The Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGLs) is a community of outstanding individuals addressing the world’s most pressing problems. The Foundation carries out a rigorous annual selection process to identify, select and induct people under the age of 40 who lead their countries, serve their communities or launch groundbreaking initiatives to inspire new ways of driving social change. The community comprises over 1,400 members and alumni from more than 120 countries.

The Forum of Young Global Leaders welcomed nearly 100 YGLs as part of the Class of 2023. Their profiles ranged from journalists uncovering significant political and human rights issues to entrepreneurs transforming the way people work with technology. The class comprised game-changers, disruptors and visionaries from business, civil society, academia and government, exemplifying the consciousness and vision needed in the world today.

Post-pandemic, the Forum of Young Global Leaders held its first in-person events: the YGL Annual Summit in September, which brought together more than 300 YGLs, and the Alumni Gathering in October, which attracted 180 alumni. The convenings reinvigorated the community’s dedication to their collective goal and, as a result, YGLs made 122 new commitments towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals that support the Foundation’s new impact model.

Following these commitments, selected members participated in a meeting held in collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center. This provided members with an opportunity to boost their projects. Among those launched during the period were:

The Global Shapers Community network of 15,000 inspiring young leaders are creating positive action in more than 150 countries and territories. Throughout capital cities, rural areas and refugee camps, members are united in the common belief that young people working together can create change in their communities and the world.

This year, the Global Shapers Community celebrated a milestone, surpassing the goal of 500 city-based Hubs and, in doing so, expanding its reach and impact to new geographies. A Hub incubator saw a record number of 90 new Hubs open. New ideas and skills inspired founding teams to take joint action.

In each city, Global Shapers worked with local stakeholders to deliver projects aimed at addressing pressing local needs. Projects were wide-ranging and included responding to disasters, fighting climate change, accelerating reskilling, safeguarding digital safety, shaping the metaverse and promoting mental health. Members implemented more than 500 grassroots solutions this year. Since 2011, Hub projects have reached over 2 million beneficiaries and engaged more than 12 million people worldwide.

Projects were showcased on 2-4 September at the Global Shapers Annual Summit 2022, which was held in collaboration with the Forum of Young Global Leaders. A total of 500 young change-makers participated in this year’s gathering, which focused on accelerating values-based leadership for positive social change. Global Shapers emphasized the need for leadership to be linked to purpose, inclusivity, empathy and action, and committed to upholding these values in their current and future leadership roles.

Environmental justice was of great concern to the community members. With support from The Climate Reality Project, Global Shapers raised awareness of the disproportionate impacts of climate change on front-line and fence-line communities. In 2022, the community marked five years of partnership with the project. More than 90 Global Shapers attended COP27 to influence the negotiations, advance just climate solutions and advocate for the interests of future generations.

On a global scale, community members also came together at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023.

Together, young innovators, activists and entrepreneurs shared science-based messages and collaborated with world leaders. Members engaged with top executives, advocating for meaningful economic opportunities for youth and more equity for leadership positions, especially in boardrooms and public offices.

The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is a global platform that advances the world’s leading models of sustainable social innovation. In January 2023, the Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary.

This Foundation supports and helps advance social innovators in their work to create a more sustainable, equitable and just world. It provides a platform to share their stories and amplify their work, highlighting the most impactful models of social innovation to top decision-makers in business and government.

Since its creation, the Schwab Foundation has curated a community of more than 450 of the world’s leading social innovators in 190 countries. The Foundation includes these change-makers in Forum initiatives and meetings, supports peer exchange between community members and develops learning journeys worldwide. It also provides its members with access to exclusive insights and leadership programmes.

From crowdsourcing knowledge about tackling deforestation in the Amazon, to finding hidden talent and overcoming racial bias in the US workforce, to reintegrating women healthcare providers in Pakistan’s health system, and mobilizing working women in the informal economy to secure livelihoods in 24 countries, the 2023 Schwab Foundation Social Innovation Awards recognized outstanding founders, business leaders, government reformers and collective change-orchestrators. A new category was added in 2023 – the Collective Social Innovation Award – to recognize and highlight examples of collective approaches that are innovating the process of how change happens.

The Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship, a coalition hosted by the Schwab Foundation at the World Economic Forum, continued to mobilize the ecosystem in support of social entrepreneurs. The alliance consists of more than 100 members from business, the public sector, academia and civil society, an increase of 20% this year. With the increasing recognition of the value of social entrepreneurs and their perspectives in the various World Economic Forum communities, the alliance maintained a synergetic relationship between the Forum and its Partners through engagement and collaboration, helping to achieve their goals and increasing the profile of social innovation on the global stage.

In June 2023, 150 social innovators and 50 ecosystem leaders and partners from the alliance gathered at Forum offices in Geneva for the Schwab Foundation and Global Alliance Annual Summit 2023.

In 2022, the Schwab Foundation released a report entitled Unlocking the Social Economy, which presented a strong case for the global support of this economy and was a valuable resource in building awareness of the sector. In April 2023, the UN General Assembly adopted the world’s first resolution on promoting the social and solidarity economy for sustainable development.