Conversationists look toward a better future at today’s digital Reykjavík Global Forum 2020
Reykjavík, 10 November 2020 – As calls for the increased involvement of women leaders amplify in the midst of pandemic, the first day of the Reykjavík Global Forum offered a clear view of how societies worldwide can build back better. More than 800 leaders are tuning in for the Forum’s second day, to take part in conversations on Fintech and Market Access, Conscious Business and Global Health, Architecture and Humanity, Women’s Leadership, Climate Change, Resilience, and improving the future of our world. All these compelling subjects and more will be highlighted and illuminated by renowned Featured Conversationists.
This three-day digital event is bringing together such leaders as Hillary Clinton (U.S. Secretary of State, 2009-2013), Michelle Bachelet (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and President of Chile, 2006-2010, 2014-2018), José Manuel Barroso (Chairman of Goldman Sachs International, President European Commission, 2004-2014), Denis Mukwege (Medical Director and Founder, Panzi Hospital, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2018), Tao Zhang (Deputy Managing Director, IMF), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Director-General of the World Health Organisation), Erna Solberg (Prime Minister of Norway, 2013-present), and many others.
More than 800 leaders tuned in to yesterday’s digital broadcasts. Today’s event (Tuesday 10 November, see link below) will feature six panel sessions and numerous additional conversations on the crucial issues now facing societies worldwide.
The session will open with remarks from Tao Zhang, Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, on the opportunities inherent in improved access by women to financing, along with obstacles that persist. The first panel of the day, entitled ‘Fintech and Market Access’, will look at new tools and technologies that can enable market access for entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises, with a focus on women-owned and women-led businesses as the most dependable drivers of economic growth and stability.
At the panel ‘Conscious Criteria for Global Business’, Conversationists will examine the growing role of financial markets in driving equitable and inclusive growth, even as ESG and social consciousness move to the forefront of investment decision-making.
A special address on immunisation will be presented by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, which recently declared vaccine hesitancy to be among the top 10 global health threats. This will lead into the panel ‘Global Health Progress at Risk’ on the urgent need to restore vaccination coverage programmes hit by COVID-19, the impact on children from decreases in vaccination, and the vital importance of getting immunisation regimes back on track.
Other panels will focus on ‘Climate Change’, ‘Resilience’, and ‘The Future of the World’, at a moment in time where we face increasingly extreme weather conditions, threats to food production, the destruction of habitats, and the emergence of novel viruses from compromised ecosystems. Panellists at these three sessions will consider cross-sectoral solutions to combat the climate crisis and the structural inequalities that sustain it, how women leaders can shape more resilient societies, and how we can collaborate to build a more inclusive, equitable, sustainable, and prosperous future where no one is left behind.
Further sessions include a Fireside Chat on ‘Architecture and Humanity’ and a Keynote Speech by Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway, on ‘Women’s Leadership’ and paths to building a more equitable future.
To gain access to the Forum, journalists can register here: https://www.reykjavikforumregistration.global/media/
Interviews are possible. Please contact the press team at press@wpleaders.org to specify your interest.
Notes to editors:
Co-hosted by Women Political Leaders (WPL) and the Government and Parliament of Iceland and launched in 2018 under the heading of ‘Power, Together’, the Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders convenes women and men leaders from all sectors (including politics, business, civil society, academia, the arts, and media) to share ideas and solutions on how to further advance society and promote and positively develop the number of women in leadership positions.
