Shared Future: Government and Business Leaders Release Guidance for Strengthening Global Cooperation

  • The World Economic Forum today released a set of seven principles to serve as a new compass for global relations
  • The Principles for Strengthening Global Cooperation call for peace and security, equity, gender equality and sustainability
  • Leaders from Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, South Africa, Goldman Sachs and Google co-chaired the Global Action Group, which formulated the principles
  • The World Economic Forum convened the Global Action Group in 2020 to examine mechanisms for increasing multistakeholder collaboration and to identify a set of shared principles for strengthening global cooperation.
  • See the list of members of the Global Action Group and read the Principles for Strengthening Global Cooperation.

Geneva, Switzerland, 21 January 2021 – Global leaders are advocating for cooperation to be the new compass for international relations and have released a set of seven Principles for Strengthening Global Cooperation. The World Economic Forum’s Global Action Group, comprised of senior members of government, business, civil society, and the expert community, developed the principles.

Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum, convened the Global Action Group in virtual meetings beginning in June 2020. François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada; Sigrid Kaag, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands; Tarō Kōno, Minister in charge of Administrative Reform of Japan; Tito Mboweni, Minister of Finance of South Africa; Dina Powell McCormick, Global Head, Sustainability and Inclusive Growth, Goldman Sachs; and Kent Walker, Senior Vice-President, Global Affairs, Google, co-chaired the group.

The seven principles call for prioritizing peace and security, equity, gender equality and sustainability because each of these is advanced by and is needed to advance global cooperation. Their absence can cause deep fractures as highlighted by the Global Risks Report 2021 released earlier this week by the Forum.

  • Strengthen global cooperation
  • Advance peace and security
  • Re-globalize equitably
  • Promote gender equality
  • Rebuild sustainably
  • Deepen public-private partnerships
  • Increase global resilience

“Having leaders articulate the importance of working with one another – at a moment that so clearly calls for greater unity but lacks it – can serve as a vital step in rechannelling momentum in the right direction,” said Børge

Brende, President of the World Economic Forum. “The direction we need to head is toward greater dialogue, coordination and collective action. Only in this way can we shape a more equitable and sustainable recovery and increase our future resilience.”

Members of the Global Action Group

Mohammed Alardhi, Executive Chairman, Investcorp Holding

John R. Allen, President, The Brookings Institution

Niels Annen, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany

Thomas Bagger, Head, Foreign Policy Division, Office of Presidential Affairs of Germany

Thomas Buberl, Chief Executive Officer, AXA

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

Mathias Cormann, Candidate of the Government of Australia for Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Ivo Daalder, President, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Chairman, Dutch Safety Board

Jeffrey D. Feltman, Senior Fellow, United Nations Foundation

Fu Ying, Chairperson, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University

Orit Gadiesh, Chairman, Bain & Company

Arancha González Laya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain

Samer Haj Yehia, Chairman of the Board, Bank Leumi Le-Israel

Jane Harman, Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Minister of Finance, Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia

Ann Linde, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden

Susana Malcorra, Dean, IE School of Global and Public Affairs, IE University

Luis Alberto Moreno, Member of the Board of Trustees, World Economic Forum

Vali R. Nasr, Professor of International Relations, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University

Patrick Odier, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Bank Lombard Odier & Co.

Maxim Oreshkin, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation

Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Indian Prime Minister’s G20 Sherpa

Ayman Al Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Kevin Sneader, Global Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company

Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

About The Davos Agenda

The Principles for Strengthening Global Cooperation are released ahead of The Davos Agenda

WEF Release. More on this here.