Forumblog.org - The World Economic Forum Blog

Global Redesign Initiative country hearing on energy security closes in Qatar

The World Economic Forum’s Global Redesign Initiative wrapped up its second country hearing on global cooperation and energy security in Doha, Qatar. The two-day meeting was the second of a series of three country hearings held in Geneva, Doha and Singapore.

The 35 experts discussed how stronger international governance can effectively address the interlinked issues of energy security, economic growth and climate change. The meeting also addressed the nexus of energy and water - both being abundant locally but scarce globally - and the need for long-term nuclear security.

You can watch the opening session with Abdulaziz Alansari (Director of Industrial Security Affairs at the Ministry of Energy and Industry of Qatar), Richard Samans (Managing Director at the World Economic Forum) and Mohammed Abdulla M. Al Rumaihi (Assistant Foreign Minister of Follow-Up Affairs of Qatar) here.

Watch an interview with Lord Malloch-Brown, Senior Adviser to the Global Redesign Initiative at the World Economic Forum.

The Global Redesign Initiative (GRI) is a multistakeholder dialogue addressing the challenges of the 21st century. The interdisciplinary and cross-civilizational dialogue aims to develop recommendations to support the adaption, evolution and improvement of the structures and systems of international cooperation. The initiative was launched by the World Economic Forum in early 2009 under the patronage of the governments of Qatar, Singapore and Switzerland.

Among those contributing will be the Forum’s Network of Global Agenda Councils - over 1,000 experts representing more than 50 thematic areas of international cooperation (e.g. Water Security, Pandemics, Migration). An estimated 3,000 leaders drawn from across the World Economic Forum’s industry, governmental, civil society, academic and media communities will provide input into this process through their participation in GRI-related sessions during the Forum’s regional, global and community meetings during 2009-2010. These will be supplemented by "hearings" hosted by each of the patron governments.

Information and communication technologies essential to fight climate change

The World Economic Forum’s white paper ICT for Enabling Transformation analyses how information and communication technologies (ICT) can serve as strategic enablers in the transformation of the global economy.

Showcasing the transformative impact of ubiquitous connectivity, distributed computing and a highly intelligent networking core, the analysis demonstrates how ICT can be leveraged across multiple industries for new efficiencies and capabilities. Whether it is upgrading the intelligence of the electric grid, predicting traffic jams before they happen or increasing the flow of information between patients and doctors, ICT is poised as a central element for a transformed and low-carbon society.

The study notes some of the transformative opportunities within the energy, transportation and healthcare sectors. In the energy sector, smart services and machine-to-machine communications are identified as critical enablers for saving natural resources and creating new low-carbon business models. In the automotive and transport sector, an array of opportunities is examined, linking embedded communications from the inside of vehicles with systems that monitor and manage traffic flows.

Watch a two-minute interview with Dominic Waughray, Director, Head of Environmental Initiatives at the World Economic Forum on the significance of ITC in the fight against climate change. The full report is available at http://www.weforum.org/ictforgrowth

Accelerate Smart Grid investments as key to low-carbon economy

Accelerating Smart Grid Investments, a new World Economic Forum report sets out how smart grids can be the backbone infrastructure for tomorrow’s energy solutions and green economy.

The world’s electricity systems are increasingly outdated and coming under pressure in the face of rising demand, climate change and the arrival of transformative technologies. Smart grids have been hailed as a key to sustainably meeting emerging energy needs in a new age where clean energy is at a premium, networks require flexibility to incorporate renewable energy and customers’ demands for greater transparency and control over their consumption are growing.

The report explains how smart grid technology brings together the advancements in the information technology and telecommunications sectors – sensing, computing and communications – to deliver a more resilient, more efficient and lower-carbon electricity system. Smart grids can enable:
- New energy management services and tariff structures, enhancing the way utility companies manage their assets and offer consumer-relevant products and services
- Empowerment of consumers to take greater control of their energy consumption
- Integration of more renewable energy into the electricity system
- Electric vehicle infrastructure on a large scale
- Building energy efficiency into the system, from generation to end use
 
“Smart technologies are a necessary element of the transition to a fully fledged low-carbon economy, and this requires changes to the core infrastructure for the transmission and distribution of electricity,” said Espen Mehlum, Head of Electricity Industry at the World Economic Forum. Watch the interview:

First Challenges identified

The big debate has finally begun around the theme of regional identities and struggles and the first conversations identifying the key challenges have begun to take place in small intimate groups, discussion panels and in the big townhall debate.

