World Economic Forum : New Community Provides Forward-Looking Insights on “Global Shifts”

Fon Mathuros, Senior Director, Public Engagement, Tel.: [phone], E-mail: fma07f949da2224b46@20591544 weforum.org

• The Global Strategic Foresight Community brings together 32 experts to identify insights, or shifts, that will shape future global, regional and industry agendas
• Members of the community are all drawn from leading public, private or civil society organizations
• For more information about the community and the "Global Shifts": http://wef.ch/gsfc
• For more information about the Annual Meeting 2015: http://wef.ch/davos15

Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 18 January 2015 - The World Economic Forum today launches the Global Strategic Foresight Community, a new multistakeholder peer network aimed at positively shaping future industry, regional and global agendas by identifying emerging or underappreciated global shifts and bringing them to the attention of decision-makers.

The community will consist initially of 32 established thought leaders drawn from leading organizations in the private, public and civil society sectors. The focus of the community's work over the coming two years will be to identify and examine global shifts in today's rapidly changing world. "The shifts that our members are focusing on were identified for the potential impact they could have on the future, and because of a sense that, by raising them today, we can maximize our prospects for leveraging their potential benefits," said Trudi Lang, Director, Strategic Foresight, World Economic Forum.

The task of the community in its first two years will be to assess the shifts in terms of how and where they challenge current mental models, how they interact to enforce, balance, or counter each other, and how they might provoke systemic change across social, economic, environmental, technological and political systems. All insights generated will be shared with stakeholders of the World Economic Forum, including governments, businesses and civil society organizations, with the aim of improving leaders' ability to take informed decisions.

"Broadening our understanding of what could occur, thinking the unthinkable, imagining options offers the opportunity to shape the future in ways we deem desired and meaningful. By taking a long-term, proactive approach we can adapt to our future, rather than simply be reactive," said Kristel Van der Elst, Senior Director, Strategic Foresight, World Economic Forum.

The Co-Chairs of the Annual Meeting 2015 are: Hari S. Bhartia, Co-Chairman and Founder, Jubilant Bhartia Group, India; Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, Oxfam International, United Kingdom; Katherine Garrett-Cox, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, Alliance Trust, United Kingdom; Young Global Leader Alumnus; Jim Yong Kim, President, The World Bank, Washington DC; Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Google, USA; and Roberto Egydio Setubal, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Itaú Unibanco, Brazil.

Notes to Editors

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The World Economic Forum is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation in the spirit of global citizenship. It engages with business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

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