The Theme of Davos 2024: Rebuild Trust In The World
In the wake of recent global challenges, the Covid-19 pandemic, wars, escalating forest fires, and extreme climate events, we find ourselves in a ‘soft’ apocalypse. In the chaos and uncertainty that envelop us, we are nurturing a hope that is forged through profound self-reflection and sleepless nights dedicated to envisioning a future world that, in a dialectical manner, not only celebrates creativity but also upholds the importance of respecting boundaries.
Respecting boundaries is one of Dynimos’ philosophical foundations. For us, respecting boundaries means recognizing and honoring the limits that exist within ecological, social, and ethical contexts. It also entails establishing a clear red line between integrity and misconduct in conducting business. We believe that respecting boundaries fosters a sense of trust and security within all types of relationships, whether with our clients, our community, or Mother Nature.
Davos’ theme in 2024 is to rebuild trust in the world; while the event features significant intellectual conversations among political leaders, business executives, economists, and financial experts, our curiosity lies in understanding their collective definition of ‘rebuilding trust.’ In this article, we provide our readers with insights into how global leaders, such as Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; Qiang Li, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China; Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, etc., define trust in the aftermath of the ‘soft’ apocalypse and why the endeavor to rebuild trust is of utmost importance at this pivotal moment. We found these insights both encouraging and inspiring, and we hope they resonate with you as well.
Trust in global norms
“When global norms collapse, so does trust. I am personally shocked by the systematic undermining of principles and standards we used to take for granted. I am outraged that so many countries and companies are pursuing their own narrow interests without any consideration for our shared future or the common good.
And I am certain that unless we take action, we can expect much, much worse. So let’s be clear: Rebuilding Trust is not a slogan or a PR campaign. It requires deep reforms to global governance to manage geopolitical tensions during a new era of multipolarity.” — Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations
Trust in businesses
“Our companies thrive on freedom, on freedom to innovate and to invest and to compete. But freedom in businesses relies on the freedom of our political systems — and this is why I believe strengthening our democracy and protecting it from the risks and interference it faces is our common and enduring duty. We need to build trust more than ever, and Europe is prepared to play a key role.” — Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Trust and future for humanity
“Trust comes from our shared aspiration for a better future for humanity and from our common will to work together for that vision. There are five ways to rebuild trust and enhance economic cooperation:
1. Strengthening macroeconomic policy coordination to build greater synergy for global growth.
2. Strengthening international industrial specialization and collaboration to keep global industrial and supply chains stable and smooth.
3. Strengthening international exchanges and cooperation on science and technology to better benefit humanity with technological advances.
4. Strengthening cooperation on green development to actively tackle climate change.
5. Strengthening North-South and South-South cooperation to build a universally beneficial and inclusive world economy.
The best way to earn trust is to be a better version of oneself. Only when all sides treat each other with sincerity and work in the same direction can there be a stronger foundation of trust and more fruits of cooperation.” — Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China
Trust in education
“What we see in Germany is that if education goes down, lack of trust goes up. Basic education is so important to build trust in science and probably in institutions overall because you have people who understand the world around them who are self-confident — and you need that knowledge for the rest of your lifetime. That’s a huge task for all countries because we see the knowledge base go down. We also need to understand why it is important for us what science is doing… People might not really understand why are [scientists] are doing this research… and the relevance of why it is important for us. So we need good communicators in science.”- Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Germany’s Federal Minister of Education and Research.
Trust and people in the power position
“In order to have trust, you have to believe that the people in power are authentically committed to actual dialogue and solving these problems, providing these tools, providing the mobility, providing the technology, providing the safety net and sharing the joy, measuring the happiness and the sense of belonging.”- Alex Liu, Managing Partner and Chairman at Kearney
Trust in global south
“It’s clear that the developed countries have to assist in the financing of climate action in the developing countries, because if we don’t do that, inequality will only grow and you will have winners and you will have losers. And this is not the world that creates trust or a world where people feel that they are taken on board.
Rebuilding trust cannot be limited to only a number of countries. It has to include the whole world. We need to take everybody on board. Let’s help those developing countries that don’t have the financial resources to indeed also invest in an industrial policy that can create new jobs in a climate friendly way.” — Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation
Trust and AI
“A lot of the crisis we are facing around the world, the underlying issue has been the lack of trust. And with the technology growing — and of course the AI we are talking about also here — is of course the technology brings a lot of positives, but also if it is not used (appropriately) it can also contribute in eroding the trust.”- Jagan Chapagain, The Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General of the IFRC
