Network of Global Agenda Councils 2012-2014: Midterm Reports Global Agenda

The report outlines the activities of the World Economic Forum's Network of Global Agenda Councils, detailing initiatives to influence public policy and generate scalable solutions across diverse sectors. Key focus areas include the energy transition, climate resilience, demographic shifts such as population ageing, and the economic integration of emerging markets. The councils employ a multistakeholder approach, combining expertise from academia, business, and government to address systemic risks, sustainable development, and governance reform.

• Global manufacturing as a percentage of GDP has declined from 27% in 1970 to 17% currently, with the United States seeing a drop to 12% in 2010 while China's share was 33% in 2010.
• The global population of people over 65 is expected to increase from 10% to 22% by 2050, creating significant risks and opportunities for public health and economic prosperity.
• Corruption is estimated to increase the global cost of doing business by up to 10%.
• Biodiversity loss is estimated to cost approximately US$ 4.7 trillion per year in environmental and social costs of lost ecosystem services and pollution.
• The cost of sequencing a single human genome fell from US$ 95 million in 2001 to approximately US$ 21,000 in January 2011, with projections to reach US$ 1,000 in a few years.
• Global unemployment in 2013 is projected to exceed 200 million people, with more than 40% of the jobless being under the age of 24.
• In China, coal accounts for 70% of the primary energy mix and 80% of electricity production, though the government is attempting to reform pricing and tackle pollution.
• There is a global infrastructure investment gap estimated at US$ 1 trillion annually through 2020, which would increase by US$ 200-300 million yearly if environmentally clean infrastructure is prioritized.
• The global shadow economy, primarily driven by counterfeit goods, is valued at US$ 650 billion, rising to US$ 2 trillion when including money laundering.
• The travel and tourism sector accounts for 9% of global GDP, totaling US$ 6 trillion, and supports 120 million direct and 125 million indirect jobs.
• The global unemployment rate for 15- to 24-year-olds was estimated at 12.6% in 2013, with 73 million jobless individuals worldwide.
• The world population surpassed 7 billion in 2011 and is projected to reach 9.3 billion by 2050.
• In Europe, up to 10% of the population experiences a depressive or anxiety-related disorder annually, and one in four EU citizens is expected to suffer a mental health problem in their lifetime.
• Developing markets contributed 60% of incremental world GDP between 2000 and 2010.

APA

World Economic Forum (2013). Network of Global Agenda Councils 2012-2014: Midterm Reports Global Agenda. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC/2013/WEF_GAC_MidtermReports_2012-14.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Network of Global Agenda Councils 2012-2014: Midterm Reports Global Agenda. 2013. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC/2013/WEF_GAC_MidtermReports_2012-14.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Network of Global Agenda Councils 2012-2014: Midterm Reports Global Agenda |date=2013 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC/2013/WEF_GAC_MidtermReports_2012-14.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2013network, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Network of Global Agenda Councils 2012-2014: Midterm Reports Global Agenda}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2013}, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC/2013/WEF_GAC_MidtermReports_2012-14.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }