106-669: The Great Reset Initiative is an economic recovery plan drawn up by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic . The project was launched in June 2020, and a video featuring the then-Prince of Wales Charles was released to mark its launch. The initiative's stated aim is to facilitate rebuilding from the global COVID-19 crisis in a way that prioritizes sustainable development . WEF chief executive officer Klaus Schwab described three core components of
212-600: A think tank , publishing a wide range of reports. In particular, "Strategic Insight Teams" focus on producing reports of relevance in the fields of competitiveness, global risks, and scenario thinking . The "Competitiveness Team" produces a range of annual economic reports (first published in brackets): the Global Competitiveness Report (1979) measured competitiveness of countries and economies; The Global Information Technology Report (2001) assessed their competitiveness based on their IT readiness;
318-525: A "high degree of uncertainty" in terms of climate change , policy, "technological development", and "evolving consumer and investor preferences". In a 29 September 2020 six-minute virtual address to the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Trudeau described how "[b]uilding back better" included supporting the most vulnerable, for example by ensuring "equitable access" to COVID-19 vaccine in developing countries, while also working towards reaching
424-596: A "massive injection of fiscal stimulus to help countries deal with this crisis" and that it was of "paramount importance that this growth should lead to a greener, smarter, fairer world in the future". Georgieva listed three aspects of the Great Reset; green growth, smarter growth and fairer growth. Government investments and government incentives for private investors could "support low-carbon and climate-resilient growth" such as "planting mangroves, land restoration, reforestation or insulating buildings". With low oil prices,
530-580: A Russian delegation for the first time since 1991, which The Wall Street Journal described as signalling the "unraveling of globalization." The former Russia House was used to present Russia's war crimes. The 2023 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum took place in Davos, Switzerland from 16–20 January under the theme "Cooperation in a fragmented world". Headquartered in Cologny,
636-592: A consequence of COVID-19." The Heartland Institute 's editorial director expressed concerns that President Joe Biden , elected in November 2020 , would "bring the Great Reset to the United States" and that "the country [would] never be the same." In December 2021, the Dutch government published its past correspondence with representatives of the World Economic Forum. The documents, which among others called for
742-457: A global elite was attempting to abolish private property while using COVID-19 to enslave humanity with vaccines. Great Reset conspiracy theories increased in intensity when leaders such as U.S. president Joe Biden , New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau incorporated ideas of a post-COVID-19 "reset" in their speeches. By mid-April 2020, against
848-647: A global health emergency 6 days later. The Global Water Initiative brings together diverse stakeholders such as Alcan Inc. , the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation , USAID India, UNDP India, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Government of Rajasthan , and the NEPAD Business Foundation to develop public-private partnerships on water management in South Africa and India. Reith Lectures The Reith Lectures
954-409: A greater role in policy for unrepresentative private businesses, particularly large multinational corporations , at the expense of government institutions. Other commentators attacked the scheme for fixating on the concept of education, health and vastly overestimating the ability of a group of decision-makers to bring about global change, or for promoting crony capitalism . The initiative triggered
1060-547: A little holographic sticker to add to your badge), or a senior journalist. An orange badge means you're just a run-of-the-mill working journalist." All plenary debates from the annual meeting also are available on YouTube while photographs are available on Flickr . Some 3,000 individual participants joined the 2020 annual meeting in Davos. Countries with the most attendees include the United States (674 participants),
1166-520: A member of a non-existent committee within the Liberal Party of Canada that leaked Canada's secret "COVID Global Reset Plan" to the QAnon -dedicated "Q Research" board on 8chan . By 17 November 2020, a short video of Trudeau's speech in which he described key points of the concept of an economic "reset" had gone viral, as it reignited fervor over the Great Reset conspiracy theory that had taken on
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#17327836711161272-731: A new life with the launching of the forum in May. By November 2020, Maxime Bernier , leader of the People's Party of Canada lamented on his webpage on 17 November that he was the only Canadian politician along with Pierre Poilievre and Colin Carrie , an MP, speaking up against the globalist threat with Trudeau as the "world's most prominent defender" of this Great Reset. Other critics included Canadian conservative political commentators such as Ezra Levant and Alberta's Premier at that time Jason Kenney . They claimed that Trudeau's rhetoric resembled that of
1378-598: A nonprofit organization based in Geneva and drew European business leaders to Davos for the annual meetings each January. The second European Management Forum in 1972 was the first meeting where a head of government featured as a speaker, Prime Minister Pierre Werner of Luxembourg . Events in 1973, including the collapse of the Bretton Woods fixed-exchange rate mechanism and the Yom Kippur War , saw
1484-488: A petition that gathered 70,000 signatures within three days on 20 November in which he cautioned that the Liberals were secretly planning on "re-engineer[ing] economies and societies to empower the elites at the expense of the people" to remodel Canada to Trudeau's alleged "socialist ideology". Poilievre used phrases from Trudeau's September speech to imply that Trudeau's statement that COVID-19 had "provided an opportunity for
