Forum announces news class of Young Global Leaders

The World Economic Forum has announced the names of 197 people from 72 countries who are to join the Forum of Young Global Leaders in 2010. Each year the Forum of Young Global Leaders recognizes up to 200 outstanding leaders who are under the age of 40 for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

For 2010 the Forum has selected 197 Young Global Leaders from 72 countries and all stakeholders of society (business, societal, social entrepreneurs, political&government, arts&culture, and opinion&media).

The new class represents all regions: East Asia (43), South Asia (21), Europe (46), Middle East and North Africa (14), sub-Saharan Africa (17), North America (38), and Latin America (18) and this year’s selection has more gender parity than ever with 38% women.

Drawn from a pool of almost 5,000 candidates, the Young Global Leaders 2010 were chosen by a selection committee, chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, comprised of eminent international media leaders.

The Young Global Leaders 2010 reflect regional and stakeholder diversity. They include Agatha Sangma, Minister of State - Rural Development (from India), Roger Federer, Professional Tennis Player (from Switzerland), Evan Williams, CEO, Twitter (from the USA), Kimmie Weeks, Executive Director, Youth Action International (from Liberia), Nathalie van Ypersele, Editor-in-Chief, Trends-Tendances (from Belgium), Mandla Mandela, Member of Parliament of the South African National Congress (from South Africa), Wyclef Jean, Singer and Founder, Yélé Haiti Foundation (from Haiti), Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, Chief Executive Officer, Vestergaard Frandsen (from Denmark), Hidetoshi Nakata, Chairman, Take Action Foundation (from Japan), Nabil Alyousuf, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dubai School of Government (from the United Arab Emirates) among others. 

The 2010 honourees will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders community that currently comprises 660 outstanding individuals. The Young Global Leaders meet annually and this year’s summit will be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2-7 May. It is the first time a summit will take place in Africa and it will also be the largest gathering of the community.

The group gathers at other World Economic Forum meetings throughout the year. These events enable Young Global Leaders to build a strong and diverse community, to engender a better understanding of the global and regional agendas and to join projects to tackle specific challenges of public interest. One example is the www.redesignourworld.com initiative which encompasses health, economic, education and governance projects.

Nominate a potential Young Global Leader for 2011 on our website or leave a comment below.

Comments

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It is truly exciting to be able to contribute to a multicultural dialogue, tackling the key challenges and opportunities of tomorrow’s world,” said Nathalie van Ypersele, Editor-in-Chief of Trends-Tendances, the leading weekly business magazine in Belgium. “It is only through joint reflection and ambition that we can create the future we most desire.

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The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a foundation in 1971 and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests.

[David Aikman]

Dear Mrs. Charles, Dear Suranimala Kulatilaka (Serendib),

Thank you for the elements which you shared, which seem to indicate a dispute between Mr. Wanni and yourselves over the control of the Horizon Lanka Foundation.

Having reviewed the elements we find that we are not able to judge the respective merits of either party in this dispute, nor do we believe that we are the appropriate forum in which to do so.

The World Economic Forum must maintain our institutional independence and absolute neutrality. We do not want to get drawn into a conflict that has nothing to do with us nor be a party to any of these dealings whatsoever.

We have therefore suspended Mr. Wanni’s membership as a Young Global Leader until such time as this situation is resolved and these disputes are settled.

Sincerely,

David S. Aikman,
Head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders,
Senior Director, World Economic Forum

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I think this will great opportunity for all of them to learn something in their different fields and also to share their experiences and congratulations to all of them. I just want to know that what is the criteria for selecting them.

[ed hardy]

I’m sure most sellers would agree with your assessment

[Oswald]

I wish to warn those, especially the WEF and YGL if they have already received the links to the new websites created by Wanninanayake for the Horizon Foundation. The photographs shown are old photographs taken about 3 years ago. The children who are pictured are no longer with that school and some other children were not attending that school. The whole setup is a fake. According to the information leaking out of Mahavillachchiya Wanninanayake is desperately trying to polish up his rumpled image.

[ed hardy]

Generally speaking, only a very few number of children benefitted when the majority were used as display objects to pose in front of his camera.

[Serndib]

The news from Mrs. L.C. Charles is devastating but nothing new to those who had dealings with W in the past.

I was approached on 29th January 2010, about 6 hours before I left Sri Lanka where I spent a short holiday, with an urgent plea for help when “W” had allegedly threatened the life of his spouse on many occasions. She is a former pupil and a mother of an infant. I have no reason to mistrust the informants and have confirmed through independent sources about the accuracy before posting the comment on your web forum.

