Bengt Mattson started out at Pfizer in 1994 as a research scientist in packaging development in Stockholm, Sweden. He became Manager of Environment and Risk Management in 1995. He was named Director of ESH (Environment, Safety and Health) and EMU (Engineering, Maintenance and Utilities) in 2000. Until April 2020, he was head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Affairs for Pfizer’s operations in Sweden.
Nicolai Schaaf trained as a marine ecologist and has 15 years’ experience in facilitating stakeholder dialogues and advising on policy related to climate, energy, biodiversity and water resources. Since 2013, he has led the work of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) on water and pharmaceuticals, including research into antibiotic resistance from a water perspective.
This workshop will dive into the challenges and opportunities for sustainability in the pharmaceutical industry, in the context of COVID 19. We will draw on diverse perspectives from industry and civil society on the sustainable production and consumption of medicines. The dialogue will highlight antibiotic resistance as one of the most pressing challenges facing the world. Lastly we will touch upon technical, political and legal solutions and explore how we can use the current crisis to transform the sector by building a more transparent supply chain.
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Moderator:
Build your future world and retrocast back to today – a method for designing your life, business or community. This process will help you create and take action on a strategy for developing regenerative ecosystems. With others, you’ll frame a challenge to identify current barriers, project into the future, build your ideal world and work backwards from that future to create a plan for getting there. Create a vision for your future, a plan for getting there, an inspired sense of direction and a new tool for your innovation toolbox.
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Moderator:
Workshop 3: TBC: Bringing capital to ecosystem restoration: Rethink. Reconnect. Restore.
Our future is inextricably linked to the health of our soil, forests and oceans. Taking without giving back is over. Regen Future Capital’s conscious investment model provides the funding and infrastructure to scale projects that reconnect humanity with nature, regenerating and enhancing the Earth’s natural capital for everyone’s benefit.
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Please note that this programme is subject to change. For technical reasons the Caux Forum Online will be held mainly in English with some sessions in French. No interpretation will be offered. Thank you for your understanding.
Stories are powerful. At IofC, story sharing has been a powerful tool for change. Stories inspire those who listen and give them the chance to gain a new perspective, to put themselves in the teller’s shoes. Sharing also gives greater insight to those who tell their stories. The process makes us all realize that the stories of the marginalized are also part of our stories, and that indeed we are all part of the same story.
However, stories are often told by those in power. Some stories are not told. Some stories are adapted or even erased.
‘As an African American I have learned that in my own country some people tend to erase our history,’ Shalisa Hayes from the US told us in 2018. The Founder and Executive Director of the Billy Ray Shirley III Foundation came to Caux twice to tell the story of the son she lost to gun violence.
Two years later, her words have fresh power in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd. His story will not be erased, because so many have identified with it and decided to share it. It has travelled the world and resonated internationally, because it wasn’t an isolated story. Not in the US, not in the world. The story of racism is a truly global story: one that everyone has a part in telling.
In Switzerland too, racism is present. A recent report by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance states that in Switzerland ‘institutional and structural racism continues to be a problem in the police. It manifests itself in racial profiling and identity checks targeting notably persons with itinerant ways of life and Black persons.’ The story of racial discrimination and of white privilege is international.
It is disheartening to see how prevalent race discrimination still is in our societies today. The recurring absence of justice for the black victims of senseless killings forbids complacency. Our hearts go out to all who suffer systemic brutality and racial injustice.
It is up to each and every one of us to create a new story and to commit ourselves to bringing about a sustainable society that rejects discrimination and promotes ethical leadership. We must all consider what we can do in our own lives to address imbalances of power and work for a future in which systemic racism has no part.
The theme of this year’s Caux Forum Online is ‘Shaping our future together’. We commit to providing a platform where all voices can be heard, where all stories can be told, and where together we can write a new more inclusive story. The Tools for Changemakers conference is readapting its programme to highlight the role of dialogue in addressing racism. It will create space for participants to share their personal experiences of privilege and discrimination.
Black lives matter. Not just because it is part of the story that we at Initiatives of Change want to be telling, but simply because it is part of our common story of humanity. Come share this story, come share your story.
The Initiatives of Change Switzerland Team and Council
If you’d like us to share your story on our website or social media, please send us an email.
In its current edition, the top real estate magazine in French-speaking Switzerland, immobilier.ch, showcases the Caux Palace as one of five positive examples of how historic buildings can be preserve...
When the first Ukrainians arrived at the Caux Refuge, Eliane and Andrew Stallybrass were amongst the first volunteers to welcome them at the Villa Maria and to offer their support. Eliane knew that le...
What happens when 26 IofC trainers and facilitators from 12 countries embark on a three-day learning journey in Caux on designing and facilitating participatory learning experiences? At the opening se...
We are happy to present our Annual Report 2021, covering all of last year's activities and the celebrations of 75 Years of Encounters!...
