Global Cooperation

8 top stories from day two in Davos

Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, on stage interviewing naturalist Sir David Attenborough. Image: World Economic Forum

Ceri Parker
Previously Commissioning Editor, Agenda, World Economic Forum
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This article is part of: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

1. Millennials have a message

Six inspiring young leaders join Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella this year as Co-Chairs of Davos, and they had a strong message at the opening press conference.

Perhaps the most emotional plea came from Mohammed Hassan Mohamud, a Somalian refugee who has spent the last 20 years living as a displaced person in a camp. What keeps him awake at night is whether he will spend the rest of his life there.

His call to action for participants was two-fold. First of all he said that refugee camps were unethical, killing people and their spirit. Then he challenged people to get to know refugees, talk to them, and demystify them. "I don't know what you're afraid of," he said.

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Find out more about Akira Sakano, who is creating a waste-free village in Japan; and Basima Abdulrahman, the architect who wants to rebuild a greener and more sustainable Iraq.

2. Time for a leadership reboot?

The challenges the world is facing right now call for a new kind of leadership, not the combativeness of the past, argues New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

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3. The Garden of Eden is no more

Sir David Attenborough spoke those chilling words as he collected his Crystal Award on Monday, lamenting the massive destruction humanity had meted out on the natural world.

It's a theme that will resonate all week. In an interview with Prince William, the venerated broadcaster said: "It's not just a question of beauty, or interest, or wonder - the essential ingredient of human life is a healthy planet. We are in danger of wrecking that."

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged leaders to take action on climate change and "put themselves on the right side of history" in a session on Safeguarding our Planet.

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4. Latin America's new voices

In a plenary session, Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro vowed to open up the economy, rout corruption and raise standards of education.

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Meanwhile, in a separate session on Latin America's future, Costa Rica's youngest ever President, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, addressed one of the biggest themes of the week when he said: "Many people say protecting the climate goes against the economy. But quite the contrary."

Costa Rica had managed to protect its environment while also investing in its people, he said.

5. Soft words in the trade war?

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking on video link, struck an optimistic tone on resolving America's rumbling trade dispute with China.

“There are those who say that a superpower conflict between our countries is inevitable. We don’t see it that way,” he said. However, he outlined sticking points such as stronger respect for the Intellectual Property of American firms operating in China.

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6. Chimpanzees have culture too

In a fascinating insight into her work as a primatologist spanning decades, Jane Goodall described how chimpanzee culture was passed down from mothers to their young. In some places it is OK to eat the fruit; in other places, it is not. One to bear in mind in the Davos conference centre.

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7. How much will it cost to reskill the workforce?

A new World Economic Forum report finds that 95% of the 1.4 million US workers who are expected to be displaced in the next decade can be transitioned to new positions with similar skills and higher wages.But the total cost of reskilling all these workers is $34 billion. So who picks up the bill?

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8. A lesson from history on globalization

Rand Corporation's Michael Mazarr pointed out the stark fact that new institutions tend to arise out of wars. Their influence and power tend to fade over time, as shown in this chart:

He thinks we’ve reached a turning point and that it will take more than tweaks to keep the current order in place.

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Global CooperationNature and Biodiversity
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