成人论坛

All together now: Let's save the world

• Tim Weber
• 25 Jan 08, 12:40 PM

Yes, I agree, it's easy to get cynical about this.

Take a large stage, some of the world's richest business people, sprinkle with politicians, a highly photogenic Queen and a rockstar, and you have a perfect photo opportunity for a good cause, but no real result.

Were there real commitments, clear deliverables when UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Bono, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Jordan's Queen Rania, Cisco boss John Chambers and Nigerian president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and many others took to the stage, holding up a poster with a ""?

No, of course not.

What we got was yet another timetable, to address the fact that the world had failed to meet its original timetable.

And yet.

Bill Gates made the observation that business people know all about benchmarks, and how to meet them. And that the Millennium Development Goals on poverty and hunger, education, gender equality, health, the environment etc were the world's benchmarks.

Ten years ago, Mr Gates started to get involved in development and aid projects.

In this time, he has achieved more than many official aid organisations - not least by setting clear targets, and applying a business mind to the at times haphazard aid industry.

Now he and other top bosses want to draw in more companies. Use their expertise and their money to help achieve these goals.

Will we see companies step forward at the proposed London summit and outline how they will take the lead in helping the world's "bottom one billion people"? Will we get a realistic action plan?

We have to wait and see. Of course, it could fail and we'd be left with nothing but colourful pictures in shiny magazines extolling the "corporate social responsibility" of various companies.

But speaking to business leaders here in Davos, I get the the feeling that many really want to make a difference.

Maybe I've been hoodwinked.

Bono certainly believes it is for real.

He extolled the contribution of Bill Gates, who from this summer will work full-time on the good causes of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.

"This man has changed the world before," said Bono, "now he's set to change it once again."

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