White Paper Global Agenda Council on Values (2014-2016)

The white paper examines how universal values can guide the systemic changes necessitated by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It proposes a framework linking specific types of capital to values: financial capital to fairness, social capital to the common good, and manufactured/natural capital to stewardship. The report analyzes the impact of these values on financial systems, international trade, education, healthcare, and environmental security. It further introduces a values self-assessment tool for organizations and discusses the evolution and business case for integrated sustainability reporting.

• The Fourth Industrial Revolution is characterized by a "fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres," which necessitates a values-based approach to ensure positive outcomes as government legislation may become redundant too quickly.
• The document identifies three core human values essential for systemic change: human dignity (including respect for human rights and fairness), the common good (transcending individual interests), and stewardship (concern for the planet and future generations).
• A framework is proposed linking capital types to specific values: financial capital is associated with fairness, social capital with the common good, and manufactured and natural capital with stewardship.
• In the financial system, the report argues that fairness should underpin monetary systems and trade, noting that the global financial crisis revealed systemic vulnerabilities and a need for banks to rebuild trust through honesty and competence.
• Regarding social capital and the common good, the report highlights that while economic growth is necessary, it often exacerbates the gap between rich and poor; the average income of the richest 10% of the world's population is approximately nine times that of the poorest 10%.
• The report notes a significant gender gap in the economy and politics; while the health and education gaps are 96% and 95% closed globally, only 59% of the economic and 23% of the political gender gaps have been eliminated.
• In terms of stewardship, the document states that the world must create 1.5 billion new livelihoods by 2050 while simultaneously exceeding planetary ecological limits, creating a conflict between job creation and ecological sustainability.
• The report discusses the New Vision for Agriculture (NVA), which aims for a 20% improvement in food security, environmental sustainability, and economic benefits to agriculture every decade until 2050.
• The document proposes a values self-assessment tool for organizations to measure maturity in commitment, governance, and performance across the three core pillars, utilizing both company and stakeholder feedback to calculate a final score.
• The report argues for the business case of integrated reporting, citing research that "High Sustainability" companies generate significantly higher profits and stock returns than their counterparts over the long term.

APA

World Economic Forum (2016). White Paper Global Agenda Council on Values (2014-2016). http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Values_and_the_Fourth_Industrial_Revolution_WHITEPAPER.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. White Paper Global Agenda Council on Values (2014-2016). 2016. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Values_and_the_Fourth_Industrial_Revolution_WHITEPAPER.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=White Paper Global Agenda Council on Values (2014-2016) |date=September 2016 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Values_and_the_Fourth_Industrial_Revolution_WHITEPAPER.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2016white, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{White Paper Global Agenda Council on Values (2014-2016)}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2016}, month = sep, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Values_and_the_Fourth_Industrial_Revolution_WHITEPAPER.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }