World Economic Forum Establishes Purpose-driven Metaverse to Tackle World’s Most Pressing Challenges

By RBJ
The World Economic Forum, in partnership with Accenture and Microsoft, today unveiled at its Annual Meeting 2023 a working prototype of its Global Collaboration Village, a purpose-driven metaverse where organizations can convene to learn about, create solutions for, and take action on the world’s most pressing challenges.
With partners from 80 leading organizations helping to shape the village’s development, participants from around the world joined the Forum in its first-ever interactive, multilateral session in the metaverse.
“With the Global Collaboration Village, we are creating the first public purpose-oriented application of the metaverse technology, building a true global village in the virtual space. Supported by a unique range of partners from the public and private sectors, the Village will use the frontier capabilities of the metaverse to find solutions for addressing the big issues of our time in a more open, inclusive, and sustained way,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
Julie Sweet, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Accenture, added: “The metaverse will profoundly change every part of every business, bridging our physical and digital worlds, and over time will enable companies to create innovative new consumer products and services, transform their manufacturing and operations, and reimagine the way we collaborate and work.”
Brad Smith, Vice-Chair and President, of Microsoft Corporation, said, “We believe the metaverse has the potential to fundamentally change the way we communicate and collaborate, overcoming limitations of the physical world to deliver enhanced connections for everyone. The Global Collaboration Village, powered by Microsoft Mesh, is a prime example of how we can use metaverse technology to bring people and communities together in new ways.”
The Global Collaboration Village harnesses the power of the metaverse to create co-presence and connection for a more diverse and physically dispersed audience. Building on the proof of concept introduced in May 2022, this innovative project, built on the mixed reality platform Microsoft Mesh, includes a set of initial immersive spaces that can be accessed by VR headset or laptop device. These include:
A town hall: The Forum’s “Virtual Congress Centre” for future sessions or meetings, such as plenaries, workshops, and bilaterals.
Collaborative centres: Virtual collaboration spaces for immersive storytelling and the Forum’s thought leadership, intended to inspire collaboration, experiential learning, and real-world impact on global issues. For example, in a virtual ocean hub, participants can dive into the ocean’s depths and explore why and how marine ecosystems must be protected to preserve both life on land and in water.
Stakeholder campuses: Forum Partners can shape their presence, convene their stakeholders, and partner with others to innovate and find solutions to global challenges.
Over the next year, the Forum will invite organizations to build in these immersive spaces to further bolster learning, collaboration, and partnership. The initiative’s aim to strengthen and re-energize international cooperation is guided by four principles: global cooperation toward shared solutions; interactive immersion to foster better understanding; broad participation enabled by inclusive discussions; and individual and collective action as a catalyst for maximum impact.
About the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 will convene the world’s foremost leaders under the theme Cooperation in a Fragmented World.
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