President John DeGioia traveled to Davos, Switzerland last week for the World Economic Forum. In addition to speaking at the conference, DeGioia also met with educators and Georgetown alumni.

The World Economic Forum seeks to encourage leaders of business, government and society to work together and improve the world through economic growth, environmental sustainability, increased access to health care and social development. The forum describes the annual meeting as an opportunity to rethink “our systems and explorations of strategies and solutions that have positive transformation implications.”

Last year, DeGioia also attended the forum and chaired the Global Redesign Initiative’s Global Agenda on Faith. He cosigned a charter that pledged to cut Georgetown’s carbon footprint in half over the next ten years.

This year, Georgetown presented a sustainability report to the forum.

Many notable figures attended and contributed to the WEF, including Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, who discussed implications of the financial crisis. Aung San Suu Kyi asked the forum to work toward democratization and improve human rights in Burma. Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon called on world leaders to work toward decreasing the impact of chronic diseases worldwide.

Despite the theme of this year’s meeting, “Shared Norms for a New Reality,” economic stability and growth seemed to dominate the discussion, as many countries still fear another financial crisis.

The eleven American universities that sent representatives, including Georgetown, to this year’s conference reaffirmed their commitment to environmental sustainability.

Photo and h/t: Georgetown University News

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