intentBlog:

Addressing The Big-10 Global Risks - Evian Group

Some 90 participants from 33 countries, ranging from the poorest to the richest, comprising leaders from business, government, NGOs and academe, will be challenged by DK to play their part in coming up with ideas, strategies and innovations to address the complex global challenges facing the world today, whilst appreciating a shared sense of community and humanity's common future.

"The Big-10 global risks and opportunities of the 21st century, depend on 'Disruptive Innovation' to address and to begin to resolve some of the seemingly intractable yet interlinked confrontations. As those inherent confrontations accelerate and feed off each other's momentum they possess the capability to damage and to disrupt the delicate global dynamic equilibrium," DK Matai will say. "Faced with this unpalatable prospect for humanity in the coming two decades or less, it is necessary to rethink strategically and come together in joint action, which is the main aim of the high-level global dialogue established by organisations such as The Evian Group, ATCA and The Philanthropia. We need to be moving towards a wisdom based global economy, where longevity and sustainability are at the top of the agenda."

The Evian Group & IMD Lausanne, Switzerland: Prof Jean-Pierre Lehmann

The Evian Group, founded in 1995, is an international coalition of corporate, government and opinion leaders, committed to fostering an open, inclusive, equitable and sustainable global market economy in a rules-based multilateral framework. The Evian Group has consistently stressed that it is inconceivable that a robust and sustainable global market can exist without being underpinned by a sense of global community. Creating a prosperous and inclusive global market and community requires good dosages of cooperation, goodwill, solidarity, intelligence, liberal economic agendas and global outlooks, all in a framework of enlightened self-interest.

"At present, instead of cooperation, we see far more confrontation; instead of goodwill, we see far more mistrust; instead of solidarity there is more selfishness; instead of intelligence, we see intellectual confusion; liberal economic agendas are being challenged by economic nationalism; and global outlooks by rising populism virtually everywhere," said Prof Jean-Pierre Lehmann, Founder, The Evian Group; and Professor of International Political Economy at IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland. "These trends need to be reversed."

An important emphasis of the Evian Group meeting will be on the global risks that we face and how the level of awareness can be better raised. The 2006 Evian Group plenary meeting will be devoted to identifying the means for regenerating the momentum of globalisation. This means that action is required now to create new vehicles, new networks to identify and manage risk, and a new and far more engaged version of philanthropy. The following comments have been made in regard to this agenda:

BP, Goldman Sachs International, Trilateral Commission, Royal Bank of Scotland, The Evian Group, World Economic Forum: Peter Sutherland

"A failure of the Doha Round will have a severely negative effect over time on global growth prospects. It would fuel protectionism and undermine the reality of a single global economy based upon rules. The WTO has been, and still remains, the essential mechanism to integrate diverse economies into a general system that is transparent and fair. In addition it is essential to the interests of the poorest countries who need the support of a multilateral system that is effective," said Peter Sutherland, Chairman, BP; Chairman, Goldman Sachs International; European Chairman, Trilateral Commission, Founding Director General, World Trade Organisation; Member of the Board of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group; Member of the Honorary Council, The Evian Group; and Foundation Board Member, World Economic Forum.

The British Institute of Energy Economics, The House of Lords, The Windsor Energy Group: The Lord Howell of Guildford

"It is good to see thoughts being re-focussed by this penetrating analysis of the crucial dilemmas of the 21st Century, not least the dilemma between the imperative of intimate global co-operation to meet new threats to humanity and the equal imperative of human freedom, individuality and identity," said The Lord Howell of Guildford from the Palace of Westminster, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, House of Lords; President, The British Institute of Energy Economics; and Chairman, The Windsor Energy Group. "This is the difficult but necessary path along which wise minds must now lead us."

The Chopra Center, Alliance for a New Humanity: Dr Deepak Chopra

"Two words 'caring and creativity' hold the key to solving all problems facing humanity. A critical mass of caring people must harness their collective intelligence. We have the technology and the creativity to do this today. Do we have the caring?" said, Dr Deepak Chopra from Los Angeles, as Co-Founder and Chairman of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California, and New York City; and President of The Alliance for a New Humanity, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Climate Group, HSBC Carbon Management Task Force: Dr Steve Howard

"We live in times of unparalleled risks and opportunities. As greenhouse gas concentrations climb the search for creative solutions offered by the Evian Group is to be welcomed -- there is nothing more important," said Dr Steve Howard, Chief Executive, The Climate Group and Founding Member, HSBC Carbon Management Task Force, based in England.

Global Philanthropists Circle, The Synergos Institute, Temenos Academy, Special Olympics International: Kim Samuel-Johnson

"In the words of Albert Einstein: 'The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we used when we created them,'" said Kim Samuel-Johnson, President of The Samuel Family Foundation in Toronto, Canada; Founding Member of The Global Philanthropists Circle in New York; Council Member of The Temenos Academy in England; and Director of The Special Olympics International in Washington DC. "We must mesh our humanity and our scientific knowledge together with one resounding statement of global intent -- nothing less than to secure the future of our Planet and therein our own. The fullness of time is now."

Li & Fung Group & The Evian Group: Dr Victor Fung

"From an Asian perspective, I want to emphasise that there is no alternative to the preservation and strengthening of the multilateral system. All other solutions, including regional blocs and bilateral preferentialism, will inevitably generate fewer opportunities for business - especially for small and medium enterprises in the developing economies - less respect for rule of law in international trade and more trade friction, leading eventually to a significant decline in global economic growth." Dr Victor Fung, Group Chairman, Li & Fung Group; and Co-Chairman, The Evian Group, based in Hong Kong.

Nestlé, The Prudential, The Evian Group, WTO: Michael Garrett

"The business community has a fundamental role to play in mitigating the 21st century risks. But to assume this role, corporate leaders must adjust their mindsets to think genuinely more globally -- including not only different regions in the world, but different people, including the poor, in the different regions -- and more long term. Where do we want the planet to be in 10 years and where do I want my company to be in 10 years are highly inter-related questions. If within this mental framework, corporates can pursue the enlightened self-interest of both their shareholders and stakeholders, we should be OK; if not, we may be heading for deep trouble," said Michael Garrett, Former Executive Vice President for Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Middle East, Nestlé; Director, The Prudential; Co-Chairman, Co-Chairman, The Evian Group; Member, WTO Business Advisory Council convened by The Director-General.

PriceWaterHouseCoopers, Evian Group China Advisory Board, American European Community Association (NL): Willem Bröcker

"Global business is at the heart of economic integration and is benefiting enormously from the inclusion of developing countries in a global system of production and markets. And yet business has been slow to engage in the debate on the liberalisation which is essential to sustained, long-term growth. If the current fragmentation of trade agreements continues, the world's businesses will find their operating environments become more complex, increasing their costs and constraining investment, innovation and growth," said Willem Bröcker, Global Managing Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Deputy Chairman, The Evian Group; and The American European Community Association (NL). "It is time for business to step up to its responsibility and engage with political leaders, the media and the general public in explaining the long term benefits for everyone, as producers and consumers, in a balanced, integrated, multilateral trading system."

The Shirley Foundation, Xansa, Autism Speaks: Dame Stephanie Shirley

"Small may be beautiful but large is necessary to resolve many 21st century problems. Executives and philanthropists alike have to work cooperatively rather than competitively. Best wishes for this important meeting," said Dame Stephanie Shirley, Founder and President, The Shirley Foundation; Life President Xansa plc; Chair of UK Trustees, Autism Speaks. The Shirley Foundation is one of the top 50 grant-giving foundations in the UK. Autism Speaks, the charity was co-founded by Suzanne and Bob Wright in February 2005 in response to the diagnosis of their grandson. Bob Wright is chairman and CEO of NBC Universal and is Vice-Chairman and Executive Officer of General Electric.

Tomorrow's Company: Mark Goyder

In parallel, a group of leaders of more than ten global businesses are meeting in London this week for the latest stage of the inquiry into the role of Tomorrow's Global Company which is being undertaken by the UK based business think-tank: Tomorrow's Company. Mark Goyder, Director of Tomorrow's Company, said "We share DK Matai's sober assessment of the threats now facing global society. Like him, we envisage new forms of co-operation across boundaries. Our contribution is to engage business leaders in rethinking the role of the global company, which has the potential to be a major force for good, and we are delighted that DK has agreed to become a special advisor to our project."

The Trilateral Commission and Almatis: Hervé de Carmoy

"Granted, we have a common diagnosis of the ten challenges facing the globe. However, are we sharing the essential? We share the same values with individual freedom and responsibility at the heart of our societies. But henceforth priorities shift. We must focus on the critical path that will translate vision and values into global action. How can great democracies, the USA, Europe, Japan and India generate the political momentum for concerted implementation?" said Hervé de Carmoy, Vice-Chairman Europe, The Trilateral Commission; and Chairman, Almatis -- a majority-owned company by Rhone Group -- based in Paris, France.

The Trilateral Group, Institute for Applied Science, Oxford Analytica: John Wood

"Humankind occupies a unique and privileged place in the world system. We are not only the object of increasing change and uncertainty, but also the witting and unwitting agents of both. This gives the human enterprise extraordinary potential powers actively to effect our own evolution, physical and societal, but also grave responsibilities to direct it wisely, positively and benevolently. In order to do this we owe ourselves a summing up of the problems we confront, the mistakes we have made, and the opportunities we have to embrace the instruments we have created to deal with them, in ways which release and reinforce the human spirit," said John Wood, Chairman, The Trilateral Group; Chairman, The Institute for Applied Science based in Moscow, London and Washington DC; and Oxford Analytica.

Wolfsberg (UBS), The Trinity Forum, The Euro-India Center, Institute for Business Relations: Prof Prabhu Guptara

"There is, as yet, no agreement about the causes of these world problems, and no agreement about the relevant solutions. However, this is mainly because reasonably accurate analyses and more or less practical solutions are systematically sidelined by our mass media as well as by vested interests, including political parties and academia," said Prof Prabhu Guptara, Executive Director, Wolfsberg, Switzerland; Trustee, The Trinity Forum in USA; Board Member of The Euro-India Center, France; and Member, International Advisory Panel, Institute for Business Relations. "I hope that DK's outstanding address will lead to long-overdue debate regarding both analyses and possible solutions."

World Trade View, Malmgren Global: Dr Harald Malmgren

"National governments inherently make decisions slowly, but the forces of technological innovation are accelerating, bringing profound changes throughout the world in every sphere of human endeavour. Pressed by populism and nationalism, governments vainly attempt to shield their peoples from these new forces by controlling borders and negotiating with other governments.. Reconciliation of national laws, regulations and social policies through traditional, time consuming negotiations among governments nowadays invariably produces agreements that are obsolete by the time they are affirmed," said Dr Harald Malmgren, a Washington DC based world trade expert who has served under four US Presidents, and Chief Executive, Malmgren Global. "Unilateral force or military confrontation no longer offers timely or durable alternatives to negotiation. DK Matai's efforts to encourage thinking outside the box, to devise new means of moderating conflicts among nations and among peoples, pose an historic challenge to leaders in every field, from public governance to business, science, and even education."

[ENDS]

Notes for Editors

The Evian Group, founded in 1995, is an international coalition of corporate, government and opinion leaders, committed to fostering an open, inclusive, equitable and sustainable global market economy in a rules-based multilateral framework. The Evian Group advocates trade liberalisation to achieve growth and sustain the momentum of globalisation. The Evian Group believes that international trade and investment has the great potential of uniting people through greater mutual understanding and common interest across countries, continents, cultures, and generations, rather than dividing them. The Evian Group has been described as a "birthplace of ideas" and in its diverse activities draws on the collective wisdom and experience of its members, Brains Trust, and associates, to provide greater knowledge, vision and direction in meeting the economic and social challenges of the 21st century. The Evian Group has also been described as a "bridge between North and South"; in its diverse activities it seeks to reduce the "trust deficit" that has been an increasingly prominent feature of the early 21st century between "developed" and "developing" countries. Greater transparency in trade can foster better understanding and more dynamic relations. The Evian Group is strongly engaged in working with the next generation of leaders and with youth, convinced that if youth does not have hope in the 21st century, there will be no hope for the 21st century. The Evian Group believes that every positive contribution, no matter how modest, counts. It also adheres strongly to the words of Edmund Burke: "All that is needed for evil to happen is for good men to do nothing".

The Evian Group, although global in its outlook and outreach, has focused on four key regions: Europe, the Arab Region, Greater China and South Asia. All four have played a major role in the development of global trade and world civilisation. The four regions are vital to the establishment of the 21st century global community, without which the global market cannot be sustained. The Evian Group is committed not only to establish a constructive and strong presence in the four regions, but also to act as a bridge between them. The Evian Group adheres to the view that poverty, inequality, injustice and intolerance are the key moral issues of the 21st century, as slavery was in the 19th and fascism in the 20th. It believes that a market economy, founded on responsible capitalism, combining the critical role of government in providing public goods, a strong ethical base of good governance, and free enterprise are the best means for generating growth, employment, empowerment and enrichment in terms of both wealth and welfare.

DK Matai has co-founded three organisations which are designed to assist in the global transformation necessary to address The Big-10 Global Risks:

The Philanthropia - Trinity Club, Syndicates and Ethical Investment Funds - was founded in 2005 by DK Matai and family. It brings together over 1,000 leading individual and private philanthropists, family offices, foundations, private banks, non-governmental organisations and specialist advisors to resolve complex global challenges such as countering climate chaos, reducing radical poverty and developing global leadership for the younger generation through the appliance of science and technology, leveraging acumen and finance, as well as encouraging collaboration with a strong commitment to ethics. Philanthropia emphasises multi-faith spiritual values: introspection, healthy living and ecology. The Philanthropia is most concerned about fiduciary responsibility as it affects the family's wealth, children and future generations. A set of ethical investment funds focussed on clean energy, sustainable technologies, micro-finance, water and eco-friendly infrastructure is being set-up with major philanthropists and their foundations out of Luxembourg and Switzerland.

ATCA (The Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance) is a philanthropic expert initiative founded in 2001 to understand and to address complex global challenges through collective Socratic dialogue and joint executive action to build a wisdom based economy. Adhering to the doctrine of non-violence, ATCA addresses complex global challenges. Present membership of ATCA is by invitation only and has over 5,000 distinguished members from over 100 countries: including several from the House of Lords, House of Commons, EU Parliament, US Congress & Senate, G10's Senior Government officials and over 1,500 CEOs from financial institutions, scientific corporates and voluntary organisations as well as over 750 Professors from academic centres of excellence worldwide.

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