A new era 

The ‘millennium’ years saw the era of globalisation enter full swing. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall a decade earlier, the Cold War had been replaced with a new type of terror, linked to unrest in the Middle East and elsewhere. Anti-globalisation, the sustainability movement, and increased co-operation is on the rise.

The clash of developed and developing worlds was symbolised through the first World Social Forum (WSF), organised in opposition to the World Economic Forum (WEF) events in Davos. WSF brings together activists and NGOs from around the world, campaigning on issues such as trade justice and debt, and increasingly united on issues of water scarcity and exploitation.

In the wake of the Enron, WorldCom, Parmalat and Shell & Nortel debacles, corporate governance and liability is a hot issue for top management and for financial markets. Meanwhile, new partnerships with NGOs are starting to be explored, in parallel with the quest for new forms of social enterprise and a new type of blended business value.

Institutions like the UN struggle to redefine their role and regain their credibility and influence on the post-Iraq world stage.

99: ‘Battle of Seattle’, USA

00: CR & SD issues like climate change surface on World Economic Forum agenda. First World Social Forum

01: September 11, 2001  USA; new terrorism, security and civil and human rights concerns

02: World Summit on Sustainable Development, South Africa; Enron

03: Second Gulf War, Third World Social Forum, Brazil

04: Iraq turmoil; Abu Ghraib human rights scandal, Iraq; Israel’s wall; Shell reserves controversy; Train bombing, Madrid; Tsunami, Indian Ocean