Sunday 19 June 2022 saw crowds of visitors and local people gathering in the park of the Caux Palace for the inauguration of a ‘Caux Belle Epoque’ self-guided walk. ...
Christine Beerli will step down as President of the Foundation of Initiatives of Change Switzerland in April 2022, after four years in the role. Jacqueline Coté, former Director of Public Relations at...
Former President of the Council of IofC Switzerland, Antoine Jaulmes, interviews Andrew Lancaster from Australia, who has just stepped down from the Council after 16 years....
Nick Foster, until now Caux Forum Director, will take over the role of Co-Director of IofC Switzerland, alongside Stephanie Buri. After nine years with Initiatives of Change (IofC) and one year as the...
Germany was in ruins. Europe was in ruins. Millions had been killed; millions more wounded and displaced. There were also ruins of the mind, deep collective trauma in desperate need of healing. In the...
‘At that time, even a dog would have refused a bit of bread from the hand of a German,’ remembered Peter Petersen, one of 150 Germans who the Allies allowed to come to Caux in 1947. They were some of ...
"Deep down inside, I blamed the rich, I held them responsible for so many people’s unhappiness. I couldn’t accept that some could have everything they wanted without having to lift a little finger, wh...
"My story is not special, or mine. It belongs to this conference centre. It is 75 years long and contains hundreds of thousands of train rides, walks, talks, teas, conversations, and quiet moments of ...
We are committed to inspire, equip and connect you to support you on your journey from personal to global change. But we need your help to see how we can do this best!...
Usually, Swiss National Day on 1 August is an opportunity for Caux Forum participants to discover some Swiss traditions, including cheese fondue. This year, it looked like the Caux Palace would be emp...
Our Annual Report 2019 is now available! Discover our activities and relive the highlights of the Caux Forum 2019....
Isabella Phoenix’s affinity for people and teams is the foundation of her talent for nurturing organizations in the corporate, art and NGO worlds.
For the past 30 years Isabella has led global multi-functional teams in HP, Nestlé and Exxon. She led the Middle East & Africa retail division of Hewlett-Packard (HP), worth US$800 million, to double-digit growth and successfully led the HP Omnichannel Transformation. She is now Senior Manager of HP’s innovative Global Channel capabilities and enablement organization.
Brendan Kelly is the Global Head of Leadership and Professional Development and Head of the Wealth Institute for Crédit Suisse AG. Crédit Suisse has a workforce of 76,000 people located in 50 countries. It serves private and corporate clients through its Wealth Management, Asset Management and Investment Banking businesses.
Chair: Anna Brach
Chair: Louise Brown
Chair: Dr Irina Fedorenko
Details to be confirmed.
Details to be confirmed.
Please note that this programme is subject to change. For technical reasons the Caux Forum Online will be held mainly in English with some sessions in French. No interpretation will be offered. Thank you for your understanding.
Climate change and land degradation pose potentially devastating threats to human security. Can we anticipate future scenarios? What will it take to respond accordingly? Three global experts from France, Nepal and UK shed light on questions that will affect the future of humanity.
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Chair:
From villagers replenishing groundwater in India to pastoralists mapping land rights in Darfur; from farmer-managed natural regeneration in Niger to communities managing wildlife in Namibia: durable solutions are based on effective community action. Meet practitioners from Australia, India, Namibia and Senegal who are leading the way in catalyzing community-based solutions.
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Chair:
This plenary will dive into the challenges and opportunities for sustainability in the pharmaceutical industry, in the context of COVID 19. We will draw on diverse perspectives from industry and civil society on the sustainable production and consumption of medicines. The dialogue will highlight antibiotic resistance as one of the most pressing challenges facing the world. Lastly we will touch upon technical, political and legal solutions and explore how we can use the current crisis to transform the sector by building a more transparent supply chain.
With:
Moderator:
Global resources are streaming into efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. How can such efforts benefit the world’s poorest? Expert practitioners and scholars from the African Development Bank, Earthbanc and pioneering academic centres will share insights and prospects.
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Chair:
The Eastern Himalayan region stretches across two biodiversity hotspots and over 220 indigenous communities, prompting a battle for resources where human aspirations threaten the region’s biodiversity. The Rural Futures model reconciles these human and biodiversity needs through promoting habitat-mediated livelihoods for indigenous communities, thereby alleviating the economic incentives to destroy habitats. The programme enhances natural assets, creating a system for sustainable natural capital optimization that builds the capacity of indigenous communities to become stewards of their natural inheritance. In the long term, sustainable liquidation of this natural capital will facilitate the delivery of universal basic assets to forest-fringe communities.
With:
Moderator:
Build your future world and retrocast back to today – a method for designing your life, business or community. This process will help you create and take action on a strategy for developing regenerative ecosystems. With others, you’ll frame a challenge to identify current barriers, project into the future, build your ideal world and work backwards from that future to create a plan for getting there. Create a vision for your future, a plan for getting there, an inspired sense of direction and a new tool for your innovation toolbox.
