In July 2018, for the second year running, the humanSecurityX certificate track programme ran in parallel to the forum on Just Governance for Human Security (JGHS). Its core aim: for participants to gain a deeper personal understanding of human security and its application – moving from talk to action.

A cohort of 25 fellows, from 15 nations and diverse backgrounds, embarked upon an exploration of each of the six pillars of human security: good governance, inclusive economics, food security, social inclusion, sustainability and healing memory. They shared a desire to develop a more thorough perspective on human security.

This year’s programme started with an introductory seminar, which gave fellows an opportunity to meet and, to discuss their understanding of human security and its impact upon their own lives. Power breakfasts each morning provided fellows with the opportunity to interact one-on-one with speakers. Bilyana Hadzhikyanova, originally from Bulgaria, says this helped her to ‘see the human behind the person on stage and that they are not so different from me’. Fellows attended plenaries and a range of seminars and workshops covering each pillar. They then produced reflective essays on how they would apply what they had learnt.

Zarina San Jose, from the Philippines, said, ‘I now realize how much my country has in common with other countries: [how] we have a responsibility to others outside our own circle and family.’ She hopes to pass on what she has gained in her work, which, she now recognizes, encompasses the pillars of human security.

humansecurityX continues to pave the way for human security to move from theory to reality. It will run again next year with enrolment open to all Just Governance for Human Security participants.

Join us from 2 - 7 July 2019!

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• Find out more about Just Governance for Human Security 2018
• Discover the reports and highlights 2018

By Sarah Haynes

A call to action has been sounded for global citizens to stand up and take responsibility in addressing the social and economic issues which threaten communities worldwide by working together to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Just Governance for Human Security (JGHS) has sought to respond to this call. For five days over 230 delegates from 75 nations gathered at the Caux Palace – Conference and Seminar Centre to explore their own role in meeting the SDGs.

At the forefront of the event was an emphasis on the need to holistically embrace each of the Six Pillars of Human Security in order to accomplish the SDGs.

‘We cannot talk about human security without looking at it holistically’ stated Her Excellency Aja Fatoumatta Jallow-Tambajang, former Vice-President of The Gambia in her opening keynote address. Setting the tone for the rest of the forum, she not only challenged participants to reflect on their personal role in achieving the SDGs in their communities, but also pledged to play her own part in championing just governance for human security. She said she would do this “by promoting and supporting all programmes, projects, partnerships, networks and communities to effectively implement the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030.”

Weaving together an array of plenaries, peacebuilder-in-action sessions and space to reflect, the forum provided space for delegates to share, learn and agree on actions to advance human security. A number of participatory workshops were offered including conflict resolution skills, dialoguing across difference, non-violent action, advocacy and resource management planning. An excursion to a local family-owned winery also took place and centred on environmental sustainability and food security.

Meanwhile the second cohort of fellows from the humansecurityX certificate track programme also graduated after a week of delving deeper into the understanding of human security issues.

Examples of the interconnection between the Human Security Pillars and SDGs were highlighted. Via a statement delivered by his Press Secretary, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Education for Ghana commented, ‘Our fate as human beings is intertwined in ways which may not always be obvious […] No matter how unique some turmoil somewhere looks, we will find common threats and footprints which affirm our shared community.’ He cited both environmental degradation and food insecurity as factors leading to displacement, along with other issues which transcend international borders. Speaking in the context of rural poverty in Africa, Dr Edward Mabaya, Assistant Director of the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development, emphasized the role of education as not only a goal but also ‘a tool to tackle and solve the other SDGs’.

The inherent relationship between social inclusion, inclusive economics and various SDGs was highlighted by Rado Razafindrakoto, financial inclusion specialist for Madagascar’s Ministry of Finance and Budget, who spoke of increasing access to financial services for displaced/excluded populations who could then engage with and stimulate the local economy.

Personal stories enabled delegates to share how they had been able to apply the Human Security Pillars and SDGs, and how issues could be addressed at a grassroots or even state level to bring about change. Emphasising the importance of stories, Victoria Vdovychenko stated, ‘Change comes from within, and stories motivate others to make changes...and this is the secret of making a can-do generation.’ 

