Agenda

The stories shaping the Global, Regional and Industry agendas

Global Agenda

Africa

Lifting the lid on policy decisions across Africa

Policy Vault Africa is a win-win for African governments and their citizens.

Adeola Akinremi 19 Nov 2019

Cybersecurity

Passwords should become a thing of the past. Here's why

Using passwords for online authentication is no longer fit for purpose. We can build a more secure and easy-to-use way to identify ourselves.

Adrien Ogée and Parker Crockford 18 Nov 2019

Climate Change

Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate deal is bad for US business. Here's why.

The US withdrawal from the Paris deal is bad news for the country's economy. Here's why - and how businesses are taking back the climate change initiative.

Jennifer Austin 18 Nov 2019

Media, Entertainment and Information

The dry Amazon, protecting privacy in China and other top stories of the week

Also in this week's round-up: how to fight cybercrime and why scientists underestimated climate change for so long.

Adrian Monck 15 Nov 2019

Circular Economy

To build a circular economy, we need to put recycling in the bin

Recycling is still seen by many as integral to a circular economy - but preventing waste from being created in the first place is essential if we are to build a new economic model.

Alexandre Lemille 15 Nov 2019

Singapore

3 reasons why Singapore is the smartest city in the world

Here are three ways Singapore - named the top smart city in a surbey - is using technology to transform the lives and wellbeing of its citizens

Sharmishta Sivaramakrishnan 14 Nov 2019

Future of Mobility

Why your next car is a bike

Despite startup bankruptcies and unexpected “bike pollution” issues, urban micromobility is here to stay. Here's how city governments can manage the next generation of transportation.

Carlo Ratti and Ida Auken 14 Nov 2019

Environment and Natural Resource Security

This Dutch butcher makes plants taste just like meat

As Burger King and the Vegetarian Butcher have teamed up to serve up the Rebel Whopper in its European restaurants, here’s what you need to know about the plant-based meat brand.

Kate Whiting 13 Nov 2019

Internet Governance

We must bridge the gap between technology and policymaking. Our future depends on it

As technology continues to permeate society, surviving the future depends on bringing technologists and policymakers together. Here's how we might achieve it

Bruce Schneier 12 Nov 2019

Regional Agenda

China

China is waking up to data protection and privacy. Here's why that matters

Could China's steps towards greater regulation of personal data collection by apps and internet companies contribute to a global legal framework?

Winston Ma Wenyan 12 Nov 2019

Plastics and the Environment

5 ways to reduce single-use plastic in the Middle East

Technology, legislation, corporate incentives to customers and changes to the supply chain can all help reduce the use of single-use plastic in MENA.

Hani Weiss 08 Nov 2019

Climate Change

How Costa Rica’s environment minister talks to his daughter about climate change

When his daughter suggested a futuristic machine that would suck carbon out of the air, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez said the world already had one: the tree.

Samantha Sault 04 Nov 2019

United Kingdom

Britain's Brexit election - why this snap election is the most unpredictable of its time

Brexit makes the UK election the most unpredictable in decades - but it will also be the coldest, the greenest and the most digital.

Robin Pomeroy 04 Nov 2019

Argentina

Can Argentina's new president save the country's economy?

As President Alberto Fernández and Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner figure out how to get the world’s 24th-biggest economy back on track, here's a round-up of Argentina's new...

31 Oct 2019

Book Club

5 book recommendations from the Frankfurt Book Fair

Must-reads from Frankfurt Book Fair CEO and President, Juergen Boos

Juergen Boos 18 Oct 2019

Ethiopia

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed wins Nobel Peace Prize

He's Africa's youngest leader who ended a conflict that had seemed intractable for decades. And on Friday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

World Economic Forum 11 Oct 2019

Africa

Zimbabwe’s private sector is cleaning up its cities – literally

Residents in Harare sometimes have to wait four weeks for a rubbish collection. Clean City Africa is looking to address the problem with a mobile-based solution.

Tonderayi Mukeredzi · This is place 04 Oct 2019

India

Why cooperative and competitive federalism is the secret to India's success

Fostering a sense of competition between states and regional governments has helped drive growth.

Amitabh Kant 04 Oct 2019

Industry Agenda

Future of Health and Healthcare

Remembering Bernard J. Tyson, trail-blazing champion of health care

Bernard J. Tyson, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, passed away on 10 November 2019. The American Heart Association and the World Economic Forum remember his commitment to healthcare...

Nancy Brown and Arnaud Bernaert 18 Nov 2019

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

How artificial intelligence is redefining the role of manager

Employees are increasingly happy to receive orders from AI or bots – who are freeing up managers to pay better attention to their employees.

Dan Schawbel 15 Nov 2019

Gender Parity

Why ignoring women is costing financial services money

Greater boardroom representation is only the beginning – catering properly to women customers could completely transform the financial sector.

David Gillespie and Jessica Clempner 15 Nov 2019

Future of Economic Progress

This is how tax can be effective in raising revenue in developing nations

Most low-income countries collect between 10 and 20 percent of their GDP in tax revenue, in comparison to high-income countries' average of nearly 40 percent.

Dwyer Gunn · NBER Digest 08 Nov 2019

Healthcare Delivery

Smartphone tech could prevent the deaths of six million women and children by 2030

Co-lead by the Rockefeller Foundation, the $100 million project uses data analytics and plans to target communities and families in India and Uganda who are most at risk.

Kate Kelland · Thomson Reuters Foundation trust.org 15 Oct 2019

Infrastructure

6 innovative technologies about to transform our infrastructure

From plastic roads to design that keeps costs, here are the new developments promising to shake up the sometimes-frustrating world of infrastructure.

Joseph Losavio 17 Sep 2019

Emerging Technologies

Talking the talk: the voice-recognition disruptors looking to outsmart big tech

A new wave of voice-recognition start-ups are aiming to push the field forward both at home and in the workplace.

Candace Widdoes and Joe Abi Akl 21 Aug 2019

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

OK computer: why the machine age still needs humans

Machine workers and humans should be mutually reinforcing on the factory floor – leading to a more productive future.

Prasad Akella 19 Aug 2019

Workforce and Employment

3 reasons why business leaders can't afford to ignore diversity

The financial benefits of better representation at board and workplace level have been proven, but what are the consequences of overlooking it?

Laura Liswood 19 Aug 2019