core sector communique

World Economic Forum announces Young Global Leaders 2010

• Young leaders from 72 countries are honoured for their outstanding leadership, professional accomplishments and commitment to society
• Young Global Leaders are selected from a variety of sectors such as business, government, academia, media, non-profit organizations and arts & culture, and from all regions of the world
• Young Global Leaders engage in task forces that address specific challenges of public interest with the objective of shaping a better future

Geneva, Switzerland, 3 March 2010 – The World Economic Forum has announced its Young Global Leaders (YGLs) for 2010. The honour, bestowed each year by the Forum, recognizes and acknowledges up to 200 outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

For 2010, the Forum has selected 197 Young Global Leaders from 72 countries and all stakeholders of society (business, civil society, social entrepreneurs, politics & government, arts & culture, and opinion & media). The new class represents all regions: East Asia (43), South Asia (21), Europe (46), Middle East and North Africa (14), sub-Saharan Africa (17), North America (38) and Latin America (18). This year’s selection has more gender parity than ever, with 38% women.

“The World Economic Forum is a true multistakeholder community of global decision-makers in which the Young Global Leaders represent the voice for the future and the hopes of the next generation. The diversity of the YGL community and its commitment to shaping a better future through action-oriented initiatives of public interest is even more important at a time when the world is in need of new energy to solve intractable challenges,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

Drawn from a pool of almost 5,000 candidates, the Young Global Leaders 2010 were chosen by a selection committee, chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and comprised of eminent international media leaders.

The Young Global Leaders 2010 reflect regional and stakeholder diversity. They include Agatha Sangma, Minister of State - Rural Development (from India), Roger Federer, Professional Tennis Player (from Switzerland), Evan Williams, CEO, Twitter (from the USA), Kimmee Weeks, Executive Director, Youth Action International (from Liberia), Nathalie van Ypersele, Editor-in-Chief, Trends-Tendances (from Belgium), Mandla Mandela, Member of Parliament of the South African National Congress (from South Africa), Wyclef Jean, Singer and Founder, Yélé Haiti Foundation (from Haiti), Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, Chief Executive Officer, Vestergaard Frandsen (from Denmark), Hidetoshi Nakata, Chairman, Take Action Foundation (from Japan), and Nabil Alyousuf, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dubai School of Government (from the United Arab Emirates), among others.

“It is truly exciting to be able to contribute to a multicultural dialogue, tackling the key challenges and opportunities of tomorrow’s world,” said Nathalie van Ypersele, Editor-in-Chief of Trends-Tendances, the leading weekly business magazine in Belgium. “It is only through joint reflection and ambition that we can create the future we most desire.”

The 2010 honourees will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders community that currently comprises 660 outstanding individuals. The YGLs convene at an annual summit – this year it will be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2-7 May 2010, the first time in Africa and the largest ever gathering of YGLs – as well as at Forum events and meetings throughout the year. These events enable YGLs to build a strong and diverse community, to engender a better understanding of the global and regional agendas and to engage in initiatives to address specific challenges of public interest .

“The YGL community, programme and experience are the best any entrepreneur (social or otherwise) can ever wish for,” said Ashish Gadnis, Chief Executive Officer, Forward Hindsight, a YGL honoured in 2009. “I have learned so much and met some of the most amazing people who are truly making the world a better place. The YGL community has given me a platform to interact and actually work on global issues instead of just theorizing. It’s truly a remarkable programme that I am very fortunate to be a part of. I see myself deeply involved with the YGL community and playing a small part in transforming the world we know into a better place.”