All I could disclose here is that I have forwarded all the information to the S.L authorities after arriving in Europe and that I have appealed to the Inspector General of Police seeking police protection for the spouse and baby.
The true heroes are those former students who had agreed to continue the Horizon School and in them I see a great potential for the future. I would be pleased to continue my assistance as an Advisor should it be necessary.

[Mrs L Charles]

27 March 2010

OBJECTION TO MAHAVILACHICHIYA TEACHER AND E-VILLAGE FOUNDER BEING SELECTED AS ONE OF WEF’S YOUNG GLOBAL LEADERS OF 2010

Dear Sir
My husband and I constructed the building which housed the Horizon Lanka Foundation and we have also been instrumental in the provision of a number of computers and other equipment to the institution. Hence I have had dealings with Mr. Wanninayake for a number of years.

The attached article, published on the front page of the Daily Mirror Financial Times SRI-LANKA of 4 March 2010, focused on Mr. Wanniniyanayake’s role in Horizon Lanka Foundation, Mahavilachichiya, Anuradhapura SRI-LANKA. It was a highly distorted and inaccurate account of Mr. Wanninayake’s work for the Foundation and my attention to the article was drawn by a very disappointed donor, who sent me the cutting of the article in question. To ensure that the public learns the truth about the Foundation and Mr. Wanninayake’s role in it, I visited the offices of the newspaper and requested the Editor to kindly investigate the accuracy of what appeared in the article which incidentally had been copied from what had appeared on a website written by the World Economic Forum. Since no independent research had been carried out by the newspaper on this subject prior to publishing the article, it has unfortunately helped an unscrupulous individual to continue to successfully dupe people and gain fame for himself, while the children of the village of Mahavilachchiya, SRI LANKA for whose benefit donors and we have devoted much time and resources, are deprived of an education.

In 2003 my daughter born and bred in the UK, went to Horizon as a volunteer. She was the first overseas volunteer in this village. During her stay she found that the activities of the Foundation and therefore the education of the village children, was disturbed by a family feud relating to the land on which the school stood. . My daughter was so touched by the eagerness to learn of the children that she appealed to us to help them. In 2004, in response to her appeal, my husband and I had a two-storey building constructed with the permission of the Assistant Government Agent, Mr. J.W.S. Kitsiri, to provide the children with a suitable building for their studies without interruptions.

Once this building was occupied by the Horizon Lanka Foundation Mr. Wanniniyanayake was able to reach out to donors which generated a great deal of funds. Sadly however, today this building stands idle although Mr. Wanninayake still continues to make appeals and obtain funds. The question is: for whom are the funds and what has been done with them to help educate the children? At present the HORIZON LANKA FOUNDATION has a bad reputation. No donor who knows its history will touch it and those who had helped it have ceased their association with it.

In 2008 the ex-students of Horizon requested my help for them to restart the school (which had been closed for a year and half) with a promise that they would teach the children. I agreed on condition that Mr. Wanniniyayaka would not be involved in the running of the school. In 2009 the parents in the village wanted to discuss with me the restarting of the school. When I met with the parents, Mr. Wanniyanayaka brought his henchman to shout me down. We are now in the year 2010 and the school still stands idle.

Some of the older students, with the help of an NGO named FARO, have started an enterprise named “ON TIME”. One of Sri Lanka’s biggest companies, John Keels, out-sources work to this outfit. It is doing very well. Mr. Wanniyanayake has been trying once more to gain fame by highlighting this organization, with which he had nothing to do, so that he could obtain more funds from donors. However, on one occasion he had even tried to evict this outfit from the building. (Please see attached letter.).

Today he illegally levies a sum of Rs 12,000 per month from “ON TIME” as rent for using a building that he does not even own. The building belongs to my husband and me.

I enclose herewith some relevant documents pertaining to Mr. Wanninayake which would strengthen my contention that he is not a suitable individual to whom such an award should be made.
1. Article in newspaper referred to
2. Letter to Mr. Nisthra Cassim, Editor of the Daily Mirror
3. Letter of complaint dated 02 September 2009 by me to Ya TV
3 Letter to YATV from Dr Anura Samantillke dated 22 August 2009
4 Letter to me dated 25th August 2009 from Dr Anura Samantilleke
5 Eviction letter dated 24 February 2009

In the interests of both the truth and the children of the village who have been deprived by Mr. Wanninayake of benefiting from much of the funds given by donors for their development and education, please take into consideration what I have stated above and refrain from bestowing on him any award, as it would be a travesty of justice to do so. I feel there are more deserving people than Mr. Wanniyayanayake who have made meaningful improvements in the lives of poor rural children in Sri Lanka.

