World faces big challenges in the years ahead
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Regional integration will be vital if we are to feed 9 billion people by 2050
Once again the leaders of the business world, heads of states/government, policy-makers, and renowned academics come together at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to figure out collectively ways and means to make the world a better place.
In less then 40 years from now there will be nine billion people to feed. The “New Vision for Agriculture” was discussed and the report, “Putting the New Vision for Agriculture into Action”, was launched.
The report outlined the steps the world needs to take if adequate growth is to be generated to match food security and environmental sustainability.
The picture it paints is quite gloomy. If the world doesn’t go beyond its “business as usual” mode of operation, more people will go without food.
Already as it is, the world is carrying nearly one billion hungry people. To make matters worse, natural resources are already being stretched. In short, the global community must find ways to ensure sustainability in our food system.
It has been pointed out that a true transformation in global agriculture could reinvigorate rural economies and become a resilient source of economic growth for countries around the world.
But how does one bring all the stake-holders together when much of the world, Thai society included, are busy blaming one another for the current predicament, namely the inequality that is bestowed upon us?
A small step towards this direction was taken in Davos when 26 global Partner companies of the World Economic Forum joined with governments, international organisations, farmer leaders, civil society representatives and experts to develop a new approach to agricultural growth.
They agreed to step up their networking, to share best practices and lessons learned, and divert investments to boost sustainable growth.
In Thailand, we often talk about regional integration among Asean members. The diplomats and government officials must come together to reduce historical mistrust to a manageable point. But people in all countries could do with some dramatic improvements.
We need not look further then the way we treat migrant workers from neighbouring countries. If there is no sense of fair play, we can forget about moving forward collectively to meet the global challenges of the future.
In that respect, it was a breath of fresh air to see Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra praising a Burmese, pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who she said combined “peace and democracy” in her struggle for justice.
Let’s hope those weren’t just some nice words to please the international audience because back home, Thai officials and employers continue to treat the Burmese workers as something much below a second-class people. We don’t seem to appreciate the fact that our industries have advanced while riding on the back of these Burmese workers.
Domestically, Davos reminded us that we can do more in terms of closing the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
The current administration, prior to coming into power, often presented themselves as “prai”, or peasants, in spite of the fact most of the leaders are millionaires.
And now that they are in power, they can’t seem to go beyond coming up with popular gimmicks, as if their give-aways will generate sustainable growth or improve productivity. They don’t seem to understand that handout do not empower people.
In one panel talk about gender equality, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said he hopes to see a world that is more gentle, caring and sharing before he goes to the grave.
Tutu said male insecurity had had a detrimental effect on the state of the world. Thailand has a female prime minister. Let’s see what she can do for her women citizens. Let’s see what she can do for all of our sake.