1590-597: A platform for resolving international conflicts. In February 1971, Schwab invited 450 executives from Western European firms to the first European Management Symposium held in the Davos Congress Centre under the patronage of the European Commission and European industrial associations, where Schwab sought to introduce European firms to American management practices. He then founded the WEF as
1696-410: A potential 2030, as well as a 2016 WEF video in which the article was presented alongside other predictions for 2030 and summarized as " You'll own nothing. And you'll be happy. Whatever you want you'll rent and it'll be delivered by drone", as evidence of the Great Reset having malicious intent. An October 2020 article by Snopes traced the origins of a chain email posted on conspiracy forums from
1802-401: A proposal is a " false dilemma " and that "Schwab and Malleret whitewash a seemingly optimistic future post-Great Reset with buzz words like equity and sustainability even as they functionally jeopardize those admirable goals". "The Great Reset" was scheduled to be the theme of 2021 World Economic Forum summit in Davos, but this was postponed repeatedly to 2022. The 2022 Davos summit theme
1908-466: A range of diverse conspiracy theories spread by conservative commentators on social media such as YouTube , Tumblr , MySpace , Facebook and Twitter . Among the unsupported theories were the assertions that the COVID-19 pandemic was created by a secret group in order to seize control of the global economy, that lockdown restrictions were deliberately designed to induce economic meltdown, or that
2014-432: A reset on the way we deal with climate change , which, like the pandemic, is a global phenomenon. No one can "self-isolate" from climate change, so we all need to "act in advance and in solidarity". In his 2020 BBC Reith Lectures , Carney developed his theme of value hierarchies as related to three crises—credit, COVID and climate. According to a 15 May 2020 WEF article, COVID-19 offers an opportunity to "reset and reshape"
2120-563: A reset" to "reimagine economic systems that actually address global challenges like extreme poverty inequality and climate change ", was evidence that Trudeau was part of the great reset conspiracy theory, that had been circulating for some time. A 23 January 2021 Financial Times article said that policymakers around the world are anticipating President Biden's "reset on trade, tax and climate". Then President-elect Joe Biden had announced in November 2020, John Kerry would be appointed as U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate , and Kerry
2226-460: A situation were to occur. Such theories include claims that the COVID-19 pandemic was created by a secret group in order to seize control of the global economy, that lockdown restrictions were deliberately designed to induce economic meltdown, or that a global elite was attempting to abolish private property while using COVID-19 to enslave humanity with vaccines. According to a 22 November 2020 article as part of BBC's "Reality Check" series debunking
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#17327836711162332-471: A stock underperformance by the Davos participants of around −10% versus the S&;P 500 during the same year. Drivers are among others an overrepresentation of financial companies and an underrepresentation of fast-growing health care and information technology businesses at the conference. The Economist had found similar results in an earlier study, showing an underperformance of Davos participants against both
2438-428: A theme since 2003. "The Great Reset is merely the latest edition of this gilded tradition, barely distinguishable from earlier Davos Big Ideas." In his review of the 2020 book co-authored by Schwab and Malleret—and the Great Reset agenda in general—Ben Sixsmith, a contributor to The Spectator , said that the Great Reset was a set of "bad ideas...adopted internationally by some of the richest and most powerful people in
2544-668: Is "improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas". The foundation is mostly funded by its 1,000 member multi-national companies . The WEF is mostly known for its annual meeting at the end of January in Davos , a mountain resort in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland . The meeting brings together some 3,000 paying members and selected participants – among whom are investors, business leaders, political leaders, economists , celebrities and journalists – for up to five days to discuss global issues across 500 sessions. Aside from Davos,
2650-532: Is a series of annual BBC radio lectures given by leading figures of the day. They are commissioned by the BBC and broadcast on Radio 4 and the World Service . The lectures were inaugurated in 1948 to mark the historic contribution made to public service broadcasting by Lord Reith , the corporation's first director-general. Reith maintained that broadcasting should be a public service that aimed to enrich
2756-515: Is as serious and dangerous a threat to our prosperity – to your prosperity and your freedom – as we have faced in decades". The conspiracy theory has also been disseminated by Russian propaganda outlets. According to Oliver Kamm , in a 2020 article for the CapX website: "The propaganda apparatus of the Putin regime has for many months published wild allegations from obscure bloggers that the Great Reset
2862-558: Is code for oligarchs to amass wealth and control populations." In 2021, the British anti-disinformation organization Logically reported that the website The Exposé has promoted Great Reset conspiracy theories framed as breaking news since its establishment in November 2020. Great Reset conspiracy theories were a theme in the 2022 anti-vaccine film Died Suddenly which appeared on the Stew Peters Network channel on
