Global Redesign Summit

Doha: Participants of the World Economic Forum Global Redesign Summit, which concluded here yesterday, discussed nearly 60 proposals put forward by more than 1,500 global experts from business, government and civil society  on how to strengthen international cooperation and governance.

These proposals are published in a report entitled Everybody’s Business: Strengthening International Cooperation in a More Interdependent World.

The recent global economic crisis has underscored the fact that poverty, employment creation, and inequality of opportunity are challenges faced in all parts of the world. The problems differ widely in nature and severity by economy and society, but these variations do not render the challenges any less significant nor stubborn to the individuals that face them. Nor do they lessen the social strains wherever they are present. Many difficulties are the product of global forces. Many are the result of specific local challenges and particular local choices.

Concurrently, the benefits of globalization are remarkable for those who have the opportunity to enjoy them.

But they often bypass the world’s poorest countries. They also tend to fall much more generously on skilledworkers than unskilled ones, even in the richest countries. The economic interconnectedness among countries implies that employment and poverty-reduction programmes are not isolated national issues. International cooperation is essential.