The first day of the 2006 Annual Meeting was dedicated to identify the key challenges for each of the major themes of this year's event.

With regards to regional identities and struggles , the main challenges identified, with potential global impact, that face the five major world regions over the coming 12-18 months were:

1. Institution and Governance:  Pushing through the reform agenda, democratization, transparency and building a sense of regional identity and community.  The new “conservative” wave of political leadership. 
2. Security: Taming social unrest through integration, militarization of rouge states and the development of a new breed of terrorism
3. Economics: The long oil boom and the repercussion on global economy. The winners and the loosers, Market reforms
4. Development Struggle: new models of the welfare state for the 21^st century, reform of the labour market and changing balance of demographic population of nations ( local vs immigrants),

Key regional questions that need to be addresssed in the next 12-18 months the most pressing ones identified were:

In terms of k

1. Europe:  How can the European Union clearly define the region’s priorities to ensure that the European Union can work.  Solving the key governance and leadership issue are key to ensuring the ecomomic development of the region in face of a european identity crises

2. Middle East: How can governments in the middle east ensure that their elections are not simply “window dressing” exercises benefiting simply national elites?  How can the long oil boom ensure regional development and stabilty. 

3. Latin America: How can, or will, the new regional political alliances arising from the coming to power of conservative goverments make sure that the market the reforms accomplished thus far are continued?

4. Africa: How can african governments keep the reform agenda moving forward to ensure good public and corporate governance practices become wide spread and they create the structures necessary for strong intra-regional trade aimed at  economic development.

The real question however is what are the mechanisms for change that each region needs to adopt  in order to provide concrete solutions to the key challenges identified?  Are interntational bodies or umbrella organisations going to be able to provide the answers or are the transformations needed only able to be done at a local level?   

Welcome to Economic Imbalances Action Group

Welcome to the World Economic Forum Action Group Blog.

The action group on Economic Imbalances, formed in our Annual Meeting 2006, focuses on the imbalances (and possible shocks) that are affecting global economic conditions -- from fiscal imbalances to the US current account deficit, from "bubbles" to energy prices.

The objective of these blogs is to enable Action Group members to exchange ideas and comments on this topic during the Annual Meeting. But it is open also to other readers, whose comments will be very appreciated! So blog away...

To Action Group 2 members: when posting a blog, please always sign your name so other bloggers know which member of the AG is the author. Also, please always chose the category "Action Group 2" when posting, so the blog is filed and easier to find later on (we don't want good ideas to be lost).

After the Annual Meeting, the blog will become a key mode of communication between AG members throughout the year.

Thanks, and we look forward to your posts!

Ilaria Frau
Global Leadership Fellow
Business Insight
&
Emilio Lozoya
Global Leadership Fellow
Latin America

Arab World Competitiveness Report 2005

The Arab World Competitiveness Report 2005 will be released on 2 April 2005.

There is growing consensus among prominent leaders in the Arab world that ambitious and sustained economic and political reforms are the only way to boost the region's growth performance. The countries of the Arab world vary significantly in their levels of per capita income, the degree of political and economic liberalization that underpins them, and the structure of the productive apparatus, with many being unduly dependent on the energy sector. However, all must boost job creation and income levels and no one questions the urgent need for all Arab countries to implement policies aimed at enhancing national competitiveness. Helping precipitate a debate on how best this can be done, and in what areas, is the main aim of the Arab World Competitiveness Report 2005. Failure to act now could have worrisome consequences for the region's economies and for the regimes that sustain them. Unless countries in the Arab world can ensure gainful employment for their fast-growing populations—particularly the young—the significant political difficulties that are already emerging could worsen, with potentially unfavorable economic and political consequences. World Economic Forum website links: World Economic Forum in Jordan Annual Meeting 2005: "The magic has returned to the mountains," says Peres Egypt's Nazif supports modernization without westernization

Energy: Bottomline Decisions

"Whoever's got the gold makes the rules...". Oil, or black gold, is governed by price and supply. Social and environmental concerns come second in the energy-policy agenda, according to an article in Newsweek by the World Economic Forum's associate director of energy industries, Christoph Frei.

I've tried contacting Greenpeace, UNEP and the Earth Institute about the dilemma between growth (and the energy that fuels it) and sustainability. While I wait for a response, let's hear your views.