AMNC24: What you need to know about investing in people
One of six key pillars of AMNC24 is 'Investing in People'. Image: Photo by Daniel Tong on Unsplash
- Leaders from business, government, civil society, and international organizations will gather in Dalian, People's Republic of China, for the Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC24) from 25-27 June.
- One of six key pillars of the meeting is 'Investing in People'.
- Follow live coverage and curated insights from the meeting.
Jobs across the globe are set to face significant disruption for the foreseeable future. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report predicts 44% of workers' skills will be impacted by factors including geoeconomics, technology, and the green transition.
As the global community navigates technological and economic shifts, it's essential that people are put front and centre.
Reskilling, advancing women's employment, leveraging AI responsibly, addressing climate-related health challenges, promoting adolescent mental well-being, and accelerating drug discovery through AI are key areas that need innovative approaches.
The growth of green jobs is a critical component of addressing the disruptions faced. As geoeconomics, technology, and the green transition shape the job landscape, it is essential for policymakers, employers, and workers to coordinate their response.
Initiatives like the Forum's Reskilling Revolution, working to equip 1 billion people with improved education and skills opportunities, are meeting the challenge, but as the latest Global Gender Gap Report shows, inclusive growth is still some way off.
Key sessions
All times are CST (GMT+8)
25 June
Pairing technology with a culture shift to more open and transparent scientific process could accelerate research and breakthroughs - so how can the scientific community embrace open science?
Julie Zimmerman, Vice-Provost, Planetary Solutions, Yale University, offered her take.
Catch up on the session below.
Development has faced a series of shocks - from health to climate change - meaning cooperation is more critical than ever.
Vera Songwe, Chair of the Board, Liquidity and Sustainability Facility, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Chairperson, Social & Economic Research Initiative and Alessio Terzi, Author and Lecturer in Public Policy, University of Cambridge, explained what progress is already being made and what further solutions are needed.
26 June
Youth unemployment globally stands at 73 million, according to International Labour Organization data. And, in China, youth unemployment was around three times higher than the national average in January.
This session featured contributions from Vanshica Kant, Global Shaper, New Delhi Hub; Omar Bawa, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Goodwall; Michelle Howie, Advisory Council, Adelaide Hub, and Mariam Nourya Koné, Curator, Abidjan Hub.
The burden of climate-related diseases is increasing. Climate change isn't just impacting human health, but also poses a threat to health systems and global health supply chains.
Shyam Bishen, the Forum's Head of the Centre for Health and Healthcare and Member of the Executive Committee, joined Kitty van der Heijden, Deputy Executive Director, Partnerships, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); Fareed Yasseen, Climate Envoy of Iraq; Andre Hoffmann, Vice-Chairman, Roche, and Adam Lou, CEO, Lollipop Technology (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd, to discuss how we can improve the resilience of healthcare systems while also mitigating the impact of the climate crisis on human health.
Climate change is now classed as a public health emergency, said Bishen.
Van der Heijden spoke about the impact of the climate crisis on children's health, from stunting through malnutrition to anxiety: "The effects on children begin when mothers breathe toxic air, when mothers are exposed to extreme heat, among other things."
"Heatwaves don't recognize borders," said Yasseen. "We have to adapt. I don't think we'll come up with a pill to live outside and bear with the heat."
Catch up on the full session in the X thread below.
The latest research suggests that adolescent mental health has seen a surge in anxiety and depression since the early 2010s.
Pamela Collins, Professor and Chair, Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University and Emma Lawrance, Lead, Mental Health; Lead, Climate Cares Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, both spoke about what was causing this shift and how the trend can be reversed.
Collins said more than 1 billion people around the world live with a mental health disorder.
"These conditions occur across cultures, across geographies. The majority of these conditions begin in adolescence before the age of 25 - and about 1 in 7 adolescents around the world lives with a mental health condition."
She said that urbanization was one of the forces shaping environments around the world - research points to urban living as a higher risk factor for poor mental health.
Experts have identified 37 characteristics of a mental health-friendly city, she said, outlining findings of research.
63% of public expenditure on climate is targeted at cities, and addressing the intersection between climate and social justice is vital to ensuring these investments meet the needs of people and planet.
Thijs Aaten, CEO, Asia, APG Asset Management Asia; Mochamad Ridwan Kamil, Infrastructure Curator - Nusantara, Indonesia Government; Lubomir Varbanov, Regional Leader, Public Sector Solutions, Asia-Pacific; Managing Director, Swiss Re Asia Pte. Ltd, Julia Yan, General Manager, Corporate Planning, Airport Authority Hong Kong discussed.
27 June
How can data-driven digital tools and analytics help to improve patient outcomes and cut costs?
Gong Yingying, Founder and Chairlady, Yidu Tech; Chong Yap-Seng, Dean, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), National University of Singapore; Brandon Suh, Chief Executive Officer, Lunit and Angela Wang Nan, President, Europe; Chief Investment Officer and Senior Vice-President, Neusoft explored how these tools can help cut persistent gaps in healthcare.
Pre-reads, publications and Forum insights
Global Gender Gap Report 2024: The Global Gender Gap Index annually benchmarks the current state and evolution of gender parity across four key dimensions (Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment). It is the longest-standing index tracking the progress of numerous countries’ efforts towards closing these gaps over time since its inception in 2006.
The Future of Jobs Report 2023: The Future of Jobs Report 2023 explores how jobs and skills will evolve over the next five years. This fourth edition of the series continues the analysis of employer expectations to provide new insights on how socio-economic and technology trends will shape the workplace of the future.
Shaping the Future of Learning: The Role of AI in Education 4.0: This report explores the potential for artificial intelligence to benefit educators, students and teachers. Case studies show how AI can personalize learning experiences, streamline administrative tasks, and integrate into curricula.
Putting Skills First: Opportunities for Building Efficient and Equitable Labour Markets: The need and the opportunity to put skills first have aligned. For bold leaders, the result is business transformation. Solutions such as a skills-based hiring have the potential to position organizations at the forefront of innovation, allowing business strategy to adapt to the complexities of the future job market – a proactive attack on labour shortages and skills gaps which hold back productivity and equity.