Citizendia
Your Ad Here

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Geneva-based foundation whose annual meeting of top business leaders, national political leaders (presidents, prime ministers and others), and selected intellectuals and journalists is usually held in Davos, Switzerland. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking Davos ( Romansh: Tavau, Italian: Tavate is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation There are also regional meetings throughout the year. It was founded in 1971 by Klaus M. Schwab, a business professor in Switzerland. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Klaus Martin Schwab (born March 30 1938) is a Swiss economist and businessman best known as the president and founder of the World Economic Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation

Contents

Operations

The World Economic Forum is designed as a place for dialogue and debate about the major social and economic problems of the planet because: representatives of both the most powerful economic organisations and the most powerful political organisations are present; intellectuals also participate; and there is a generally informal atmosphere encouraging wide-ranging debate. Journalists have access to most sessions at the Annual Meeting in Davos, the majority of which are webcast live so that the debates can be open to a wider public. In all about 600 journalists from print, radio and TV take part in the meeting. Whilst business and political leaders make up the majority of participants, various UN organisations attend, as well as trades union leaders and religious leaders. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming

Participation by NGO leaders is less regular. Some leaders of some of the largest NGOs such as Amnesty International, Transparency International and Oxfam regularly attend, while others have participated but in subsequent years not been reinvited[1] because in the words of the WEF, they 'contribute only negative views and do not support its "mission" to narrow global divisions',[2] and one NGO, Greenpeace International, declined to participate in the 2002 meeting due to what it called WEF's lack of cooperation following meetings at which it did attend. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to Transparency International ( TI) is a leading international Non-governmental organization addressing corruption Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 organizations working with over 3000 partners in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice Greenpeace, originally known as the Greenpeace Foundation, was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1972 [3]

In 2006 the WEF opened representative offices in Beijing and in New York (World Economic Forum USA). New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Incorporated as a Swiss not-for-profit foundation it is impartial and not-for-profit. The Forum is not tied to any political, partisan or national interests. Its highest governance body is the Foundation Board consisting of 20 members including past British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to

January, 2005, a new branch was installed as an independent organisation, the Young Global Leaders consisting of under-40 leaders in economy, communication and science interested in global improvement, also incorporating royalty members around the world. This is a list of members of the Forum of Young Global Leaders by their year of induction [4][5]

Geographic balance

The WEF's membership, the membership of its board, and the attendance at its annual meetings is heavily composed of representatives from Europe, the USA and industrialized Asia. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

The main 1,000 member companies are invited to the WEF based on annual revenues of over $1 billion (as of 2002). See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. (This has led to claims that companies from poorer countries are inevitably under-represented. The WEF claims that 200 companies, mainly from the developing world, are invited to join the WEF membership and events. )

In the 2002 WEF Annual Meeting, 75% of participants were from Europe (39%) and the US (36%), which together represented approximately 17% of the world's population. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the West Asian participants were about five times over-represented relative to their population, i. Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia (largely overlapping with the Middle East) is the southwestern portion of Asia. e. they constituted 4% of participants while representing 0. 8% of the world's population.

While 60% of the world's population lives in Asia, about 7. 7% of the participants at the 2002 Annual Meeting were Asian. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Gender balance

Until 2001, the main World Economic Forum decision making boards - the Forum Board of Directors and the Council Board of Directors - were 100% male. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Decision making can be regarded as an outcome of mental processes ( cognitive process) leading to the selection of a course of action among several alternatives Of the nine new members in 2001, one was female. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. In 2001 the World Economic Forum started its 'Women Leaders Program' with the stated aim of increasing the participation of women in WEF activities and involving them as members in World Economic Forum communities. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. From 2001 to 2004 the WEF estimates that it has increased the participation of women leaders in the Annual Meeting from 8 to 13%. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

Participation by politicians

In 2000, 33 national leaders attended the Annual Meeting, including Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, King Abdullah Il Ibn Hussein of Jordan, Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid, Aleksander Kwasniewski former president of Poland, South African president Thabo Mbeki and Argentinian president Fernando de la Rua. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Abdullah II bin al-Hussein King of Jordan ( الملك عبد الله الثاني بن الحسين al-Malik ʿAbdullāh aṯ-ṯānī bin al-Ḥusayn born 30 Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Abdurrahman Wahid (also known as Gus Dur) (born September 7 1940 is an Indonesian Muslim religious and political leader who served as the President Aleksander Kwaśniewski ( born November 15 1954 is a Polish politician who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005 Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (born 18 June 1942 is a South African politician who served as President of South Africa from 1999 to 24 September 2008 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Fernando de la Rúa (born September 15 1937) is an Argentine politician In 2002, 27 elected national leaders, three members of royalty, nine US senators and nine members of the US House of Representatives were expected to attend. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Membership fees

As of 2002, each member company pays a basic annual membership fee of $12,500 and a $6,250 Annual Meeting fee. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. However, to take part in deciding the agendas of the Annual Meeting and the regional meetings a company must pay $250,000 a year to be an Institutional Partner and/or Knowledge Partner, and $78,000 to be an Annual Meeting Partner. The WEF describes the selection of Partners as being based on ability to contribute to and benefit from the mission of the Forum.

