Over the past 50 years, the world has become more connected, both in terms of time and space. However, this has also coincided with significant global changes, such as the Global Financial Crisis, geopolitical tensions, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effects of climate change. Additionally, there have been significant demographic changes, such as an aging population and a decline in fertility rates, which have created generational conflicts.
At the same time, technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way we interact with each other and the world around us. This has created a need for new connections between individuals, families, and nations. There is also a need for greater cross-cultural connections, especially considering the increased diversity within societies caused by migration and other globalizing factors.
As a result of all these changes, the value, roles, and boundaries of existing connections have become uncertain, and a simple expansion of connections could lead to unexpected conflicts in the future. Therefore, it is essential to reimagine the types of connections that we need across individuals, families, states, generations, technologies, and nature. This requires reimagining policies and institutions to support these new connections and sustain our progress into the future.
This program aims to equip leaders with the necessary skills to address the rapidly changing world and the major global challenges we face today, including geopolitical tensions, climate change, demographic changes, and technological advancements.
Skills required for leaders to navigate these challenges include visionary thinking, cross-cultural communication, interdisciplinary awareness, digital literacy, collaborative leadership, and global citizenship. Leaders with these skills can bring together diverse groups of people, bridge gaps between different disciplines, cultures, and ways of thinking, anticipate future challenges, and develop robust strategies to address them.
The goal of this Initiative is to convene a network of Korean and global thought leaders to:
• Facilitate thought-provoking and inclusive discussion and foster exchange (on the themes identified) amongst a diverse group of inter-generational, interdisciplinary, intersectoral leaders to envision a better future.
• Encourage learning between network members and to transfer knowledge and experiences to societies of the future.
• Generate action-oriented suggestions and recommendations that drive innovations and inspire global action to forge a better world.