*{For Hope [http://www.weforum.org/site/knowledgenavigator.nsf/Content/For%20Hope?open&topic_id=300250000&theme_id=300]

            31.01.2002

            Annual Meeting 2002}

            The post-11 September atmosphere may offer a window of opportunity for initiatives to reduce human suffering and create greater understanding among peoples and cultures. That seemed to be the closest thing to a consensus view from a diverse panel that included everything from a rock star to a queen.

            The title of the opening plenary session of Annual Meeting 2002 was "For Hope". It addressed diverse topics, including Afghanistan, the Middle East, AIDS in Africa, the developing-country debt burden and fair trade. The events of 11 September and their aftermath served as a constant undertow to the debate. "The post-September 11 world has shrunk," said Bono, the Composer and U2 Singer of Principle Management, Ireland.

            "The US and everybody else has come to understand that we share a common humanity," said Desmond M. Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus, South Africa. "It is an effect of feeling vulnerable. We realize that we are all part of a family, as God intended us to be."

            Panellists agreed that the time is for action not words. Several panellists concurred that the protestors outside The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel are right to be concerned about the world’s injustices and the lack of action to address them. Some seemed more optimistic than others about the likelihood of concrete efforts in the future.

            H.M. Queen Rania of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan hit one of the most optimistic notes. "The mood of the world has changed," she said. "There is a special global consciousness. We care. There is genuine curiosity. Different civilizations want to know about each other now."

            Bono seemed more sceptical. "We need to make people believe that the developed world really cares about the developing world," he said. "We have to prove that this is not just a talking shop."

            To get beyond talking shop, several panellists offered concrete suggestions for action.

            Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President of the Philippines, made a call to fight poverty. "The coalition against terrorism should be mobilized to fight poverty," she said. "We are winning a new kind of war, and we need a new kind of peace. We need to fight poverty -- not with hand-outs but by promoting self-reliance."

            Bono called for a campaign against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. "If we really believe that those people in Africa are our equals, we cannot let this continue," he said. He also called for debt relief for developing countries. "Some countries spend more to service their foreign debts than they do on education and health combined," he said.

            Elie Wiesel, Professor of the Humanities, Boston University, USA, called for special attention to the needs of children. "Adults make war and children suffer," he said. "Every minute a child dies of starvation, disease or violence. We should all give one minute a day to the children. We can save them. And if they die, it is our fault."

            Moderator Charlie Rose, Anchor, Executive Producer and Executive Editor, The Charlie Rose Show, USA, asked Abdullah Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Interim Administration of Afghanistan, about his view of foreign troops in his country. "The mandate of the multinational forces should be expanded," he said. "A Security Council resolution is needed." 

            Bishop Tutu took the longest-term and perhaps most philosophical view on the theme of hope. "Good always wins out in the end," he said.                 

                  *{Contributors:       Abdullah Abdullah
                  Bono       Giuliani Rudolph W.
                  Macapagal Arroyo Gloria
                  Rania of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan       Rose Charlie
                  Tutu Desmond M.
                  Wiesel Elie}