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Podcast: Klaus Schwab shares his views on this year's Annual Meeting

Klaus Schwab is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. I had the pleasure to share a few minutes with Klaus and talk about the highlights of this year's Annual Meeting as well as how Klaus views blogging and podcasting in Davos. Klaus Schwab World Economic Forum achievements are recognised with an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II and he is awarded a 'Knight Commander of Most Noble Order of St. Michael and St. George' by Jack Straw, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom. Thank you for letting the blogging happen this year again during the Annual Meeting !

Podcast: George Soros, a brief conversation

A brief conversation with George Soros after his press conference, we talk about France, Europe, and why he wanted to share a negative vision about the US in Davos.

Podcast: George Soros on the US Economy decline

George Soros shares with us why he is so worried about the US and answers the questions of the press on his vision of the world.

CELEBRITY BLOG - Gillian Caldwell

OK so today is the celebrity blog, because I spent the last 24 hours being with and thinking about "celebrities" and the complexities of their engagement in the issues we work on.  As I mentioned, Peter Gabriel is our founder and we are truly blessed to have such a humble, imaginative, smart and generous soul on our side. WITNESS was his idea and his involvement has been critical to our creation and continued existence. 

When Peter arrives in Davos, we tend to pal around together because I like him ... and because the more time I spend with him, the more opportunity I can generate for our work and for the human rights organizations and issues we are trying to get focus on -- issues like slavery in Brazil, child soldiers in the Congo, educational desegration in Bulgaria, the militarization of the US-Mexico border etc. 

I met Angelina Jolie (Angie) last year with Peter, and she has since become involved in our work. We caught up yesterday and I met her partner Brad Pitt (as if I had to tell you, but I hold out some lifeless hope that the BBC audience is a little less consumer-culture oriented?). Anyway, Angie and Brad are here, genuninely committed to learning and to trying to improve the state of the world. It's frustrating for me, knowing Angie personally and having seen first hand how hard she works on a range of issues, to see people dismiss celebrity engagement as superficial, or worse yet a play for positive media attention. The challenge of working with her or anyone at the megastar level is that you simply can't predict or control what the press will choose to focus on. For example, even when they promised us interviews focused on the issue of Sierra Leone at our December benefit in NY, the exclusive focus of the coverage was on whether or not she was pregnant ... and it appears all they were really after was a shot of her midrift!  Its frankly appalling with all that's going on the world and I think the press should stop underestimating their audience and start realizing that Angie's enormous fan base actually does care what she has to say, for good reason.

Some high profile people may dabble, but many others are well served by focused, informed engagement which gets pressing issues to a massive global audience. BONO is a perfect example. He spoke today on a panel titled "What's Next for Africa" with the President of Nigeria and the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown of Britain amongst others. BONO is brilliant, funny, tactical, and he knows his issues of debt relief and trade inside and out. (By the way, in response to recent complaints that he shouldn't have accepted the red card from American Express' offer of 1% of sales in Britain contributed to the causes he is involved in, he is reported to have said "we're not endorsing them - they are endorsing us!")

I'm not the type of person to go running around after celebrities and perhaps that's why I am getting along well with a couple of them. If they're committed, I've got plenty of time. Otherwise, I can't be bothered.

It was funny meeting Michael Douglas last night though - he is receiving a Crystal Award for his work on handgun control and nuclear proliferation. Being just as media-saturated as the next red blooded American, I confessed that all I could think about when I looked at him was that boiling bunny (for those of you recall Fatal Attraction). Anyway, we got passed that and I talked the poor man's ear off for a while about US foreign policy ... and asked him what fed his soul, which is always of interest to me as my staff will tell you.

And, to conclude my musings on celebrity, I was approached on my way through the metal detector just now by a man I had never met before (Danny Quah from the London School of Economics) who said "Oh, Ms. Caldwell, I love your BBC blog!" I was amazed and responded to say I was rushing to write another entry just now on celebrity -- and that his introduction was giving me my first personal insight into the genre!