Conversation then moved to action as delegates offered pledges. These ranged from listening more closely in relationships, to advocating for policy change, to creating a ‘travelling book and scarf’ to give a voice to women. The 90 days following the conference provide a timeframe during which delegates are encouraged to take action on these pledges.

Additionally, in the months leading up to the conference, the JGHS team along with a group of UN volunteers produced ‘Crossing Paths: a Guide to the Pillars for Human Security and the 2030 Global Goals’, a downloadable E-book and free resource for communities to create actionable change by aligning human security pillars with specific SDGs. The team encourages everyone to make use of this tool in the pursuit of the goals and thanks all the delegates, staff and volunteers for making JGHS2018 a transformative event.

Join us next year! Just Governance for Human Security, a Caux Forum event, will take place from 2-7 July 2019.

• Find out more about Just Governance for Human Security 2018
• Discover the reports and highlights 2018

Raghad Al Saadi was one of this year’s speakers at the Just Governance for Human Security conference. Raghad and her family were displaced by the different armed conflicts in her home country, Iraq. When she moved to the United States, she started developing a project to bring more safety to refugee women and children.

Raghad Al Saadi's cheerfulness and enthusiasm make it hard to believe her when she says how exhausted and stressed she was before coming to Caux. But apparently Caux made it all go away: ‘You have no idea how happy, how peaceful, how calm, and positive I am now. I feel that I have wings and that I am flying!’

Raghad experienced three wars in Iraq. She remembers the harsh conditions in which she and her family had to live when they went to the rural areas to flee the bombing in Bagdad.  It was especially hard for a young girl: having no privacy, sharing one room with her entire family. Once she almost slipped into a deep stream. There was no one around and she could not swim.

At 31, despite the reluctance of her parents, she decided to leave Iraq for the United States. There she started a Masters in peace operations and UN interventions. As she studied armed conflicts and population displacement, the violence and the lack of security that women and children face caught her attention and brought back some of her own memories. Women and children are still often the first to pay the cost of conflicts.

Shelters are often located in remote areas where, most of the time, there isn’t any access to the internet and where communication to service providers is lacking. This puts refugees at even greater risk of being victims of abuse or of simply feeling in danger, like Raghad did back then. So Raghad began to look for ways to help women and children to feel safer and empowered to report cases of abuses: ‘I want women to have evidence, so that if they are abused they can report it and justice can be done.’ She contacted an engineer, who had developed a wireless device capable of tracking supplies and objects and who agreed to develop a similar device for humanitarian purposes. So Raghad now has a prototype, through which users can send a distress signal if they are in danger. She wants it to look like a watch and has called the device ‘misBit’.

When she is discouraged Raghad imagines children using the watch. This vision of ‘children smiling and being intrigued’ keeps her going. 

‘There were times, especially getting to know the technology, where I asked questions and where I felt unqualified,’ Raghad says. ‘But then I realized that not being an engineer does not make me less than an engineer.’ Once an older man told her that she should get a white man to talk about her idea because people would not take her seriously.

This is where Raghad’s story goes beyond helping women refugees. It is a story of empowering everyone, especially young women, to be confident, not to give up in the face of challenges, to believe in their dreams and to become changemakers.  ‘You are powerful if you want to be,’ she says. ‘If you choose to be effective in any field, you can develop the necessary skills. There are no barriers, except the ones you put up for yourself.’

In 2017, Raghad presented misBit – Empowering women and children to combat sexual and gender-based violence and human trafficking in refugee camps and disaster zones at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. She has established her own company, Polar Lights Prime, to take the project to the next level. Several aspects still need to be considered. Who will have access to this data? Who will be the providers? Raghad is conscious of the challenges and risks that come with such a device but she believes strongly in the benefits of technology: ‘Increasing connectivity, access to information, are all part of protecting human beings,’ she says.

