. Coyne posits that the impulse toward the contrarian possibly arises from personality type “an ingrained oppositional mentality, a habitual, almost reflexive mistrust of whatever is conventional wisdom, a fatal weakness for the contrarian take,” sometimes spurred by frustration with liberal control of institutions. The result of this mindset is a detachment from reality leading to elaborate conspiracies and beliefs such as vaccine refusal and election fraud.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-conservative-weakness-for-contrarianism-has-driven-a-lot-of-them/
Barranquilla shakes off industrial past in bid to protect biodiversity

Financial Times

23-05-17 03:19


More than 120 Latin American cities, including Barranquilla in Colombia, are participating in an initiative by the World Economic Forum called BiodiverCities by 2030. It is aimed at encouraging development that promotes the natural world and outside activity, and has emerged as the Colombian city undergoes a transition away from an industrialised past. Mayor Jaime Pumarejo, who filed a lawsuit against the Colombian government demanding greater protection for the Magdalena river, is continuing to develop sustainable projects – including the Magdalena riverfront known as the Gran Malecón, the north-west wetlands, and parks through the Todos Al Parque programme. Of Barranquilleros, 93% now live within an eight-minute walk of a park. Investment in nature-based projects for developing infrastructure could create more than 59 million jobs globally by 2030. Pumarejo has also signed an agreement with the Danish firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners to develop a 350MW offshore wind project.

https://www.ft.com/content/a745faac-5c1d-44e1-ab43-a69119151ad3
Ukraine: The Latest - Frozen Russian assets could be used as compensation for Ukraine

Telegraph

23-05-17 16:06


The Council of Europe is creating a 'register of damages' to record Russia's destruction of Ukraine over the past few years for future compensation. It will be lodged at the Hague and aimed to record the costs that Russia has exacted on Ukraine since the war began, not just morally, but financially. The action aims to hold Moscow accountable long-term for the situation in Ukraine. Germany’s government has said it is looking into further mechanisms to secure war damages, including the possibility of using frozen Russian assets as compensation.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/17/frozen-russian-assets-could-be-used-as-compensation/
Technology and the Skills Shortage

Financial Times

23-05-18 10:44


Developed nations are struggling with a shortage of workers which is hitting every sector of the economy. The UK, the US and EU are all grappling with the challenge, which has hit skilled jobs in the technology sector particularly hard. The skills gap has been caused by a lack of interest in maths and science by students at all levels, a problem that has led to too few people having the technical skills required by employers. An in-depth report in Raconteur explores the issue, which government policies have failed to tackle, and suggests that initiatives aimed at upskilling the workforce have been viewed as ineffective by business leaders.

https://www.ft.com/content/b1b710a1-6d12-43e5-8508-ae4584a7289a
Ukraine: The Latest - 'Putin's nuclear arsenal is null and void'

Telegraph

23-05-18 16:16


Overnight missile strikes against Ukraine by Russia failed, with the Ukrainian military stating it had shot down 29 Russian cruise missiles out of 30. The strikes targeted areas including Kyiv and the southern city of Odessa. The National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine has described Kyiv as "Putin's relentless and unachievable target". The council also claimed that the fact the hypersonic missiles have been neutralised so easily served "to burst the nuclear bubble."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/18/putins-nuclear-arsenal-is-null-and-void/
Africa may need its own central medicines agency, says Aspen Pharmacare CEO

CNN

23-05-18 15:05


Aspen Pharmacare CEO Stephen Saad discussed the future of the pharmaceutical sector in Africa with CNN’s Eleni Giokos. Of the roughly 600 manufacturers of packaged medicines operating on the continent, Aspen Pharmacare is one of the largest, with more than 9,000 employees in over 50 countries. African nations consume about 25% of vaccines produced globally, but import nearly 99% of their supply, according to the African Union Development Agency. For packaged medicines, only 36% of demand is produced locally, and just 3% is supplied by regional trade, according to the World Economic Forum. COVID-19 highlighted inequalities in the African pharmaceutical sector, news that led Aspen to commit to one person, one vaccine in Africa. The CEO said the company has invested in additional capacity and is determined to position itself as a source of not just vaccines, but also biologicals, with a particular focus on under-serviced diseases such as oncology, diabetes and HIV.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/18/business/stephen-saad-aspen-pharmacare-spc-intl/index.html
Soon, artificial intelligence will be running companies – rise of the robo-director

The Globe and Mail

23-05-18 20:27


Artificial intelligence (AI) is already being used to support boardrooms and corporate decision-making processes, such as validating new opportunities, auditing annual reports, and due diligence in mergers and acquisitions, according to Ian Robertson, the CEO of strategic shareholder advisory and governance firm Kingsdale Advisors. The World Economic Forum believes that by 2026 corporate governance will be robotised, as AI technology advances and increasingly supports corporate directors, or replaces them completely. Momentum in computational power, developments in AI and digitalization will inevitably lead to a new era of directors sharing their decision-making powers with robo-directors. Robertson questions how current legal strategies apply to robo-directors and how far companies will push augmented intelligence. He suggests corporate laws and governance frameworks will have to accommodate for new and complex legal questions if the use of AI increases.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-artificial-intelligence-robo-director-companies/
AI will test faith in democracy, Tokyo warns

Financial Times

23-05-18 23:19


Democratic governments in the US, UK and Japan could face the “disruptive” powers of generative artificial intelligence and “malicious elements” controlling AI, according to Japan’s Digital Minister, Taro Kono. Speaking to The Financial Times, Kono noted that AI could be used in the forthcoming general elections in the UK and Japan and the US presidential race to destabilise governments. Kono added that governments need to consider how to maintain people’s trust in democracy and that AI was high on the agenda at the G7 leaders’ meeting in Hiroshima. The lack of global regulatory frameworks for cross-border data flow was also discussed.

https://www.ft.com/content/6a6b91ca-62d0-43ac-a1c5-717ee218a2e6
Ukraine: The Latest - Biden climbs down on sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine

Telegraph

23-05-19 16:53


The US is set to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to boost the country's defence against Russia, according to The Telegraph's daily podcast Ukraine: The Latest. The news comes as the Battle for Bakhmut continues and G7 leaders meet in Hiroshima. The leaders revealed they have reaffirmed their commitment to stand together against what they call “Russia's illegal, unjustifiable and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine”. The US has previously been reticent about sending warplanes to Ukraine.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/19/biden-climbs-down-on-sending-fighter-jets-to-ukraine/