With:
Moderator:
Land degradation springs from the interplay between the degradation of traditional management systems, ignorance of modern insights into restoration science, poor governance and competing claims. We tend to associate such conditions with poor countries, yet they can also affect the world's richest nations. Join this workshop to learn about the latest developments in the relationship between land degradation and exile, to discuss how EU environmental policy can effect change globally and to witness astonishing innovations in areas ranging from the rich temperate soils of Belgium to the most degraded landscapes on Earth, the saline flats of desert shores and the shifting boundaries of the Sahel and the Sahara.
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We will consider the nexus of environmental restoration, peacemaking, trust and security. Violence may come from communal tensions, ideological preconceptions, disruptions of livelihoods, mistrust and fear, or criminal exploitation. Environmental degradation can exacerbate many of these drivers of conflict, and we need new tools to reverse the downward spiral and rebuild hope and trust. We also need to scale up the re-creation of environments which provide the physical and spiritual sustenance on which we all depend. The panel will bring perspectives that cut across the usual silos, and will explore the opportunities for tackling local and global risks through innovative and familiar approaches, restoring physical environments and human relationships alike. From community activists to security forces, from pastoralists to climate researchers, these issues matter for everyone, and everyone can contribute to addressing them.
Moderators:
With:
Reunite the inner and outer world through an interactive meditative musical trip. We will go inwards to reconnect with the feeling of oneness with the world, reinforcing and broadening the quality of compassion, guided by improvized music, the sound of the flute and occasionally a few words. This zoom session will only use sound (no visuals, cameras off) and will offer a moment of relaxation for conference participants.
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Coordinator:
Pour beaucoup de communautés d’Afrique subsaharienne, un drame est en train de se dérouler. Sous la pression d’une population croissante, du changement climatique et parfois de mauvaise gouvernance, les terres fertiles se font rares. Les gens s’appauvrissent, les jeunes cherchent une vie qui semble meilleure en ville ou en Europe, voire en rejoignant des groupes armés. Mais il est encore possible de mobiliser des ressources humaines et techniques pour restaurer la terre et la confiance. Cet atelier cherchera à mettre en lumière des scénarios positifs qui permettent d’attaquer les causes de l’extrémisme violent. En réunissant des représentants des secteurs de l’environnement et de la sécurité, l’atelier favorisera une perspective plus holistique sur ces questions complexes et contribuera à amorcer les grandes lignes d’une réponse conjointe.
Organisateurs :
Modérateur :
Invité-e-s:
How can artistic expressions be combined with real life politics as part of the same drive for good in the world? How can one imagine a wonderful world and still be realistic and practical about what needs to be done to get there? Lisa Yasko will share her personal journey as a member of the Ukrainian parliament and politician.
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Coordinator:
Since 2012, the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security has explored issues of desertification, deforestation, conflict, and such solutions as land restoration, agroecology, peacebuilding and innovative green finance. But land only actually represents 29% of the world’s surface.
Now that the Caux Dialogue is focusing more on the environment in general, it can begin to explore crucially important issues concerning the remaining 71% of the Earth’s surface: the ocean, the world’s largest source of protein, which directly provides a livelihood to more than 3 billion people.
Through a collection of viewpoints, from the science, conservation, policy and finance sectors, this session will pave the way for several more Caux Ocean Dialogues.
The future of life on our planet indubitably lies in our ability to save the ocean: this is not to exclude terrestial issues, as everything is connected. The future is now. (Find out more here).
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Creativity holds the power to communicate without borders. This power has been harvested in the past to put across messages of equity, equality and social causes. Creativity offers the flexibility to move through different media – especially the visual arts – to work for nature conservation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic we have all learnt that if we take care of nature, nature will take care of us. In the four sessions of this workshop, we will take you on a journey, starting from the personal and moving to the global, towards deeper connection with sustainability in your daily life.
Participants must commit to all the four sessions, two each day. Facilitation will take place in two or three groups, depending on the facilitators.
Please note that this workshop is held on 2 consecutive days. Participants are expected to attend on both days to get the full experience!
With:
Coordinator and Moderator:
Creativity holds the power to communicate without borders. This power has been harvested in the past to put across messages of equity, equality and social causes. Creativity offers the flexibility to move through different media – especially the visual arts – to work for nature conservation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic we have all learnt that if we take care of nature, nature will take care of us. In the four sessions of this workshop, we will take you on a journey, starting from the personal and moving to the global, towards deeper connection with sustainability in your daily life.
Participants must commit to all the four sessions, two each day. Facilitation will take place in two or three groups, depending on the facilitators.
Please note that this workshop is held on 2 consecutive days. Participants are expected to attend on both days to get the full experience!
With:
Coordinator and Moderator:
Please note that this programme is subject to change. For technical reasons the Caux Forum Online will be held mainly in English with some sessions in French. No interpretation will be offered. Thank you for your understanding.
