Weekly Update: Dispatches from Davos
This is where political power and finance comes together - and if we want to make a change in 2023, we need to start here.
Dear Friends and Supporters
It has been a busy week as I spent the last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos with a small delegation from Global Citizen. We were on the go nonstop, participating in panels, fireside chats, and so much more. After such a busy week, I’m excited to now be heading off for my delayed honeymoon now, and look forward to a week of rest and relaxation!
Scroll down below for a brief recap of what we got up to on the ground in Davos, but first a few top line reflections and takeaways. As always, if you enjoy this newsletter please share it in your networks and encourage others to subscribe.
1/ Why was I in Davos?
Many may like to think that Davos is not the place where fighting for the end of extreme poverty and against climate change should take place. Quite the contrary.
This is where political power and finance comes together - and if we want to make a change in 2023, we need to start here.
Because If we are serious about ending poverty and tackling climate change, it has to start here and NOW with the people who make the decisions. Many solutions are on the table – we need bold leaders with the moral courage to deploy it.
And we have zero time to waste.
All the while we’re seeing progress made against poverty over the last 30 years continue to reverse. I saw President Ramos Horta of Timor Leste who reminded us that in any downturn it is always developing countries who do it tough.
2/ Business Leaders Robustly Defend ESG and Corporate Citizenship
The new Republican controlled GOP have ESG in its crosshairs. Some leaders have erred on the side of caution. The index manager Vanguard, for instance, recently removed itself from the climate orientated GFANZ network. Yet, other leaders have not shied away from mounting a strong and robust defense. A highlight for me was the comments made by Cisco’s Chief Policy, People and Purpose Officer, Fran Katsoudas (disclaimer: also the co-chair of the charity I work at day to day: Global Citizen).
3/ A different kind of conversation (Arguably!)
It is easy to be cynical heading into Davos. Certainly there is plenty of greenwashing efforts and superficial conversations. Yet, something also seemed different this year. One colleague summed it up well. Perhaps in response to the heightened levels of scrutiny of corporate sustainability efforts, many panelists seemed to be aware that the regular high-level talking points simply would not cut it anymore. Aware that we are in the “danger zone” for climate action (or, rather, in action), audiences are thirsty for more in-depth, substantive and practical conversations.
It could also be the case that with heightened backlash from some GOP state administrations in the US, corporate purpose converts are aware that they need to work even harder to shore up their green credentials. It is hard after all to fight two fronts at once. Hard facts may be their best defense.
The British filmmaker and humanitarian, Richard Curtis, seemed to share in this observation. He said that when he first started working on this in 2005, it was hard to get any business leaders to agree on efforts to end poverty and address climate change.
Now we’re in a very different scenario. According to Accenture, 98% of CEOs agree that sustainability is core to their role, and you’re seeing many companies double down on their commitments. This shift in conversation is complemented by continued research findings that showcase that climate action and better returns need not result in a zero-sum game. If anything it is a win-win situation as covered by a new paper which illustrates that the increased efficiency and productivity gains gained by setting science-based climate targets. Ultimately, it does pay to be science-based green!
The challenge will be in how we continue this momentum in spite of the global downturn. As Accenture’s Jill Kramer noted in a panel I was on: 87% of business leaders feel the current levels of global instability will limit their delivery on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
4/ We are at a tipping point!
Whether we can move fast enough and compress the time it takes to get things done was a constant message from world leaders and activists alike. European Union President von der Leyen mentioned that we really only have this year to put in place the policies and commitments to avoid temperature rises of 1.5 degrees or higher. Some where saying we were already past the point of no return and needed to turn our attentions to adaptation as well as mitigation!
Live from Davos: Goals House Panel on the Power of Technology
At Goals House on Monday, I spoke on a panel co-hosted by Project Everyone and Global Citizen about how the power of technology and innovation can unlock groundbreaking solutions in the fight to end extreme poverty. This panel was moderated by Randall Lane, Editor and Chief Content Officer at Forbes, and featured top YouTube influencer Prajakta Koli; Jill Kramer, Chief Marketing and Communication Officer at Accenture; Stuart McLaughlin, Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships, at Google.org; and Rebecca Minguela, Founder & CEO at Clarity AI.
In my remarks on the panel, I spoke about Dr. Norman Borlaug, the agronomist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has been called the “Father of the Green Revolution.” Borlaug’s groundbreaking research and development of high-yield, disease-resistant wheat varieties, is credited with saving over a billion people worldwide from starvation.
Half a century later, and despite the Green Revolution, we still do not live in a world where everyone has access to food. Yet, the only difference between Dr. Norman Borlaug and the next Nobel peace prize winning female scientist that might be based in rural Zambia is that someone invested in him. This is where access to private investors can help, but the question always comes back to how to remove barriers for the private sector.
As I’ve written before, this is exactly what Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s Bridgetown Initiative is trying to address. One of the reforms it promotes could lead to an additional 1 trillion from development banks like the World Bank - all at little to no additional cost to taxpayers. This sounds like a lot but is less than 1-2% of the total amount of the trillions in assets under management worldwide. That’s similar to the scale of the Marshall Plan following the Second World War. Now is the time for a similar shift in boldness and a new playbook!
