DUBAI: People, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership — the five Ps — are the ingredients Pearl Initiative founder Badr Jafr sees as essential to build sustainable future.
In an impassioned speech at the opening of the Pearl Initiative and UN Global Compact’s second Regional Forum, at the Conrad Hotel, Dubai, on Tuesday, Jafr pulled few punches.
Yet he remained optimistic about the future.
“We gather today at a pivotal moment in human history, but not for the reasons you might expect,” he told delegates. “If we focus on the trendlines, as opposed to the headlines, it is clear that we are living in humanity’s most prosperous time.”
These trendlines, he said, included longer lifespans, an increase in global literacy rates from 12 per cent in 1900 to 86 per cent today, and a fall in the number of people living in absolute poverty from 85 per cent to less than 10 per cent in the same period.
“We are sitting on the cusp of a 4th industrial revolution that has the potential to exponentially advance human endeavour, and transform our social, economic and political landscapes for the better,” he said. “This way of looking at the world is not a case of blind optimism. I might be an optimist. But I’m not blind.
“Violent extremism fuelled by sectarianism and populism, preys on an underemployed youth bulge, and threatens to destabilise many communities. And within a couple of hour’s flight of where we sit today, a growing humanitarian crisis is festering because of a vacuum in global governance, and will reverberate for generations to come.
“Climate change, and the consequences for our water, energy and food security nexus, looms more visible by the day. Governance challenges of the technology revolution, including cybercrime and the digital disruption of jobs and skills, is something we are only just starting to comprehend.
“However, it is also undoubtedly true that our collective ability to overcome challenges we face has never been greater.”
Jafr outlined the importance of his five Ps.
People: “Our greatest natural resource. We mustn’t take this for granted ... Without this strong human capital, we are nothing.”
Planet: “There is no longer a debate here. Our region’s vision for sustainable development utterly depends on the private sector’s ability to integrate our economy, society, and our environment. The failure of one, is a failure of all.”
Prosperity: “Not just creating it for ourselves, but for our employees, stakeholders and the communities we belong to.”
Peace: “While businesses can’t stop conflict on our own, we can help to create the social and economic conditions to prevent conflict ...”
Partnerships: “The magic glue that creates a shared sense of purpose. It is far too common for us to be working in our own silos. And while effective models for public-private-people cooperation can be found, we need to stop pretending that we are working together, and actually start doing it.”