• Find out more about Just Governance for Human Security 2018
• Discover the reports and highlights 2018

Wounds inflicted upon generations past and present across the globe cannot be overlooked. They leave their scars and often remain unhealed, perpetuating conflict. More than ever, healing is needed to break cycles of violence and to build global change.  This was a central focus at the recent Just Governance for Human Security (JGHS) event of the Caux Forum.

Progress towards human security is often blocked by entrenched attitudes and relationships that lack dialogue and trust. ‘Healing memory is crucial to human security,’ said Jonathan Rudy, Senior Adviser to Alliance for Peacebuilding. ‘Transforming enemies into friends through love and forgiveness is a long and drawn-out process whereby we need community, we need each other. It is essential work to restore all of our relations.’ Central to healing memory is each person’s unique story and experience, their need for acknowledgement and to be heard, and reconnection to that which has been disconnected.

This need became apparent during a conversation with Laurent Munyandlikirwa, a Rwandan refugee based in France. Laurent, a member of the Hutu ethnic group who married a Tutsi woman, lost his daughter during the Rwandan genocide. He spoke of the pain of discrimination in healing memory. Hutus felt they had no mechanism through which to remember their friends or family killed in Tutsi reprisals during and after the genocide, nor even the right to do so. His story highlighted the need for healing of memory on all sides of the conflict. It is often all too easy to group people into categories of victim and perpetrator, without recognizing the multi-dimensional nature of conflict.

‘How can you heal memory when the present is still traumatizing?’ asked Rajendra Senchurey, a member of the Dalit Rights Delegation from Nepal and Bangladesh. Rajendra, a Dalit himself and a strong advocate for a casteless society, explained that Dalits, often regarded as ‘untouchables’, experience multiple forms of social exclusion, discrimination and poverty by mere fact of their birth. He stressed the need for redistribution, building trust in institutions, legal provision against discrimination and improved education and economic opportunities. Such acts of inclusion are precursors to healing memory at a systemic level.

Haydee Dijkstal, an international criminal and human rights lawyer, said that healing memory can allow for accountability and justice to be pursued, either in the form of traditional court processes or truth and reconciliation commissions. Both have benefits and limitations. The chosen route will often depend on what victims need from the process – to have their full story told, or for responsibility and accountability to be assumed by the perpetrators.

Pain and trauma not transformed is transferred. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. What is critical is for stories to be heard and acknowledged, for unjust and unequal systems to be challenged and for justice to be pursued in order to heal memory and, in turn, pursue human security.

Seven years ago, Shalisa Hayes’s son, Billy Ray, was shot in cross-fire while attending a party with his friends in Tacoma, a city south of Seattle, USA. Shalisa reacted to this tragedy by creating a community centre in her neighbourhood and an association called MOM (Mothers of Magnitude). She first came to Caux in 2017. This year she was back for the Just Governance conference. We met in the Tea Room, on a misty Caux morning.

So, Shalisa, how does it feel to be back in Caux?

It feels great! I was looking forward to this trip and meeting so many people.

You have got an incredible story, first with the tragic loss of your son, then your initiative to create the community centre and Mothers of Magnitude. In all this, how did you discover the Caux Forum?

I understand that someone here in Caux read my story in the newsletter of Giraffe Heroes. They came looking for me and asked me to come to Caux.

How did your visit to Caux in 2017 go?

It went very well. There were people from all parts of the world, a lot of information, a lot of stories and a lot of longterm connections were made. I really enjoyed myself here and enjoyed the opportunity to share my story.

And what made you come back to Caux?

There are two parts: it’s important for me to learn from others and also I feel it’s important for them to learn from me. As an African American I have learned that in my own country some people tend to erase our history.

How did your inspiration to serve the community begin?

I have always, in some way, advocated for the community. I always mentored young people. I did it in a smaller scale, but then the tragedy put me on a bigger platform. One day my older son asked me how do you open a community centre? So I gave him some ideas and tips. But I work in insurance, I don’t build buildings, so I didn’t know exactly how to do that. Nonetheless he was thinking about the importance of having a community centre, as there were no facilities in our neighbourhood for young people to congregate in  a safe space when they were not at school. Unfortunately, six months after we had that conversation, we lost him to gun violence.

