World Economic Forum

Over 2,500 leaders from the political, business and cultural spheres are gathered at the meeting. Among other activities on Wednesday, 27 January, the Crown Prince participated in the brainstorming session “Redefining Global Commons” as one of the Discussion Leaders.

Later in the week Crown Prince Haakon will take part in the group discussion “Values in Your Everyday Life”, and will serve as a one of the Discussion Leaders of the concluding session “The Global Agenda 2010: The View from Davos” on the meeting’s closing day.

Integrated thinking

The Crown Prince is attending the Annual Meeting in his role as a Young Global Leader. The Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGL) comprises leaders under the age of 40 and is the most important voice for young people in the World Economic Forum. The Crown Prince first attended the meeting in Davos in 2005.

During the past year, Crown Prince Haakon has been responsible for coordinating the YGL’s efforts under the Global Redesign Initiative. Launched by the World Economic Forum, the aim of the initiative is to find functional solutions to major global challenges.

Concrete initiatives

In all, 3,000 experts and leaders have contributed their input to the Global Redesign process. The YGL’s activities, led by the Crown Prince, have focused on generating ideas within six areas: Values, Governance, Education & Youth, Health, Sustainability & Environment, and Strengthening Economies.

Concrete initiatives under development include:

• The YGL Global Business Oath – an oath for business people modelled on the Hippocratic Oath.
• Deworm the World – a project that provided treatment to 12 million children in 2009 alone.
• Global Dignity – an initiative launched by the Crown Prince and two other co-founders that has to date promoted dialogue on dignity among young people in over 30 countries.
• Table for Two – a mechanism for alleviating hunger. Every time you eat a healthy “Table for Two” meal at a participating company cafeteria or restaurant, a small contribution is donated to fund a school meal in a country suffering from hunger.
• Promoting Democratic Values – articulating and sharing best practices.

World Economic Forum

On Thursday, 28 January, the Crown Prince will participate in a panel debate in his capacity as Chair of the YGL Global Redesign Task Force. The session will be moderated by Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, former Administrator of UNDP and former UK Minister of State with responsibility for Africa, Asia and the UN.

The other panellists are Michael Froman (Deputy Assistant to the US President), Indra Nooyi (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo), Samir Al Rifai (Prime Minister of Jordan), and George Yeo Yong-Boon (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore).

The 2010 Annual Meeting in Davos runs from Wednesday, 27 January, through Sunday, 31 January.