Yours truly,

Mrs L D Charles
24 The Newlands Wallington
Surrey SM6 9JU
UK

encls:

[Mrs L Charles]

I am in the process of sending a mail to
1) The Editor, Mr Nisthra Cassim,
Daily Mirror News Paper
48 Park Street
Colombo 2 SRI-LANKA

2) The CEO
World Economic Forum USA
3 East 54th Street, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10022 USA

3) The CEO
World Economic Forum Beijing Representative Office
1706 China Resources Building
8 Jianguomenbei Avenue
Beijing 100005
CHINA

with reagrd to WEF nominating Mr Wanniyanayaka. Please send me your email address or postal address and I will forward you the same mail. I am the major donor who constructed the building for Horizon Lanka Foundation.

[Serendib]

Dear Mr. David Aikman
Thank you very much for the response.
Please send me your contact details to the E-Mail address I have used when logging onto this site as I would like to forward information that could be helpful to conduct investigations directly to you.

Sincerely
Serendib

[David Aikman]

Thank you for the comments regarding Nandasiri Wanninayake's nomination, as upsetting as they are to learn. Although a thorough due diligence was carried out on all candidates, we are investigating this one further, based on the allegatations raised here. If proven true, such allegations would result in exclusion from the Forum of Young Global Leaders.

Sincerely,

David Aikman, Head of the Forum of YGLs

[Oswald]

Will there be investigations regarding the serious allegations brought against the nominee?
We cannot allow a whole organization to be discredited because of one person.

[Albert]

I suggest that your candidates should be better scrutinized before selecting them to represent their respective countries.
I am shocked to read the comments by Serendib posted on 21.3.2010 about the person who was chosen from Sri Lanka. I had met Mr. Wanni in Qatar, who told me a long impressive story about the Horizon School but later I learnt that Mr. Kumar Badduge who lived in Qatar who had paid for the completion of the school got plaid out and I was warned not to trust him.

[Serendib]

We appreciate and admire the efforts made by the WEF to reward Young Global Leaders, but there is one among you who does not deserve the reward.

Reason for protesting against the Selecting Nandasiri Wanninanayake as Young Global Leader to represent Sri Lanka.
a) Questionable past track records and educational qualifications as a Teacher, the actual
reason why he had to quit as a teacher of a government school, and not because the "Conservatives" were against
better education for rural children in Sri Lanka - which is the first lie he told to all donors who
funded his Horizon project at 125, Left Bank Mahavillachchiya when he was jobless since the late 1990s.
b) The house that was build from donated funds have now become the private
property (was built on a land privately used and did not belong to him. The
donors were not told about the disputed land when collecting funds.
c) Donors who acted as advisors who found out about his questionable past and
financial mismanagement were systematically kicked out. I am one .
d) A new school was built at the cost of Rs. 8 million that was paid by a donor ( a
foreign national), who was made to believe that a building was needed for a
school that was built on a new plot of land which is privately owned. There is a
legal dispute over the issue with the donor.
There are no children attending that "School" since almost two years though he
still continues to collect donations.
e) He fooled donors by using the E-Mail identities of children to communicate with
donors who believe that underprivileged children had lean English and IT
through Wanninanayake's initiative and volunteered to give more assistance. It
was he who wrote the E-Mails. I was one who was fooled in this manner when I
visited them in 2002.
f) Abuse of authority and intimate affaires with girls who were his pupils (3 known
cases, No. 1 jilted, No 2 committed suicide and No. 3 is currently married to him,
whom he now claims as Insane. Two separated police investigations are going
on since January 2010. I got the information during my visit to the country in
January 2010.

Generally speaking, only a very few number of children benefitted when the majority were used as display objects to pose in front of his camera.
I still have E-Mail communications and other information published on the URL of the Horizon in years 2002 - 2005 and will make them available to the WEF.

Information has been already forwarded to the relevant authorities in Sri Lanka, inclusive the office of the Inspector General of Police in February 2010.

There are thousands of other good qualified and motivated teachers in Sri Lanka who deserves more recognition, who are pushed aside and discredited by one single man, Nandasiri Wanninanayake.

Thank you.
Serendib.

[Serendib]

Nomination from Sri Lanka Nandasiri Wanninanayake

There will be a strong protest lodged regarding his nomination. His credentials are questionable.

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Well done Jo

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From his college days at Holy Cross it was always clear what natural talent that Jon had and now to see what he has achieved so quickly in a five year period demonstrates clearly the way he is using the gift he has been given and showing real commitment to his work.

Well done Jo

[John B Sheffield]

So pleased to see the choice of Jon E Favreau Director of Speechwriting at The White House for President Barack Obama.

From his college days at Holy Cross it was always clear what natural talent that Jon had and now to see what he has achieved so quickly in a five year period demonstrates clearly the way he is using the gift he has been given and showing real commitment to his work.

Well done Jon.

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