WEF's income in 2001 was $104 million. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. $38 million of this was from membership fees.

Media access

At any Annual Meeting or regional meeting of the World Economic Forum, journalists participate in most of the formally scheduled panels and events. Indeed, a large proportion of journalists (250 at the Annual Meeting in Davos) are given complete access to every session organized by the Forum, having the same access rights as any of the paying participants. However, they are excluded from the many private and informal industry-wide workshops and meetings between corporate executives, political leaders and leaders of international financial institutions. International financial institutions, or IFIs, refers to Financial institutions that have been established (or chartered by more than one country and hence are subjects Since these informal private meetings - not organized by the World Economic Forum - happen without access either by the mainstream media or authorisation by national parliaments, critics consider them to be undemocratic in nature. "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press" TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A  parliament is a Legislature, especially in those

Participation by NGOs

The WEF has attempted to create dialogue with critics by inviting representatives of NGOs to participate in Annual Meetings. [1]

In the 2000 Annual Meeting, participating NGOs included:[1]

In the 2001 Annual Meeting, while most of these NGOs were invited again, Friends of the Earth and Focus on the Global South were not invited. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Save the Children is a leading international organisation helping children in need around the world Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to Transparency International ( TI) is a leading international Non-governmental organization addressing corruption Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 organizations working with over 3000 partners in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice Friends of the Earth (HK is not a member of Friends of the Earth International Focus on the Global South is an international non-governmental organisation based in Bangkok, Thailand since its foundation in 1995; it is affiliated Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Friends of the Earth (HK is not a member of Friends of the Earth International Focus on the Global South is an international non-governmental organisation based in Bangkok, Thailand since its foundation in 1995; it is affiliated Critics[1] claim that these two NGOs were not invited in 2001 because their criticisms were too strong and clear. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar.

In 2001, other NGOs were invited, including those from poor countries:

and from rich countries, such as:

However, none of these were invited back in 2002. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. According to the Financial Times, 'the Forum says it is not inviting organisations that contribute only negative views and do not support its "mission" to narrow global divisions'. The Financial Times ( FT) is a British international business Newspaper. [2]

Greenpeace spent two years trying to cooperate with the WEF on the issue of global warming, but withdrew from the 2002 Annual Meeting because it found the WEF uncooperative. Greenpeace, originally known as the Greenpeace Foundation, was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1972 Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. [3] In a letter to Greenpeace, Klaus M. Schwab responded that the demands made by Greenpeace to the automobile industry at the 2001 meeting "led to problems". Greenpeace, originally known as the Greenpeace Foundation, was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1972 Klaus Martin Schwab (born March 30 1938) is a Swiss economist and businessman best known as the president and founder of the World Economic The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design development manufacture marketing and sale of Motor vehicles In 2007 more than 73 million motor vehicles Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar.

Criticism

The WEF has been criticized for moving away from serious economics and accomplishing little of substance, particularly with the increasing involvement of NGOs that have little or no expertise in economics. Instead of a discussion on the world economy with knowledgeable experts alongside key business and political players, Davos now features the top media political causes of the day (such as global climate change and AIDS in Africa), with participants such as U2 rock star Bono.

Citizens' protests against the WEF include the Anti-WEF protests in Switzerland, January 2003 and the Anti-WEF protests in Switzerland, January 2006. The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (January 2003)triggered Anti-globalization protests across Switzerland There were no centralized Anti- WEF protests in Switzerland in January 2006.