What was the consequence of this tragedy?

A couple of days after my son’s death, for whatever reason, I thought in my mind ‘community centre’. At his funeral I gave a speech mentioning that project. And two days later, I had a group of my son’s friends organizing a fundraising carwash to create that community centre. That is what inspired me to create the Billy Ray foundation, named after my son.

To make the community centre happen, we lobbied our government, at the local level, at the state level and even at the federal level. Eventually we managed to raise a lot of support. We later found out that we needed to raise $30 million for the construction of that building!  I don’t know how many car washes those kids did, but we managed to raise it!

Did you also ask for private funding?

We made sure that while we were lobbying for government funding we were also lobbying for private funding. So here we are, seven years on, and our community centre will be opening in a couple of months. We managed to build it in record time, as according to what I had been advised it usually takes 10-15 years to raise the money and build this kind of community centre.

Tell us about your other project, Mothers of Magnitude?

Through my journey of civic engagement, I began to be contacted by other mothers who had lost children, whether it was that they wanted to support me or just wanted someone to talk to who could correlate to their situation. I decided, with the support of my team, to organize a dinner for mothers who had lost children. It was just going to be one dinner, but then the whole thing took off as more and more people started to ask about it and wanted me to do it again. More and more mothers were reaching out to me and as a result I became a peer-person or, as we could say, a ‘grief coach’, someone they can call at 2am if they are having a tough night thinking about their child. And now we have a nationwide network of mothers who can support each other.

By Félix Portier, 2018 Caux Forum Communications Intern

Our world is being transformed by such technologies as artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality, 3D printing and blockchain, which impact the way we work, live and relate to each other. During Ethical Leadership in Business, an event of the Caux Forum, participants and speakers explored the question of how to lead in times of disruptive technological innovations. From 28 June to 1 July, leaders from various countries and sectors learnt how ethical leadership can drive innovation and build resilience, thus strengthening organizational performance while furthering the future of society.

Christophe Barman, ex CEO of Loyco, showed how, by introducing a flat hierarchy, his company increased employee engagement and responsibility and established an innovative and resilient corporate culture.

One of the greatest challenges brought by disruptive innovations is the likelihood of large-scale work displacement, as more jobs are automated than created. Ambassador Christian Dussey, Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, pointed out that we constantly update our phones but need to ask ourselves how often we update our mindset. While our digital and other ‘hard’ skills need constant updating, it is equally crucial to work on our attitudes, so that we can seize opportunities in a constantly changing environment.

Japman Bajaj, a telecommunications executive from Calgary, Canada, maintained that ‘adaptability’ is the most important skill, and requires a sense of humour, integrity, and ‘looking at the world from 19 different perspectives’. Angelica Kiboro, Deputy Principle of the Strathmore Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, said that leaders must remember that not only technical skills matter but also ‘soft power’ skills such as attitudes, communication and being a team player. In summary, business leaders must ensure that employees have the skills and attitudes to remain relevant on the labour market.

Leading in times of disruptive innovations not only requires leaders to keep up with trends, but also to think ahead, about the impact of the technologies they are developing or applying. Eric Salobir, a Catholic priest who founded the OPTIC Network and is a consultant to the Holy See, pointed out that technology cannot be neutral: ‘It is always for a purpose.’ So it is crucial that various representatives of society, including business, build a shared vison of technology’s role. For example, society needs to define what role and responsibilities it wants to hand over to robots. The celebrated robot inventor Professor Nadia Magnenat-Thalmann said that social robots could mitigate the negative impact of ageing populations by taking care of the elderly, but that society must ensure that technology is used for the common good.

Ethical Leadership in Business explored many other aspects of ethics in business and new technologies, the role of being human in a machine age and how to strengthen personal and professional resilience. It was a starting point for conversations and joint actions. The Ethical Leadership in Business community on Linkedin aims to continue sharing practices that can support business leaders.