2968-737: Is funded by its 1,000 member companies, typically global enterprises with more than five billion dollars in turnover (varying by industry and region). These enterprises rank among the top companies within their industry and/or country and play a leading role in shaping the future of their industry and/or region. Membership is stratified by the level of engagement with forum activities, with the level of membership fees increasing as participation in meetings, projects, and initiatives rises. In 2011, an annual membership cost $ 52,000 for an individual member, $ 263,000 for "Industry Partner" and $ 527,000 for "Strategic Partner". An admission fee costs $ 19,000 per person. In 2014, WEF raised annual fees by 20 percent, bringing
3074-730: Is guided by a board of trustees that is made up of leaders from business, politics, academia and civil society. As of 2024, the board of trustees is composed of: Queen Rania of Jordan , Mukesh D. Ambani , Ajay S. Banga , Marc Benioff , Peter Brabeck-Letmathe , Thomas Buberl , Laurence D. Fink , Chrystia Freeland , Orit Gadiesh , Kristalina Georgieva , Fabiola Gianotti , Al Gore , Andre Hoffmann , Paula Ingabire , Joe Kaeser , Christine Lagarde , Yo-Yo Ma , Patrice Motsepe , Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala , Lubna S. Olayan , David M. Rubenstein , Ulf Mark Schneider , Klaus Schwab , Tharman Shanmugaratnam , Jim Hagemann Snabe , Julie Sweet , Feike Sijbesma , Heizō Takenaka and Zhu Min . Members of
3180-408: Is in line with similar statements made on 28 May 2020, when Trudeau and Andrew Holness , Jamaica's Prime Minister, convened an online meeting of "world leaders and international organizations" to consult on a "global response to the significant economic and human impacts of COVID-19, and advance concrete solutions to the development emergency". In his August presentation entitled "The Great Reset", at
3286-401: Is the foundation board. The managing board is chaired by the WEF's president, Børge Brende , and acts as the executive body of the World Economic Forum. Managing board members are Børge Brende, Julien Gattoni, Jeremy Jurgens, Adrian Monck , Sarita Nayyar, Olivier M. Schwab, Saadia Zahidi , and Alois Zwinggi. The WEF is chaired by founder and executive chairman Professor Klaus Schwab and
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3392-478: The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a global initiative to fight epidemics, was launched at WEF in Davos. The internationally funded initiative aims at securing vaccine supplies for global emergencies and pandemics, and to research new vaccines for tropical diseases, that are now more menacing. The project is funded by private and governmental donors, with an initial investment of US$ 460m from
3498-520: The Commonwealth of Nations , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke regarding the Great Reset initiative. Trudeau said that the Commonwealth, of which Canada is a member country, provides a space for "dialogue and collective action on global issues related to sustainable development" which includes how to "build back stronger, more resilient, and greener economies" in a post-COVID-19 world. This
3604-482: The Global Enabling Trade Report (2008) presented a cross-country analysis of the large number of measures facilitating trade among nations. The "Risk Response Network" produces a yearly report assessing risks which are deemed to be within the scope of these teams, have cross-industry relevance, are uncertain, have the potential to cause upwards of US$ 10 billion in economic damage, have
3710-744: The Global Gender Gap Report examined critical areas of inequality between men and women; the Global Risks Report (2006) assessed key global risks; the Global Travel and Tourism Report (2007) measured travel and tourism competitiveness; the Financial Development Report (2008) aimed to provide a comprehensive means for countries to establish benchmarks for various aspects of their financial systems and establish priorities for improvement; and
3816-706: The Internet of Things , autonomous vehicles , 3-D printing , nanotechnology , biotechnology , materials science , energy storage and quantum computing ." Just before the 2016 annual WEF meeting of the Global Future Councils, Ida Auken , a Danish MP who was also a young global leader and a member of the Council on Cities and Urbanization, wrote an article that was uploaded to the official WEF website and later republished by Forbes in which she imagined how technology could improve our lives by 2030 if
3922-623: The New World Order conspiracy theory. Ben Sixsmith wrote that the conspiracy theory had been spread by "fringes of Right-Wing Twitter", as well as by Australia's One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson (a "socialist left Marxist view of the world") and UK conservative writer James Delingpole (a "global communist takeover plan"). However, Sixsmith observed the WEF's partners include such capitalist enterprises as Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, IBM, IKEA, Lockheed Martin , Ericsson and Deloitte. Many detractors commonly cite Ida Auken's article on
4028-519: The Rumble website. Series of books by Klaus Schwab and Thierry Mallaret published by WEF's imprint. World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum ( WEF ) is an international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank , based in Cologny , Canton of Geneva , Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer Klaus Schwab . The foundation's stated mission
4134-660: The United Kingdom (270), Switzerland (159), Germany (137) and India (133). Among the attendees were heads of state or government, cabinet ministers, ambassadors, and heads or senior officials of international organizations, including: Sanna Marin ( prime minister of Finland ), Ursula von der Leyen ( president of the European Commission ), Christine Lagarde ( ECB president ), Greta Thunberg ( climate activist ), Ren Zhengfei ( Huawei Technologies founder ), Kristalina Georgieva ( managing director of
4240-664: The World Economic Forum Great Reset in related news articles. In April 2020, the New Zealand Finance Minister Grant Robertson discussed a wellbeing focused post COVID "Recovery Budget" and an opportunity for an economical reset. Other initiatives promoted by the pair include an Artificial Intelligence drive in New Zealand related to the WEF "Globalization 4.0" initiatives to shape a global architecture in
4346-854: The globalization , capital markets, wealth management, international conflicts, environmental problems and their possible solutions). The participants also take part in role playing events, such as the Investment Heat Map. Informal winter meetings may have led to as many ideas and solutions as the official sessions. At the 2018 annual meeting, more than 3,000 participants from nearly 110 countries participated in over 400 sessions. Participation included more than 340 public figures, including more than 70 heads of state and government and 45 heads of international organizations; 230 media representatives and almost 40 cultural leaders were represented. As many as 500 journalists from online, print, radio, and television take part, with access to all sessions in
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4452-460: The "Liberal World Order" or "Global Liberal Order", can also refer to a conspiracy theory called by the same name. Schwab wrote the preface to a 2010 report of the World Economic Forum's "Global Redesign Initiative", which postulates that a globalized world is best managed by stronger multinational institutions. In 2019, WEF conducted a simulated Global pandemic called " Event 201 " where world leaders discussed what actions would be taken if such
4558-541: The 1994 annual meeting, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat reached a draft agreement on Gaza and Jericho . After 9/11, the WEF was held in the U.S., in New York City, for the first time. And in January 2003, U.S. Secretary of State Powell went to the forum to drum up sympathy for the global war on terrorism and the U.S.'s impending invasion of Iraq. In October 2004,
4664-594: The Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Naomi Klein , in a December 2020 article in The Intercept , described the WEF idea as a "Great Reset Conspiracy Smoothie." She said that it was simply a "coronavirus-themed rebranding" of things that the WEF was already doing and that it was an attempt by the rich to make themselves look good. Klein wrote that Schwab had given each meeting at Davos
4770-507: The BBC, and The Guardian traced the spread of the latest conspiracy theory on the Great Reset, which had integrated anti-lockdown conspiracies, to internet personalities and groups, including Candace Owens , Glenn Beck , Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham , Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson , and Paul Joseph Watson , the UK-based editor of Alex Jones ' website Infowars , where he advanced
4876-496: The COVID-19 crisis; response, recovery and reset. For the near term it involves response. In the medium term this involves "rebuilding economic and social activity in a manner that protects public health, promotes societal healing and preserves the environment". The reset is for systems over the long term of establishing through our "collective imagination" a great reset; a "new equilibrium among political, economic, social and environmental systems toward common goals". Klaus Schwab used
4982-498: The Great Reset Dialogues, John Kerry and other members of a WEF dialogue discussed how to rebuild the "social contract" in a post-COVID world. In a comment according to Charles III (then Prince of Wales), the economic recovery must put the world on a path to sustainability, which would include carbon pricing . He emphasized that the private sector would be the main drivers of the plan. The market should adapt to
5088-498: The Great Reset conspiracy theories through Twitter—Conservative leadership candidates Poilievre and Leslyn Lewis quell the distrust by admitting that "there is no such cabal". In September 2022, CBC News tracked the spread of related disinformation and conspiracy theories in Canada. On 13 December 2020, Australian advertising executive Rowan Dean promoted the conspiracy theory on Sky News Australia , claiming that "This Great Reset
5194-619: The Great Reset conspiracy. Conservative Spencer Fernando stated that, "We want our lives to get back to normal... Instead they offer only more fear, more control, more centralization, and a reshaping of our lives and our economy without even asking us." When Poilievre circulated a petition to "Stop the Reset", Le Devoir headlined an article saying that the Conservative Party was embracing conspiracy theories. The Toronto Star editorial board criticized Poilievre for "giving oxygen" to
5300-425: The Great Reset. The first includes creating conditions for a "stakeholder economy"; improving policies and agreements on taxes, regulations, fiscal policies and trade to result in "fairer outcomes". The second component addresses how the large-scale pandemic spending programs with private investments and pension funds could improve on the old system by building one that is more "resilient, equitable and sustainable" over
5406-647: The Great Reset: creating conditions for a " stakeholder economy "; building in a more "resilient, equitable, and sustainable" way, utilising environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics; and "harnessing the innovations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution ." In a speech introducing the initiative, International Monetary Fund director Kristalina Georgieva listed three key aspects of a sustainable response to COVID-19: green growth , smarter growth, and fairer growth. "The Great Reset"
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#17327836711165512-522: The IMF ), Deepika Padukone ( Bollywood actress ), George Soros ( investor ), and Donald Trump ( president of the United States ). An analysis by The Economist from 2014 found that the vast majority of participants are male and more than 50 years old. Careers in business account for most of the participants' backgrounds (1,595 conference attendees), with the remaining seats shared between government (364), NGOs (246) and press (234). Academia, which had been
5618-777: The MSCI World Index and the S&P 500 between 2009 and 2014. In 2007, the foundation established the Annual Meeting of the New Champions (also called Summer Davos), held annually in China, alternating between Dalian and Tianjin , bringing together 1,500 participants from what the foundation calls Global Growth Companies, primarily from rapidly growing emerging countries such as China, Russia, Mexico , and Brazil , but also including quickly growing companies from developed countries . The meeting also engages with
5724-464: The Middle East. The mix of hosting countries varies from year to year, but consistently China and India have hosted throughout the decade since 2000. The group of Young Global Leaders consists of 800 people chosen by the WEF organizers as being representative of contemporary leadership. After five years of participation they are considered alumni. The program has received controversy when Schwab,
5830-550: The Netherlands to take the lead in implementing the Great Reset, were officially made available by the Dutch government. In January 2019, at a World Economic Forum "Safeguarding Our Planet" panel discussion alongside world leaders and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough , New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern discussed her government's "Wellbeing Budget" and planned environmental changes. These initiatives have been linked to
5936-571: The Opposition as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada since 24 August 2020, wrote in a 21 November tweet, "It's hard to believe anyone would look at the carnage caused by COVID-19 and see an opportunity". The message was that "Conservatives want to bring back economic certainty" while Liberals want to "reimagine the economy", which O'Toole described as "a massive and risky experiment". The Post said that Poilievre had launched
6042-507: The UN's Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. The media responded to accusations made by Conservative finance critic MP Pierre Poilievre that Trudeau, who had used the term "reset" in his September UN speech, was "harbouring a very ambitious hidden agenda — not just for Canada but for the world", by saying that the WEF agenda is published on its website. Erin O'Toole , who has been the Leader of
6148-471: The United Nations sustainable development goals (SDG) were realized through this fusion of technologies. In the scenario presented by Auken, the emergence and application of new digitized technologies to sectors such as communication, energy, transportation, and accommodation would result in greater access and decreased cost (ultimately leading to a complete elimination of cost), eventually leading to
6254-620: The Victoria Forum 2020, the Governor of the Bank of Canada described how COVID-19 is resulting in a "structural shock with broad impact worldwide". He said that governments, investors in the corporate and financial sector—including central banks, and individuals households, need to evaluate risks and prepare for transitions. He recommended the use of scenario analysis, as a way of describing possible and plausible outcomes as we are faced with
6360-695: The WEF also has offices in New York, Beijing and Tokyo. In January 2015, it was designated an NGO with "other international body" status by the Swiss Federal Government under the Swiss Host-State Act. On 10 October 2016, the WEF announced the opening of its new Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco. According to the WEF, the center will "serve as a platform for interaction, insight and impact on
6466-578: The WEF is food security including the "risk of disruptions to food supply chains", and the need for "global policy coordination" to prevent "food protectionism from becoming the post-pandemic new normal". In her 3 June 2020 keynote address opening the Great Reset forum, a joint initiative of the WEC and then Prince of Wales Charles , Kristalina Georgieva , Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that there has been
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#17327836711166572-402: The WEF since 1998. The invitation was accepted. However, WEF revoked the invitation on 13 January 2016, after the 6 January 2016 North Korean nuclear test , and the country's attendance was made subject to "existing and possible forthcoming sanctions". Despite protests by North Korea calling the decision by the WEF managing board a "sudden and irresponsible" move, the WEF committee maintained
6678-527: The World Economic Forum gained attention through the resignation of its CEO and executive director José María Figueres over the undeclared receipt of more than US$ 900,000 in consultancy fees from the French telecommunications firm Alcatel . Transparency International highlighted this incident in their Global Corruption Report two years later in 2006. In January 2006, the WEF published an article in its Global Agenda magazine titled "Boycott Israel", which
6784-406: The annual meeting expand its focus from management to economic and social issues, and, for the first time, political leaders were invited to the annual meeting in January 1974. Through the forum's first decade, it maintained a playful atmosphere, with many members skiing and participating in evening events. Appraising the 1981 event, one attendee noted that "the forum offers a delightful vacation on
6890-485: The backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic , the COVID-19 recession , the 2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war and the resulting "collapse in oil prices", the former Governor of the Bank of England , Mark Carney , described possible fundamental changes in an article in The Economist . Carney said that in a post-COVID world "stakeholder capitalism" will be tested as "companies will be judged by "what they did during
6996-423: The basis of the first annual conference in 1971, had been marginalised to the smallest participant group (183 attendees). Next to individual participants, the World Economic Forum maintains a dense network of corporate partners that can apply for different partnership ranks within the forum. For 2019, Bloomberg has identified a total of 436 listed corporates that participated in the annual meeting while measuring
7102-860: The board of trustees (past or present) include: Al Gore , Herman Gref , André Hoffmann , Carlos Ghosn , Christine Lagarde , Chrystia Freeland , David Rubenstein , Ernesto Zedillo , Fabiola Gianotti , Feike Sijbesma , Heizō Takenaka , Indra Nooyi , Jack Ma , Jim Hagemann Snabe , José Ángel Gurría , Josef Ackermann , Klaus Schwab , Kofi Annan , Laurence Fink , Leo Rafael Reif , Luis Alberto Moreno , Marc Benioff , Mark Carney , Maurice Lévy , Michael Dell , Mukesh Ambani , Muriel Pénicaud , Niall FitzGerald , Orit Gadiesh , Peter Brabeck-Letmathe , Peter Maurer , Queen Rania of Jordan , Rajat Gupta , Susan Hockfield , Tharman Shanmugaratnam , Tony Blair , Mark Schneider , Ursula von der Leyen , Yo-Yo Ma , Zhu Min , Ivan Pictet, Joseph P. Schoendorf Peter D. Sutherland and Victor L. L. Chu.. The foundation