World Economic Forum responses to critics

At the 2001 Annual Meeting, the Swiss Authorities spent US$5. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. 4 million on security. In the 2001 Annual Report, Klaus Schwab compared the threat of violent anti-globalisation protestors to the threat of terrorists. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Klaus Martin Schwab (born March 30 1938) is a Swiss economist and businessman best known as the president and founder of the World Economic " Anti-globalization " is a term that encompasses a number of related ideas Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion Some critics judge that these type of reactions amount to a refusal to accept and respond to the criticism, however the Forum has always made it clear that is happy to engage with peaceful critics, indeed there have been a number of dialogues with groups from the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre and the Open Forum was started to help foster this dialogue. The World Social Forum (WSF is an annual meeting held by members of the Anti-globalization (using the term Globalization in a Doctrinal sense not Porto Alegre ( is the 10th largest city in Brazil, and the capital city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

The World Economic Forum states that it wishes to open up dialogue with critics. Starting during the 2003 Annual Meeting in January in Davos, an Open Forum Davos 2003 was held in parallel with the main Annual Meeting. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Davos ( Romansh: Tavau, Italian: Tavate is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of The Open Forum was attended by 300 members of the public free of charge, and the World Economic Forum hosted the Open Forum again in 2004, 2005 and 2006. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

In 2001 the World Economic Forum started a series of 'initiatives' with the purpose of engaging business in tackling problems that concern business and its critics. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The World Economic Forum's portfolio of active initiatives in 2006 include corporate citizenship, global health, global governance, greenhouse gas and water. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Corporate social responsibility (CSR also called corporate responsibility corporate citizenship responsible business and corporate social opportunity is a concept whereby Organizations Global health is a field at the intersection of several Social science Disciplines -- Demography, Economics, Epidemiology, Political Global governance is the political interaction of transnational actors aimed at solving problems that affect more than one state or region when there is no power of enforcing compliance Greenhouse gases are gaseous constituents of the atmosphere bothnatural and anthropogenic that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of thermal infrared Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life.

Regional Meetings

The World Economic Forum holds between five and ten regional meetings per year, enabling close contact between corporate business leaders, local government leaders and NGOs. The mix of regions varies from year to year, but the meetings in Africa, China and India have been held consistently over the past decade.

Annual Meeting of New Champions

Since 2007 the World Economic Forum has instituted the "Annual Meeting of New Champions", dubbed the "summer Davos". Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. This is a meeting for what are termed "Global Growth Companies". These are business champions primarily from rapidly growing emerging countries, such as China and India, but also including fast movers from developed countries. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

The meeting also engages with the next generation of global leaders, fast-growing regions, competitive cities and technology pioneers from around the globe.

Networked Readiness Index

The World Economic Forum publishes an annual report called the Networked Readiness Index. The World Economic Forum 's Networked Readiness Index (NRI measures the propensity for countries to exploit the opportunities offered by information and communications technology It focuses on the propensity of countries to exploit the opportunities offered by information and communications technology. It also ranks countries by number on these criteria.

Research Reports

The forum produces a number of research reports on economics:

References

  1. ^ a b c d Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch (2002-01-31). See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Davos World Economic Forum: Pricey Corporate Trade Association Loses Its Camouflage (pdf). Public Citizen. Public Citizen is a Washington DC -based public interest group engaged in Consumer Advocacy, government accountability clean democracy and ethical Retrieved on 2008-03-25. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6.
  2. ^ a b de Jonquières, Guy; Holly Yeager. "COMMENT & ANALYSIS: Davos goes west: The World Economic Forum has switched its annual meeting to New York, both to liven up the summit and to show solidarity after September 11, say Guy de Jonquières and Holly Yeager", Financial Times. The Financial Times ( FT) is a British international business Newspaper. Retrieved on 2008-03-25. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6.  
  3. ^ a b Greenpeace will not attend Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum. Greenpeace International (2002-01-16). Greenpeace, originally known as the Greenpeace Foundation, was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1972 See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Retrieved on 2008-03-25. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6.
  4. ^ Young Global Leaders:Recent News
  5. ^ SOHO中国|SOHO China
  6. ^ Michael E. Porter, Klaus Schwab, and Xavier Sala-I-Martin (2007). The Competitiveness Report 2007-2008. World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city
  7. ^ Soumitra Dutta and Irene Mia (2007). The Global Information Technology Report 2006-2007. World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city
  8. ^ Jennifer Blanke and Thea Chiesa, Editors (2007). The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2007. World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland. Retrieved on 2008-03-09. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia.
  9. ^ Jennifer Blanke and Thea Chiesa, Editors (2008). Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2008. World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland. Retrieved on 2008-03-06. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of
  10. ^ Infrastructure Private Investment Attractiveness Index. World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-23. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city
  11. ^ The Africa Competitiveness Report 2007. World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-23. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city
  12. ^ The Arab World Competitiveness Report 2007. World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-23. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city

See also

External links

Critics

Further reading

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic