[ccebook.cn]The World in 2010

International
Today London, tomorrow the world
Nov 13th 2009
Young people gather to save the planet
The World Economic Forum, famous for bringing together the great and the good in
Davos, Switzerland, has for some time run a programme for people it modestly
anoints as Young Global Leaders. But in 2010 the Davos lot (maximum age: 40) will
be old hat. Truly young would-be leaders, no older than 25, will gather on February
8th-10th in London for a “summit” called One Young World. Their purpose? Solve
the world’s problems. Why? Their elders seem unable to.
The marketing industry has taken a particularly keen interest in the trendsetting
habits of the Facebook generation. So it is perhaps no surprise that the event’s cofounders
are advertising executives. And no surprise that one of them, David Jones,
boss of Euro RSCG, a unit of Havas, is himself one of Davos’s Young Global Leaders
(class of 2008)—though he is now in his 40s. But the aims of the conference, which
is not-for-profit and aspires to become an annual event, are lofty.
Sessions will be streamed online and resolutions drafted in workshops. The 1,500
young people selected to attend the event (whose tag line is “25 today, leading the
world tomorrow”) will find that they have influential ears listening to their ideas on
climate change, human rights and the like. Kofi Annan, a former UN secretarygeneral,
and Archbishop Desmond Tutu from South Africa (neither of them spring
chickens) are due to chair sessions.
Proportional representation is meant to ensure that people from the most populous
countries, not the richest ones, will make up the bulk of the delegates (China and
India will have the most). Those interested in attending are encouraged to
download an application on Facebook so their friends can vote for them, and to
submit a video on a YouTube channel about why they want to take part.
Despite such techniques, the event will depend on old-fashioned corporate sponsorship for its financing. The
founders are looking to business to cover the cost of individuals who come (€3,000, or $4,500, a person) and
entire country delegations. They are urging firms to take an interest in building a community of young
leaders; sponsors are more likely to want a community of young customers.
Mr Jones insists that the event is about innovation. Marketers use social media and new technology to reach
young people and sell products. The founders of One Young World want to use that expertise, he says, and
channel it for the good.
Alexandra Suich: contributor, The Economist, and invited delegate
Copyright © 2009 The Economist Newspaper and The Economist Group. All rights reserved.
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