World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008
The Power of Collaborative Innovation
23-27 January, Davos, Switzerland

Read the Annual Meeting 2008 report

Wednesday 23rd   Thursday 24th   Friday 25th   Saturday 26th   Sunday 27th

Forum addresses food security
The World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos brought together a highly influential group of leaders to discuss collaborative approaches to addressing sustainable agriculture in a world where food stocks are diminishing. Josette Sheeran, World Food Programme Executive Director, Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank, Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General and Peter Bakker, CEO of TNT exchanged views on the impact of food commodity price increases and how these affect the World Food Programme's work assisting the world's hungry.

Sunday 27 January

Davos and after – beyond the conversation
The Davos conversation continues – If you are inspired by what you saw at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting this year or disagree with what the world leaders said then join the conversation by sending in your video and share your ideas with the world. President Shimon Peres of Israel, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, rock star Bono and oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson along with numerous business leaders have already taken part.
Davos Conversation | Photos I Webcast

Annual Meeting closes with call for a new kind of collaborative leadership
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 has closed with a call by business, government and civil society leaders for a new brand of collaborative and innovative leadership to address the challenges of globalization, particularly the pressing problems of conflict, terrorism, climate change and water conservation.

"Globalization is forcing changes in how people collaborate in a fundamental way," said former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a Member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum and one of the Co-Chairs of the Annual Meeting 2008, at the closing plenary session. "You need stronger and stronger collaborative political leadership."
Press release | Photos I Webcast I Summary

Award to Prince Charles for "Outstanding Leadership in Interfaith Cooperation"
The World Economic Forum’s Community of West and Islam Dialogue presented a special award to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. The ceremony which took place last month was in acknowledgement of Prince Charles' long-standing commitment to promoting shared moral and humanitarian principles of all faiths.
Press Release l Video

World Economic Chorus
Leading a company really can be like conducting an orchestra. In a fitting close to the Annual Meeting, the power of collaborative innovation was explored musically in a unique exercise with conductor Benjamin Zander. Participants learned that rhythm, cadences and harmony are important in business too.

Davos WorkSpace
In the fourth year of the Davos "workshops with a difference" participants were challenged to channel their creative and intellectual efforts into developing solutions to global problems that are actionable, practical and sustainable. Activities were based on the Annual Meeting's theme of the Power of Collaborative Innovation, with a running theme of "communities at work".
WorkSpace

The Davos Meal
During the Annual Meeting participants had an opportunity to learn about of the growing concept of local food produce. A special dinner discussion, led by celebrity chef Alice Waters, focused on the economic, environmental and health benefits linked to consuming local produce, in season and with a minimum of packaging. The meal was part of the Davos food series, of which there were three other sessions: Slowing the Aging Process, Rethinking the Food Chain, and Food, Culture and Civilization.
Session Summary

Co-Chairs

Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1997-2007); Member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum
James Dimon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, JPMorgan Chase & Co., USA
K.V. Kamath, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, ICICI Bank, India
Henry Kissinger, Chairman, Kissinger Associates, USA
Indra K. Nooyi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo, USA
David J. O'Reilly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Chevron Corporation, USA
Wang Jianzhou, Chief Executive, China Mobile Communications Corporation, People's Republic of China



Quotes

The Millennium Development Goals look like they're not going to happen, and the G-8 commitments made in 2005 look like they will not come off, and this is a scandal.   Bono, Musician Photos I Webcast

This is an issue which ranks next to climate change. There is a nexus between the two ... However water has gotten lost as part of the climate change debate.   E. Neville Isdell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company, USA Session Summary l Webcast

The present crisis is the end of an era based on the dollar … and we need a sheriff, we need a new sheriff, not the Washington consensus.   George Soros, Chairman, Soros Fund Management LLC Session Summary