Tuesday’s CGI highlights, plus restoring growth and a “Marshall Plan” for North Africa
Good morning, CGI attendees!
Today’s highlights include a session on cities with Cisco executive chairman John Chambers and GSK CEO Sir Andrew Witty; a discussion of the role of sports in development, featuring former NBA player Jason Collins and Olympic bronze-medal-winning fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad; and a panel on supporting vulnerable children moderated by Quartz editor-in-chief Kevin J. Delaney.
You can review the full annual meeting agenda here, follow tweets about it here, and see photos from the event here.
It’s expected to be unseasonably hot today, with a high of 83 degrees, and light rain until the afternoon.
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YESTERDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS AT CGI
Restoring growth takes hard work. Argentine president Mauricio Macri and Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi explained how they’re restoring faith in their countries’ institutions, to encourage investment and growth. “We have to give people confidence in the rule of law,” Macri said. A similar lack of faith—about who benefitted from the UK’s wealth—led to the Brexit vote, London mayor Sadiq Khan said. “It’s the age-old question of how to share the fruits of prosperity,” he said.
A secure world needs a developing world. In a panel led by Madeleine Albright, Bono endorsed a new “Marshall Plan” for North Africa, calling it “quite poetic” that Germany—which benefited from the post-World-War-II Marshall Plan—supports the idea.
Help for elephants. The African elephant population has plummeted 30% since 2007. Chelsea Clinton announced a new initiative, in league with the fashion industry, to stigmatize the use of ivory. She noted that it’s not just East Asians whose taste for ivory is to blame but Americans, too.
Voices of the disabled. Tamara Andries, a disabled advocate from Moldova, took the stage with great difficulty and spoke in Russian with a halting voice, but brought the Sheraton ballroom to its feet.”I am learning to reclaim my right to work and I’m looking for a job,” she said in translated remarks. “My dream is to work and not be totally dependent on my parents.”
WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT AT CGI
The US election. Speakers mostly stayed away from politics, but some couldn’t entirely refrain. Former secretary of state Madeline Albright praised the work of the Clinton Foundation, “despite what demagogues and conspiracy theorists say.” Khan made a veiled reference to Donald Trump and the Republican presidential candidate’s views on Muslim immigrants when Khan said there is nothing incompatible between Western liberal values and mainstream Islam. And Renzi, noting that next year’s G7 meeting will be in Sicily, told Bill Clinton “my wife waits for you as first gentleman.”
Women. Empowering women and girls—and drawing on their power—was a theme throughout the day. David Nabarro, special adviser to the United Nations, said the key to sustainable development is approaching the world’s problems from the perspective of women. “That’s the only way it will work,” he said. The Clinton Foundation announced an initiative from companies including PepsiCo and Sumitomo Chemical to develop childcare solutions for working parents in developing nations. Muzoon Almellehan, a teenage Syrian refugee who advocates for girls, delivered an impassioned cry for schools. “If you give me my education, you give me my future,” she said.
Refugees. The refugee crisis doesn’t just affect the nations where they arrive, but is a global issue, panelists agreed. Queen Rania of Jordan, all but begging for more support, noted that the six richest countries harbored just 9% of the world’s refugees, while some of the poorest were absorbing millions. Speakers said the solution lies partly in increasing economic opportunity for the nations they flee, while wealthy nations do their share.
There’s a Bob Dylan lyric for almost every occasion. When asked how to solve the knotty problem of development, Bono quoted Dylan’s “Brownsville Girl:” “Oh, if there’s an original thought out there, I could use it right now.”
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE REST OF THE WORLD
The UN General Assembly and Syria. Across the city, this year’s annual debate will be sustainable development goals, with various world leaders addressing the topic in the coming days. Representatives from the US, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia (paywall) will also meet alongside to discuss the collapse of the ceasefire and attack on a UN aid convoy in Syria on Monday.
US regulators issue new guidelines on self-driving cars. The rules will require carmakers to meet 15 benchmarks before their autonomous vehicles can hit the road. They’ll also have to make public their vehicle performance assessments so regulators and others can evaluate them.
MATTERS OF DEBATE
College students are drinking to forget. Competition, stress, and job fears during the school week drive them to black out on the weekends (paywall).
Watching TV can be a kind of therapy. An abundance of shows with idiosyncratic heroes means everyone can find a character (paywall) to connect with.
The world’s most delicate sites can be hurt by preservation efforts. They lead to more tourists coming and destroying them.
THE QUARTZ GLOBAL EXECUTIVES STUDY
Want to help shape the future of media? We’re doing some research on how the world’s smartest, busiest people consume news and advertising. You can take the Quartz Global Executives survey here.
SURPRISING DISCOVERIES
George H.W. Bush intends to vote for Hillary Clinton. According to one of the Kennedys, the former Republican president prefers the Democratic nominee to Donald Trump.
The world’s oldest library is set to reopen. The ninth-century library in Fez, Morocco has an underground canal system to drain moisture away from priceless manuscripts.
What’s hidden inside a former Nazi airplane hangar near Berlin? The world’s largest indoor tropical park.
There are some similarities between Tesla’s deadly autopilot crashes. In the two instances, the system appears to have mistaken an object straight ahead for the sky.
Yale’s new application questions are revealing. They show a renewed interest in boosting diversity and inclusion.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. You can download our iPhone app or follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.