7208-469: The concept of a "Fourth Industrial Revolution" in a 2015 article published by Foreign Affairs , and in 2016, the theme of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, was "Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution". In his 2015 article, Schwab said that the first Industrial Revolution was powered by "water and steam" to "mechanize production". Through electrical power,
7314-800: The conspiracy theory, with some suggesting his post was related to a possible federal election. A May 2022 article in The Globe and Mail said that "WEF conspiracy theory" was being spread to "Canada's main streets" and was brought up during the leadership race of the Conservative Party of Canada. When Schwab "brags" about Canadian politicians' connections to the WEF, this feeds into "theories of cabals". In 2021, when Schwab said that "half of Canada's cabinet were Young Global Leaders" —including Calgary Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner —conspiracy theorists interpreted that to mean that Canadian cabinet ministers are "minions" controlled by Schwab. The article called on politicians in Canada who had been "flirting" with
7420-521: The cost for "Strategic Partner" from CHF 500,000 ($ 523,000) to CHF 600,000 ($ 628,000). The flagship event of the World Economic Forum is the invitation-only annual meeting held at the end of January in Davos, Switzerland, bringing together chief executive officers from its 1,000 member companies, as well as selected politicians, representatives from academia , NGOs , religious leaders, and the media in an alpine environment. The winter discussions ostensibly focus around key issues of global concern (such as
7526-451: The cost of privacy. In response, Auken added an author's note in which she said that the article merely represented a potential future scenario rather than any personal utopia of her own and that it was intended to "start a discussion about some of the pros and cons of the current technological development" in a way that she claimed conventional reports could not, while the article itself was renamed to "Here's how life could change in my city by
7632-476: The current reality by aiming for fairer results, ensuring that investments are aimed at mutual progress including accelerating ecologically friendly investments, and to start a fourth industrial revolution, creating digital economic and public infrastructure. According to Schwab, they would not change the economic system, but rather improve it to what he considers to be "responsible capitalism". The Brookings Institution described this three-point plan in response to
7738-582: The end of "lifestyle diseases, climate change , the refugee crisis, environmental degradation , completely congested cities, water pollution, air pollution, social unrest and unemployment" as well as other early 21st century crises. By the scenario's 2030 endpoint, anything that had once been a product was now a freely available service, obviating any need for personal ownership of goods or real estate. The article, originally titled "Welcome to 2030. I own nothing, have no privacy, and life has never been better", has been criticized as portraying an unrealistic utopia at
7844-473: The exclusion because "under these circumstances there would be no opportunity for international dialogue". In 2017, the WEF in Davos attracted considerable attention when, for the first time, a head of state from the People's Republic of China was present at the alpine resort. With the backdrop of Brexit , an incoming protectionist US administration and significant pressures on free trade zones and trade agreements , Paramount leader Xi Jinping defended
7950-420: The expense account." Political leaders soon began to use the annual meeting as venue for promoting their interests. The Davos Declaration was signed in 1988 by Greece and Turkey , helping them turn back from the brink of war. In 1992, South African President F. W. de Klerk met with Nelson Mandela and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi at the annual meeting, their first joint appearance outside South Africa. At
8056-469: The first half of 2022 instead with a final location and date to be determined later in 2021. In late December 2021, the World Economic Forum said in a release that pandemic conditions had made it extremely difficult to stage a global in-person meeting the following month; transmissibility of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and its impact on travel and mobility had made deferral necessary, with
8162-508: The foundation's regional meetings and the annual meetings where they may meet chief executives and senior government officials. At the annual meeting 2003, for example, Jeroo Billimoria met with Roberto Blois, deputy secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union , an encounter that produced a key partnership for her organization Child helpline international . The foundation also acts as
8268-571: The founder, admitted to "penetrat[ing]" governments with Young Global Leaders. He added that as of 2017 "more than half" of Justin Trudeau's Cabinet had been members of the program. Since 2000, the WEF has been promoting models developed by those in close collaboration with the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship , highlighting social entrepreneurship as a key element to advance societies and address social problems. Selected social entrepreneurs are invited to participate in
8374-441: The global economic scheme, and portrayed China as a responsible nation and a leader for environmental causes. He sharply rebuked the current populist movements that would introduce tariffs and hinder global commerce, warning that such protectionism could foster isolation and reduced economic opportunity. In 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the keynote speech, becoming the first head of government from India to deliver