In 2013, Christophe Barman is 29 and CEO of a thriving business. Following an evening organised by his company, he learns that a merger has been engineered by one of its shareholders. Unable to identify with the shareholder’s values and vision which focus on profit and large scale development, he decides to leave his position and join Loyco, an outsourcing business.

“It was easy for me to get by as my values were very clear,” recounted the young entrepreneur Christophe Barman whilst talking at the Ethical Leadership in Business conference, during the Caux Forum 2018. He explained that Loyco “was created on the basis of people’s ability to come together around a set of group values,” namely pleasure, collective intelligence, flexibility and inspiration. Now roughly 100 people work for Loyco and it has a turnover of 13 million Swiss Francs. Even more importantly, 73% of its capital is held by its employees. Indeed, Loyco recently decided to implement Holacracy, or as it is known internally, Loycocracy. In other words, a horizontal governance system which removes hierarcy, and encourages profit-sharing and employee autonomy in decision-making.

For his part, Jonathan Normand has worked for several international organisations in the field of risk assessment. In 2006, at the height of the subprime crisis, he too decided to quit his management position in pursuit of “giving meaning” to his work. He joined B Lab, the global B Corp (B Corporation) certification programme for “responsible” businesses. To date, more than 60,000 companies across the globe, including 900 in Switzerland, have carried out a social and environmental impact assessment thanks to this programme. Jonathan Normand’s role within the company is to find entrepreneurs who identify with B Lab’s values. For B Lab the notion of ethical leadership is important and means “making a profit for the greater good”.

Nowadays, for these two entrepreneurs reconciling ethics and the quest for profit is essential: “We can no longer afford to do business like we did 20, 30 or 40 years ago. The world has changed, things move quickly, the world is in an environmental and societal crisis” explains Christophe Barman. It is time to redefine the notion of business performance and respond to the important social and environmental challenges of our times. For this reason, Initiatives of Change (IofC) encourages entrepreneurs to make decisions based on the values of integrity and honesty, and to contribute to a fairer and more sustainable world. It is in this context that we have heard Christophe and Jonathan’s stories; two entrepreneurs who have become actors of change.

The success of companies such as Loyco, or certifying businesses such as B Corp, prove that it is possible to make a profit whilst remaining true to one’s values. Demand is also changing: consumers are choosing products and services which fulfil their search for meaning. Ethics and profits are no longer polar opposites. Making allies of these two aspects is not just for the philanthropists and a handful of organisations but rather a reality and an economic necessity.

Lucie Wirz, Communications Intern 2018

In 2013, Christophe Barman is 29 and CEO of a thriving business. Following an evening organised by his company, he learns that a merger has been engineered by one of its shareholders. Unable to identify with the shareholder’s values and vision which focus on profit and large scale development, he decides to leave his position and join Loyco, an outsourcing business.

“It was easy for me to get by as my values were very clear,” recounted the young entrepreneur Christophe Barman whilst talking at the Ethical Leadership in Business conference, during the Caux Forum 2018. He explained that Loyco “was created on the basis of people’s ability to come together around a set of group values,” namely pleasure, collective intelligence, flexibility and inspiration. Now roughly 100 people work for Loyco and it has a turnover of 13 million Swiss Francs. Even more importantly, 73% of its capital is held by its employees. Indeed, Loyco recently decided to implement Holacracy, or as it is known internally, Loycocracy. In other words, a horizontal governance system which removes hierarcy, and encourages profit-sharing and employee autonomy in decision-making.

For his part, Jonathan Normand has worked for several international organisations in the field of risk assessment. In 2006, at the height of the subprime crisis, he too decided to quit his management position in pursuit of “giving meaning” to his work. He joined B Lab, the global B Corp (B Corporation) certification programme for “responsible” businesses. To date, more than 60,000 companies across the globe, including 900 in Switzerland, have carried out a social and environmental impact assessment thanks to this programme. Jonathan Normand’s role within the company is to find entrepreneurs who identify with B Lab’s values. For B Lab the notion of ethical leadership is important and means “making a profit for the greater good”.

