The inaugural Summit on the Global Agenda was a truly historic undertaking. Amid the most profound crisis of our generation, the World Economic Forum, in partnership with the Government of Dubai, brought together 700 Members of the Network of Global Agenda Councils, the world's leading minds, to address the most important challenges facing the world in a collaborative, integrated and proactive way.

The Summit, held on 7-9 November 2008 in Dubai, marked the biggest brainstorming session that has ever taken place on the global agenda. It enhanced our shared understanding of the state of the world and the complexity of global issues while heightening our appreciation of the urgency and necessity to address global challenges and what needs to be done to improve the state of the world. The gathering imbued a greater sense of duty and responsibility, and emphasized the need for a "fundamental reboot" of the human and organizational operating systems.

Tremendous richness in the discussions transpired and this Summit Report captures selected highlights. Throughout the Summit, participants were engaged in many intense and thoughtful small-group discussions within their respective Councils, assessing the state of the world on their issue and identifying what needs to be done to move the agenda forward. These Council Meetings were interwoven with opportunities to meet with Members of other Councils, to explore more fully the interconnections among global issues and to benefit from cross-disciplinary perspectives and exchanges of ideas. The gist of these discussions is captured in each Council Report, available on our website at www.weforum.org/globalagenda/reports

The Summit is also historic in its direct link to the upcoming World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2009 in Davos-Klosters on the theme, "Shaping the Post-Crisis World". The outcomes of Global Agenda Council deliberations will be shared in relevant sessions at the Annual Meeting by the respective Chairpersons of each Council. Articles on the Summit themes as well as the Council Reports will also be integrated in a publication that will be shared with all Annual Meeting participants ahead of the Meeting to help them navigate the complexity of shaping the post-crisis world.

Each one of us needs to be proactive in shaping the global agenda and I count on all Global Agenda Council Members as well as the broader Forum community to advance the current work of the Councils and help ensure that the world's leaders are best informed on the most pertinent actions in this very crucial time in our history. There is tremendous potential for what the Network of Global Agenda Councils can accomplish and so we look forward to your continued engagement.

Klaus Schwab
Founder and Executive Chairman