How on earth can we live together?

For a discussion of  issues of globalization to be productive and meaningful, it must involve all stakeholders and engage them in the same conversation. Importantly, the corporate voice is not often enough heard and listened to in this context. We must acknowledge that the world of politics, the world of business and economics and of civil society are inextricably linked.

This means that the value-creating systems must be linked up with the welfare creating systems and vice versa. All too often they are decoupled.

In more general terms, we must acknowledge that whether we like it or not, the world in which we live is an integrated and interdependent system. The quest for new ideas and solutions to our conflicts and problems requires a debate that encompasses different communities, different modes of thinking and includes participants from all over the world.

Wherever we live and whatever we do, our job is to make the world a safer and a more just place – as we become more interdependent.

What Tällberg do

Over the years, the Tällberg Foundation has through the events that it produces established itself as a globally recognized meeting convenor. Its main assets are:

• Its unique international network of several thousands of decision-makers, thought-leaders and entrepreneurs from business and society from all sectors and countries;
• Its institutional independence which gives it a unique convening power without ever having to pay speakers fees;
• World-class competencies in process design and concept and program development;
• The commitment to systems thinking and wholeness in all its work;
• A proven track-record of cost-effectiveness and professionalism.

Beyond the annual Forum, the foundation is developing and growing in many ways. It is increasingly involved in organizing smaller events in Sweden and around the world. In 2008, smaller conferences, workshops have taken place in Stockholm, London, Brussels, New York and Washington DC, and more are planned for 2009. Learning journeys have taken groups of leaders to Greenland. A booklet, “Tällberg Provocation: Grasping the climate crisis”, is being published to coincide with the climate negotiation meeting in Poznan in December 2008. Joint project are being run with institutions such as Stockholm Environment Institute and the Youth Employment Systems (YES, Inc). All in all, the Tällberg Foundation is realizing its strategy of growth in influence and volume.

It has thus far been the foundation’s policy not to make declarations or recommendations, even though it is increasingly asked to participate in the public debate with reflections, analyses and recommendations. The motto has been "with every new insight comes a new responsibility", and actions and results are therefore up to the participants. Over the years, there have been numerous initiatives as a result of insights that Tällberg Forum participants have had. For instance, the ideas behind the Global Compact (a UN-led corporate social responsibility initiative) grew out of discussions in Tällberg in 1996. The Carbon Principles (new guidelines for institutional investors in the power generation industry) adopted by Wall Street investment firms in 2008 follow on the Tällberg Forum 2007. Corporate strategy in large global corporations has been reshaped, and influential articles and books have been written as a result of Tällberg conversations.