8480-521: The governments of Germany, Japan and Norway, plus the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. Between 21 and 24 January 2020, at the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak , CEPI met with leaders from Moderna to establish plans for a COVID-19 vaccine at the Davos gathering, with a total global case number of 274 and total loss of life the virus at 16. The WHO declared
8586-499: The inaugural keynote for the annual plenary at Davos. Modi highlighted global warming (climate change), terrorism and protectionism as the three major global challenges, and expressed confidence that they can be tackled with collective effort. In 2019, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gave the keynote address at the plenary session of the conference. On his first international trip to Davos, he emphasized liberal economic policies despite his populist agenda, and attempted to reassure
8692-422: The intellectual and cultural life of the nation. It is in this spirit that the BBC each year invites a leading figure to deliver the lectures. The aim is to advance public understanding and debate about issues of contemporary interest. The first Reith lecturer was the philosopher and later Nobel laureate , Bertrand Russell . The first female lecturer was Dame Margery Perham in 1961. The youngest Reith lecturer
8798-422: The long term by "building green urban infrastructure and creating incentives for industries to improve their track record on environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics". The third component of a Great Reset agenda is to "harness the innovations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution" for the public good. A July 2020 non-fiction by Schwab and economist Thierry Malleret develops the plan in more detail. In one of
8904-461: The meeting in Davos eventually rescheduled for 22 to 26 May 2022. Topics in the 2022 annual meeting included the Russian invasion of Ukraine , climate change, energy insecurity and inflation . Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a special address at the meeting, thanking the global community for its efforts but also calling for more support. The 2022 Forum was marked by the absence of
9010-525: The next generation of global leaders from fast-growing regions and competitive cities, as well as technology pioneers from around the globe. The Premier of China has delivered a plenary address at each annual meeting. Every year regional meetings take place, enabling close contact among corporate business leaders, local government leaders, and NGOs. Meetings are held in Africa, East Asia, Latin America, and
9116-416: The official program, some of which are also webcast . Not all the journalists are given access to all areas, however. This is reserved for white badge holders. "Davos runs an almost caste-like system of badges", according to BBC journalist Anthony Reuben. "A white badge means you're one of the delegates – you might be the chief executive of a company or the leader of a country (although that would also get you
9222-486: The organization convenes regional conferences. It produces a series of reports, engages its members in sector-specific initiatives and provides a platform for leaders from selected stakeholder groups to collaborate on projects and initiatives. The World Economic Forum and its annual meeting in Davos have received criticism over the years, including allegations of the organization's corporate capture of global and democratic institutions, institutional whitewashing initiatives,
9328-685: The potential to cause major human suffering, and which require a multi-stakeholder approach for mitigation. In 2020, the forum published a report entitled Nature Risk Rising: Why the Crisis Engulfing Nature Matters for Business and the Economy . In this report the forum estimated that approximately half of global GDP is highly or moderately dependent on nature (the same as IPBES 's 2019 assessment report ). The report also found that 1 dollar spent on nature restoration yields 9 dollars in economic benefits. On 19 January 2017
9434-604: The public cost of security, the organization's tax-exempt status, unclear decision processes and membership criteria, a lack of financial transparency, and the environmental footprint of its annual meetings. The WEF was founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab , a business professor at the University of Geneva . First named the European Management Forum , it changed its name to the World Economic Forum in 1987 and sought to broaden its vision to include providing
9540-407: The right digital skills". Political leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau , U.S. President Joe Biden and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have endorsed the idea of "building back better", as has former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson . In an 11 June 2020 meeting with the then Prince of Wales Charles III and Permanent Representatives to the United Nations from
9646-586: The scientific and technological changes that are changing the way we live, work and relate to one another". The World Economic Forum declares that it is impartial and that it is not tied to any political, partisan , or national interests. Until 2012, it had observer status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council ; it is under the supervision of the Swiss Federal Council . The foundation's highest governance body
9752-514: The second industrial revolution introduced mass production. Electronics and information technologies automated the production process in the third industrial revolution. In the fourth industrial revolution the lines between "physical, digital and biological spheres" have become blurred and this current revolution, which began with the digital revolution in the mid-1990s, is "characterized by a fusion of technologies". This fusion of technologies included "fields such as artificial intelligence , robotics ,
9858-515: The theory, those spreading the Great Reset conspiracy theory claim, without evidence, that a "group of world leaders orchestrated the pandemic to take control of the global economy". A November 2020 article in The Daily Beast said that even before Biden became president, his "incoming White House already ha[d] its first conspiracy theory to deal with"—the Great Reset conspiracy theory. Mainstream media outlets such as The New York Times ,
