Photo by World Economic Forum/Mattias Nutt
A Note from B Team CEO Halla Tómasdóttir
Last week I traveled to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting. I was frankly unsure if this was a good venue for The B Team to B. I struggle to believe that real change will come from those who hold a disproportionate amount of power, privilege and profits without much accountability toward our environment and humanity as a whole.
And while Davos is by no means perfect, by the end of the week I left feeling inspired and energised by those speaking out and taking action against this crisis of conformity that has left us with a burning planet, a broken social contract and low trust the world over.
Read my full debrief for more what we can learn from confronting challenges and building transformative ideas across generations, sectors and boundaries.
While the movement of business as a force for good is growing around the world, what does it look like in East Africa? Robert Karanja, our B Team Africa Lead, sat down with Olivia Muiru, B Lab East Africa Executive Director, to discuss the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for this work in the region and why it calls for strong partnerships, including with The B Team Africa.
“They can either continue with business as usual, and face growing unrest globally over obscene inequality and an ever more unstable climate, or they can choose to back a just transition to the climate safe world that we need.”
B Team Vice-Chair Sharan Burrow and Greenpeace International Executive Director Jennifer Morgan challenge Davos attendees to take real and concerted action to end the world’s climate and inequality crises.
“It is indeed possible to fight corruption successfully with the right knowledge, patience, and commitment to transparency.”
A long-time crusader against corruption, former Finance Minister of Nigeria and B Team Leader Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala shares her strategies for building strong institutions, enhancing transparency and restoring trust in Africa.
“This is not just about figures or large aggregated and abstract numbers. It is above all about actual progress being made on the ground.”
Looking back on 2018, what comes to mind when we think about climate? Isabelle Kocher, CEO of ENGIE and B Team Leader, highlights the industrial breakthroughs and community-driven movements that made 2018 a milestone year in the energy revolution.
“Climate change action has never been so urgent, as we are quickly approaching tipping points of no return.”
Christiana Figueres, former UNFCCC General Secretary, joins youth climate activist Greta Thunberg to stress to urge all Davos attendees to make facing the climate crisis their number one priority.
In the United Kingdom alone, 70 percent of the public want to work for a business which can prove it’s paying its fair share of tax. But employee pride is just one of the trends businesses acting on responsible tax are seeing.
Since 2015, citizens and organisations working on human rights issues related to business have suffered more than 1,400 attacks. But we know the private sector cannot afford to be bystanders in this climate—here’s why business is nothing without strong human rights.
With evolving technology, demographic shifts and an increasingly urgent climate crisis, the world of work is facing a transformation. For a future of work that provides decent and sustainable jobs, we need a human-centered agenda.