PS I forgot to mention that I got Peter signed up to be the Muscial Director for Mel Young's Homeless World Cup which will being teams of homeless people together from more than 40 countries in South Africa in September (he wont be paid to do it of course). And I had a good conversation with Gavin Newsome, the Mayor of San Francisco who said he is absolutely committed to transforming the city's juvenile justice system this year and has already allocated the money to do it! This has been a big partnership I have been working on with our colleagues at Books Not Bars www.booksnotbars.org. You can see excerpts of the video we co-produced called System Failure at www.witness.org.

PS I second Nanik's complaint that there is not enough food for vegetarians around here.

Containing a global pandemic ?

(session podcasted with authorization from the speakers and the WEF media team)

This session was extremely informative on most questions that we all have about bird flu and pandemic viruses. It is really worth listening to if you are interested in these topics. The room was packed, it has been one of the most popular sessions in Davos this year.

With confirmed cases in Turkey, the menace of a potential bird flu pandemic has raised questions about the ability of the international community and national governments to respond to a severe global health crisis.

1) Can the global community adequately prepare for a global pandemic, and how ?
2) Who should take the lead and where can collaboration bear most fruit ?
3) What steps can companies take to protect their employees and activities when it comes to a health crisis ?

Speakers:
Ira Flatow, executive Producer and Host, Science Friday, National public radio, USA
Anthony S. Fauci, Director, National Institue of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA
David Nabarro, UN System Senior Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, United Nations, New York
Elena Salgado, Minister of Health of Spain
David Stout, President, Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline

-Loic Le Meur

Podcast: Frederick Kempe, the Wall Street Journal

Frederick Kempe, the Wall Street Journal.

Gillian Caldwell met with Monica Seles today

We met Monica Seles and the CEO of the Women's Tennis Association early this morning and played some tennis. I felt pretty good about it until Peter said it was like a cat playing with three mice. I guess she was taking it easy on us. Then we rushed to a Reuters-sponsored skiing venture and managed to stagger our way down a few slopes and through a giant slolom course (I took a spectacular spill at high speeds). Then rushed again for press which we are just wrapping up - CNN and Business Week. As I said to Peter, every day is grueling in its own way here! I feel like I am about to faint. But its been terrific and I think I am now a fully addicted blogger. Need to rush again...to the train for Zurich. Thanks for sticking with me!

-Gillian Caldwell

Podcast: Beatrice Dautresme, L'Oreal

Beatrice Dautresme comments the challenges of gloablization for a company like L'Oreal.

Podcast: Shelby Bonnie, CEO of CNET Networks

Shelby Bonnie gives us his impressions of this year's annual meeting.

Qin Min's reports on China and India

China and India are no doubt this year's highlight. I went to a workshop today for a scenario-based discussion on business prospects in these two Asian giants for the next 20 years. The views expressed on China interested me a lot.

According to most participants, IPR protection is one of the biggest concerns for western businesses in China. Interestingly, the scenario designer is no optimist either, as a reasonably quick fix of IPR is absent in even the best scenario case for China.

I totally agree on the importance and urgency of the IPR issue. In a sense, you can never overemphasize it. Piracy and counterfeiting are counterproductive not only commercially--as they cost lawful business money, but also strategically--as they may cost China its image and credibility. At the commercial level, those violators do not make distinction between foreign and domestic IPRs, which also harms the interests of China's domestic businesses. In short, IPR abuse is NOT in China's interest.

However, I cannot reconcile myself with the seemingly prevalent gloomy mood in the room. It is precisely out of recognition of the gravity and urgency of this issue that the Chinese government has acted in a very determined and almost ruthless fashion against IPR violation. The political will is there, and there is real improvement on the ground. Check the newspapers and you will be surprised at the large numbers of piracy factories being stormed and IPR pirates prosecuted every day in China. After the compulsory introduction of copyrighted software in the government, now the campaign is extending to the corporate sector.

The IPR issue is a complicated one, as it involves not only enforcement but also education and broader matters such as economic development and social inclusion. Moreover, given China's size, it is no easy job for any government to ensure the same forceful implemention in each and every province or city. But let's have confidence in China. With a right attitude and cooperative approach on the part of western businesses and governments, I believe there will be an even quicker solution of IPR problems in China.

Task for now? Let's do it!