Live from Davos: Citibank Panel on the Global Hunger Crisis
On Thursday morning, I spoke on a panel that Global Citizen and Citibank co-hosted in Davos to discuss how NGOs, governments, and the private sector can work together to address both the growing global hunger crisis and the intersectionality of food security, climate change and gender equity. The panel was moderated by Stephanie Mehta, CEO and Chief Content Officer, Fast Company, Mansueto Ventures and featured speakers including Sabrina Dhowre Elba, Actress and Model, UN Goodwill Ambassador for IFAD and Global Citizen Ambassador; Julie Monaco, Global Head Public Sector Coverage, Corporate and Investment Bank, Citibank; and Michael McGrath, Minister of Finance, Ireland.
I was particularly grateful to Minister McGraph who showed how his country was increasing its assistance for humanitarian and development efforts, despite the global downturn. He also showed interest in our ongoing efforts to increase financing for developing countries through the innovative use of Special Drawing Rights, a type of reserve asset of the International Monetary Fund.
We also spoke about the need for strong leadership from developments banks (i.e. the World Bank) to lay out a vision for the level of additional lending they must undertake to address global development challenges. As Richard Curtis noted earlier in the week [rainy day]
Live from Davos - ABC Radio Interviews: Can the World Economic Forum create equality change?
In addition to our above exciting panels, I also had the opportunity to speak with both Philip Clark and Thomas Oriti, in two ABC Radio Interviews, discussing Davos, particularly the need for bold leadership with the moral courage to deliver, and global cooperation, in order to build a planet where everyone can thrive. If you’re keen to hear more about what I had to say, I encourage you to have a listen here and here.
One area I was particularly keen to highlight is that - in addition to climate mitigation efforts - we also need to focus on supporting vulnerable communities adapt to a rapidly warming planet. Smallholder farmers for instance are increasingly on the frontlines of climate change.
LIVE from Davos: LinkedIn Live Recap on Jan. 18th!
On Wednesday morning, Global Citizen’s CEO and Co-Founder, Hugh Evans joined Accenture’s Chief Leadership and Human Resources Officer, Ellyn Shook, and Digital Entrepreneur & YouTube Creator, Dr Adanna Steinacker for an insightful and fascinating discussion on how companies today must engage their employees to create sustainable solution to tackle climate change.
Some great quotes that came out of the discussion included:
“Understand the power of collaboration, whether it be collaborating with Global Citizen, or collaborating with each other, we can accelerate the pace of change dramatically if you move beyond your own walls and collaborate.” - Ellyn Shook on on advice to business leaders to engage employees to be problem solvers for climate change
“When you’re trying to solve an issue, first be clear with the outcome you want to achieve, then lead with a clear vision.” – Hugh Evans on advice to business leaders to engage employees to be problem solvers of global challenges
“The need to do more… to use more social media to create more content that these young people can relate to. If you look at Africa, for example, Africa is made up of the youth and the more you can get to them, and the more we can speak the language that they understand, the more powerful it is to have this movement on a global scale.” - on how to create a connection with young people to motivate them to be forces for positive change
Thank you to all who watched live – and if you weren’t able to tune in, check out the full discussion HERE.
Education in Emergencies: A Global Call for 222 Million Children.
On Tuesday, Jan.24th, International Day of Education, Global Citizen is pleased to support our friends at Global Campaign for Education to co-host an event in Washington, DC entitled Education in Emergencies: A Global Call for 222 Million Children. This event aims to build momentum in the lead up to the Education Cannot Wait High-Level Financing Conference (February 16-17, 2023), and will feature two discussions, "Financing the Education in Emergencies sector: A Case for Investment in #222MillionDreams ", which will provide an overview of Education Cannot Wait's mission and the U.S. Government's support to the sector, and a call to action by young leaders working to protect the right to education for displaced students around the world. See here for more details and to RSVP to attend.
Education Cannot Wait Toolkit
Ahead of the International Day of Education, Global Citizen has put together the following toolkit where you can find all the ways we’re marking this momentous day, as well as some suggested language and graphics you can use on social media to show your support!
Global Citizen is Hiring - Come Work With Us!
Are you or someone you know passionate about our mission, and want to join what will most certainly be another impactful year of action? If so, come work with Global Citizen! We’re hiring for Senior Director of Global Philanthropy looking for someone able to lead our internal fundraising and development strategy across core donor vertices who will serve as a strategic partner internally for developing philanthropic strategies.
If this sounds up your street, please throw your name in the hat! Or if you know someone who might be a good fit, do share across your networks.
My Weekend Reading List
Jacinda Ardern’s graceful departure is the personification of modern democratic ideals
A Doll That Wears Sunglasses With Attitude? Oh, ‘M3gan’ Is a Gay Movie.
UN head accuses fossil fuel firms of business models ‘inconsistent with human survival’
‘Ridiculous’: Greta Thunberg blasts decision to let UAE oil boss chair climate talks
Finally, as always, if you’re enjoying the weekly newsletter format, and want even more, you can subscribe to my Substack here where I publish reviews, lists and articles on a regular basis.
All best,
Mick