CDLS at the World Economic Forum 2019

By Irina Fedorenko, Managing Director of the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security

18/02/2019

 

The Caux Dialogue on Land and Security’s managing director, Irina Fedorenko, was invited to speak at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) 2019 in Davos, Switzerland. She shares her personal experience below.

The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland has just closed its doors for another year but this time I was part of it. Rather than focusing on the justified criticisms of excessive opulence and the ever-increasing number of private jets taken by the attendees, I would like to highlight the transformative dialogues and connections that shaped my Davos experience.

On 23 January 2019 a group of Oxford University students and alumni took to the floor in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Tent. We were speaking on behalf of the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust Scholarship and Leadership programme, the largest philanthropic scholarship supported by the University of Oxford.  During the panel entitled “Young Voices of Hope: Perspectives from the Latest Wave of Emerging Leaders” we shared the most challenging issues faced by our countries of origin and how our time at Oxford and within the Leadership Programme has inspired and equipped us to be the driving force behind tangible solutions.

While the WEF attracted global industry leaders to discuss the most pressing problems faced by society, we used this opportunity to remind them how urgent and vital it is to invest in young people who can work together towards a more tolerant, more understanding and more sustainable world. In the words of Trust Chairman, André Hoffmann, “Knowledgeable and skilled leaders are needed to shape more equitable and sustainable societies, particularly in trouble-stricken regions.” You can read more about the programme here.

The next day, 24 January 2019, I spoke at The Solver Series. This event was hosted by Mark Turell, the founder of unDavos, the platform which provides access and cross-pollination of ideas and connects those who want to change the world so that they can work together to achieve this. The discussion focused on water and technology and how innovation could be a force for good in ecosystem restoration and replenishment of water tables globally. Some exciting technologies were highlighted, such as Weathertec’s solar powered installations which turn atmospheric humidity into rain and BioCarbon Engineering’s use of drones to seed large areas of land. However, everyone agreed that the key to large-scale environmental restoration is wise governance and land management, topics that usually dominate the agenda of the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security.

Another highlight of that day was the SDGs 2030 party, which celebrated the planet as if it had achieved all of the Sustainable Development Goals and how the world would be looking by then. I used my chance to get up on stage and paint a picture of the future, where all the forests have been protected and all 350 million hectares that are currently in need of restoration have been reforested, which has stabilised the climate.

The last day of WEF, the stage was dominated by a rare and unique blend of people who are passionately committed to providing sustainable and purpose-driven services to build regenerative and inclusive economies and create green jobs. The Future of Humanity Forum took place, where a panel of CDLS participants spoke about economic solutions for sustainability. The panel consisted of myself, Ashish Domah (Founder of The SDGs Company), Dr Bremley Lygdoh (Founder of WorldView Impact), and Aland Laubsch, (CEO of Earth Pulse). We discussed land restoration and technology, and the role of blockchain technology in creating a sustainable economy and green jobs.  The event was recorded and will be turned into a film in order to educate a wider audience about the SDGs.

While the panel recognised the importance of small and individual actions in achieving sustainability targets, they emphasised that large-scale actions are usually driven by visionary CEOs and politicians. These themes echo the conversations and synergies that often arise in Caux.

Recognising this, we invited all participants to join us for the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security  and Ethical Leadership in Business conferences, taking place on 27-30 June 2019.

 

Featured Story
On

related stories

Dhanasree Jayaram CDES 2020

A closer look at links between environment and security

Food security is a key to understanding the complex connection between climate and security, Dhanasree Jayaram, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations Manipal...

Irina Fedorenko CDES 2020 screenshot

Caux Dialogue on Environment and Security 2020

The Caux Dialogue on Environment and Security aimed high in its first online edition, with more than 15 sessions and a cumulative total of 450 participants. Experts discussed the connection between se...

Summer Academy 2020 screenshot participants cropped credit: Alan Channer

Summer Academy 2020: expansive possibilities for the future

The effusive feedback from participants in the five-day 2020 Summer Academy on Land, Climate and Security vindicated the difficult decision to take the course online. Four months ago, this had seemed ...

Karina Cheah

Overcoming the challenges of online dialogue groups

I have never been to Caux. I had also never moderated a dialogue group before, in or outside of the Caux Forum. As I faced the prospect of co-facilitating an online dialogue group in the Caux Dialogue...

CDLS 2019 Chau Duncan

Retooling the wheel for regenerative investment

Chau Tang-Duncan, co-founder and chief operating officer of Earthbanc, has been coming to Caux regularly since 2010. It was there that she first embraced the role she could have in connecting people a...

Tony Rinaudo

Tony Rinaudo: For a better future in Niger

Why would an Australian farmer who moved to Africa in the 1980s be called ‘the forest-maker’? Tony Rinaudo, World Vision Australia's climate action advisor, told this year's Caux Dialogue on Environme...

CDES teaser theme square

Land and Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: assessing the risks and seeking a response

As part of the Caux Forum Online 2020, Initiatives of Change Switzerland and the Human Security Division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs organized a video-conference in French on ‘L...

Visier Sanyu discussion Caux

The Healing Garden of Nagaland

Dr Visier Sanyü often sleeps in his tree house. It’s a feature of the 12-acre Healing Garden which he created in Medziphema, Northeast India. Sanyü, a retired professor of history and archaeology, lik...

Caux Palace view night

Climate and the economy in the post-COVID world

As pandemic-related lockdowns and travel restrictions slowly begin to ease and a return to normal life seems nearer at hand, we are at a critical juncture as to how we choose to act towards our enviro...

Alan Channer Bremen prize

Dr Alan Channer shortlisted for the 2019 Bremen International Peace Prize

Dr Alan Channer, who has been one of the organizers of the Caux Dialogues on Land and Security since their inception, was a runner-up for this year's Bremen International Peace Prize....

Bo Sprotte Kafod

Saving a sacred grove

Bo Sprotte Kafod volunteered to help organize the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security (CDLS) in 2019, after meeting former CDLS participants at the UN climate change conference (UNFCCC COP24) in Katowi...

Oliver Gardiner

Filming regeneration

One-man film crew, Oliver Gardiner, travels to remote regions around the world to tell stories of how people have addressed complex issues through food, farming and land use....

CDLS 2019 Tom Duncan

Empowering communities to restore mangroves

Tom Duncan is CEO of Earthbanc and passionate about problem solving and strategic systems thinking, primarily in regenerative economics, green finance and financial technology, as a means of restoring...

Nhat Vhuong

Plucking water from the air

Webmarketing consultant and social entrepreneur Nhat Vhuong is passionate about tackling water scarcity. A Vietnamese refugee, who grew up in Switzerland, he worked in Japan for eight years before ret...

Aibanshngain Swer CDLS 2019

Protecting Meghalaya’s water sources

Some billion people rely on water sourced in the hills of Meghalaya, in North East India. One of those responsible for water conservation in the State, Aibanshngain Swer, took part in the Summer Acade...