Nowadays, for these two entrepreneurs reconciling ethics and the quest for profit is essential: “We can no longer afford to do business like we did 20, 30 or 40 years ago. The world has changed, things move quickly, the world is in an environmental and societal crisis” explains Christophe Barman. It is time to redefine the notion of business performance and respond to the important social and environmental challenges of our times. For this reason, Initiatives of Change (IofC) encourages entrepreneurs to make decisions based on the values of integrity and honesty, and to contribute to a fairer and more sustainable world. It is in this context that we have heard Christophe and Jonathan’s stories; two entrepreneurs who have become actors of change.

The success of companies such as Loyco, or certifying businesses such as B Corp, prove that it is possible to make a profit whilst remaining true to one’s values. Demand is also changing: consumers are choosing products and services which fulfil their search for meaning. Ethics and profits are no longer polar opposites. Making allies of these two aspects is not just for the philanthropists and a handful of organisations but rather a reality and an economic necessity.

Lucie Wirz, Communications Intern 2018

• Find out more about Ethical Leadership in Business 2018
• Discover the 2018 reports and highlights
• Meet the 2 entrepreneurs

Our world is being transformed by such technologies as artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality, 3D printing and blockchain, which impact the way we work, live and relate to each other. During Ethical Leadership in Business, an event of the Caux Forum, participants and speakers explored the question of how to lead in times of disruptive technological innovations. From 28 June to 1 July, leaders from various countries and sectors learnt how ethical leadership can drive innovation and build resilience, thus strengthening organizational performance while furthering the future of society.

Christophe Barman, ex CEO of Loyco, showed how, by introducing a flat hierarchy, his company increased employee engagement and responsibility and established an innovative and resilient corporate culture.

One of the greatest challenges brought by disruptive innovations is the likelihood of large-scale work displacement, as more jobs are automated than created. Ambassador Christian Dussey, Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, pointed out that we constantly update our phones but need to ask ourselves how often we update our mindset. While our digital and other ‘hard’ skills need constant updating, it is equally crucial to work on our attitudes, so that we can seize opportunities in a constantly changing environment.

Japman Bajaj, a telecommunications executive from Calgary, Canada, maintained that ‘adaptability’ is the most important skill, and requires a sense of humour, integrity, and ‘looking at the world from 19 different perspectives’. Angelica Kiboro, Deputy Principle of the Strathmore Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, said that leaders must remember that not only technical skills matter but also ‘soft power’ skills such as attitudes, communication and being a team player. In summary, business leaders must ensure that employees have the skills and attitudes to remain relevant on the labour market.

Leading in times of disruptive innovations not only requires leaders to keep up with trends, but also to think ahead, about the impact of the technologies they are developing or applying. Eric Salobir, a Catholic priest who founded the OPTIC Network and is a consultant to the Holy See, pointed out that technology cannot be neutral: ‘It is always for a purpose.’ So it is crucial that various representatives of society, including business, build a shared vison of technology’s role. For example, society needs to define what role and responsibilities it wants to hand over to robots. The celebrated robot inventor Professor Nadia Magnenat-Thalmann said that social robots could mitigate the negative impact of ageing populations by taking care of the elderly, but that society must ensure that technology is used for the common good.

Ethical Leadership in Business explored many other aspects of ethics in business and new technologies, the role of being human in a machine age and how to strengthen personal and professional resilience. It was a starting point for conversations and joint actions. The Ethical Leadership in Business community on Linkedin aims to continue sharing practices that can support business leaders.

Join it to keep informed about upcoming webinars, meet-ups and other events.

Ethical Leadership in Business will take place from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 June 2019.

With contributions from Mike Smith, Anna Luliza Behrens and Annika Hartmann

• Find all the pictures of the event on Flickr
• Watch the interview with Christophe Barman and Jonathan Norman
• Find out more about Ethical Leadership in Business 2018
• Discover the 2018 reports and highlights