9964-417: The timing was right to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies and introduce carbon pricing to incentivize future investments. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to shape an economic recovery and the future direction of global relations, economies and priorities. In June 2020, Klaus Schwab, who founded the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 1971 and is currently its CEO, described the three core components of
10070-596: The top-ranking global risks expressed by WEF attendees. On June 13, 2019, the WEF and the United Nations signed a "Strategic Partnership Framework" in order to "jointly accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ." The 2021 World Economic Forum was due to be held from 17 to 20 August in Singapore . However, on 17 May the Forum was cancelled; with a new meeting to take place in
10176-418: The war", how they treated their employees, suppliers and customers, by who shared and who hoarded." The "gulf between what markets value and what people value" will close. "In a post-COVID world, it is reasonable to expect that more people will want improvements in risk management, in social and medical safety nets, and will want more attention paid to scientific experts. This new hierarchy of values will call for
10282-503: The world in a way that is more aligned with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), as climate change , inequality and poverty gained even greater urgency during the pandemic. This includes resetting labour markets, as more people work remotely speeding up the process of the "future of work". The reset will advance work already begun to prepare for the transition to the Fourth Industrial Revolution by upskilling and reskilling workers. Another post-COVID concern raised by
10388-480: The world that Brazil is a protector of the rain forest while utilizing its resources for food production and export. He stated that "his government will seek to better integrate Brazil into the world by mainstreaming international best practices, such as those adopted and promoted by the OECD ". Environmental concerns like extreme weather events, and the failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation were among
10494-618: The world". 63% of CEOs believe that "AI will have a larger impact than the Internet." During 2020, the Great Reset Dialogues resulted in multi-year projects, such as the digital transformation programme where cross-industry stakeholders investigate how the 2020 "dislocative shock" had increased and "accelerated digital transformations". Their report said that, while "digital ecosystems will represent more than $ 60 trillion in revenue by 2025", "only 9% of executives [in July 2020] say their leaders have
10600-535: The world". Sixsmith described sections of the book as "earnest", glum, dutiful and bland. Ending with "The Great Reset might be all the more terrifying for not being a sinister plot." Similarly, in his review in the Journal of Value Inquiry of COVID-19: The Great Reset , ethicist Steven Umbrello makes parallel critiques of the agenda. He says that the agenda amounts to nothing other than "a substantial (if not complete) socio-political-economic overhaul" and that such
10706-541: The year 2030". Both versions of the article describe the loss of privacy as undesirable. While the "interest in Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies" had "spiked" during the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer than 9% of companies were using machine learning, robotics, touch screens and other advanced technologies. An 21 October 2020 WEF virtual panel discussed how organizations could harness fourth revolution technologies. On 28 January 2021, Davos Agenda virtual panel discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) will "fundamentally change
10812-476: Was Colin Blakemore , who was 32 in 1976 when he broadcast over six episodes on the brain and consciousness. In June 2011 BBC Radio 4 published its Reith Lectures archive. This included two podcasts featuring over 240 lectures from 1948 to the present day as well as streamed online audio, and the complete written transcripts of the entire Reith Lectures archive: The BBC found that some of the audio archive of
10918-578: Was "History at a Turning Point", and it was dominated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine . According to the Transnational Institute (TNI), the WEF is planning to replace a recognised democratic model with a model where a self-selected group of "stakeholders" make decisions on behalf of the people. The think tank summarises that we are increasingly entering a world where gatherings such as Davos are "a silent global coup d'état " to capture governance. The term "Great Reset", also known as
11024-421: Was confirmed in this position on inauguration day, 20 January 2021. Kerry had participated in one of the Great Reset Dialogues on how to rebuild the "social contract" in a post-COVID world. Kerry said that COVID-19 offered a "big moment" that opened the possibility for the Great Reset. He said the WEF would play a significant role in refining how to respond to climate change and inequalities that were "laid bare as
11130-404: Was distributed to all 2,340 participants of the annual meeting. Following the publication, Klaus Schwab described the publication as "an unacceptable failure in the editorial process". In late 2015, the invitation was extended to include a North Korean delegation for the 2016 WEF, "in view of positive signs coming out of the country", the WEF organizers noted. North Korea has not been attending
11236-475: Was the theme of the 2021 World Economic Forum annual summit in Davos, Switzerland , scheduled for January 2021. Due to disruption from COVID-19, the summit was postponed to May 2021, and again to 2022. The Davos 2022 theme was "History at a Turning Point", and the Russian invasion of Ukraine dominated the summit. The Great Reset Initiative, and the World Economic Forum more generally, have been criticised by some commentators for promoting economic deregulation and
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