10 Defining Experiments is the culmination of the inaugural 2006 Grants Program. The selected artists are creating new, unique projects specifically for this exhibition in diverse media: photography, painting, video, performance and installation. The subjects and issues addressed by the artists are varied and range from a formal discussion on the nature of the still life in painting, to poignant statements about violence in Latin America, to investigations on the nature of language, knowledge and history. A shared element found in the projects is an experimental, investigative, praxis: a discursive process whereby each artist attempts to arrive at definitions to question, but not necessarily to fully answer, complex layers of meaning found in everyday life.

One of cifo’s initiatives is its’ Grants and Commissions Programs that offer opportunities for contemporary artists from Latin America to develop new work. Currently, there are two programs in place: the Grants Program targeted at emerging artists and the Commissions Program geared at mid-career artists. “Both programs are committed to broadening the global understanding of work by contemporary artists from Latin America and moving beyond the traditional paradigms and stereotypes associated with art from Latin America,” explained cifo’s Director Cecilia Fajardo-Hill. Through its Grants and Commissions Programs, cifo has set forth the goals of assisting artists produce work that may lie outside commercial viability and providing artists with a unique platform to present projects that engage local and international audiences alike.

cifo, the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, is a non-profit organization, established in 2002 by Ella Fontanals-Cisneros and her family to foster cultural and educational exchange within the visual arts. cifo has three primary initiatives: cifo Art Space – a permanent venue for the presentation of engaging and provocative contemporary art exhibitions highlighting works from the Ella Fontanals-Cisneros Collection, works by it’s grantees and commissioned artists and experimental, challenging art programs; the Grants and Commissions Programs supporting emerging and mid-career contemporary multi-disciplinary artists from Latin America; and offering support to other cultural endeavors including Miami Art Central.

Queen Noor of Jordan, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, Mary J. Blige, Claudia Schiffer, Lucy Liu, Sharon Stone, Billie Jean King, Miky Lee and Robin Herbert, MD Among Honorees; Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and Il Divo to Perform

NEW YORK, NY - The 2006 WOMEN'S WORLD AWARDS will be presented for the third time by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev, the President of the World Awards, to extraordinary women whose achievements in a variety of fields symbolize the best aspects of humankind -- unique personalities with vision, personal strength, commitment to their ideals and, above all, a passion for creating a better world in the 21st Century. This year's event, co-hosted by Teri Hatcher and produced by John Cossette (The Grammy Awards(R)), will feature performances by the legendary Stevie Wonder, Il Divo and Chaka Khan. Presenters will include Danny Glover, Gloria Estefan, James Lipton, and Forest Whitaker, among others. The event will be held on October 14th at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom.

The 2006 Women's World Award Winner Categories include:

WORLD BUSINESS AWARD 2006:

Miky Lee for her extraordinary accomplishments as a successful business woman leading the largest entertainment group in South Korea and helping to make it an active global player, including participation in Steven Spielberg's SKG Studios.

WORLD TOLERANCE AWARD 2006:

Queen Noor of Jordan, for her sustained commitment to human rights, in particular the rights of women in underdeveloped countries.

WORLD ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2006:

Shana Dale is being honored for her pioneering spirit, vision and commitment to exploring the fascinating realm of space. As Deputy Administrator of NASA, she is the highest-ranking woman in the history of the American Aeronautics Agency.

WORLD ENTERTAINMENT AWARD 2006:

Whoopi Goldberg is being honored for her amazing versatility and unique talent. As UN Ambassador, she is actively involved in numerous projects supporting underprivileged children, the homeless, women's rights as well as AIDS awareness campaigns.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2006:

Susan Sarandon is being honored in recognition of her unique cinematic accomplishments and for her vocal support for numerous contemporary causes and valuable philanthropic contributions.

WORLD CHARITY AWARD 2006:

Sharon Stone is being honored for using her fame to actively support numerous charities including the fight against poverty and AIDS. At the World Economic Summit in Davos she single-handedly raised more than $1 million for malaria victims in Tanzania.

WORLD STYLE AWARD 2006:

Claudia Schiffer is being honored for the grace and style she brings to one of the most demanding professions. The German beauty understands the importance of giving back and has generously supported numerous humanitarian projects.

The Women's World Awards 2006 are presented by the SUPERFUND Investment Group. With about 50,000 investors and financial service centers in 16 countries, including the USA, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Holland, Sweden, Hong Kong, Poland, Monaco and Austria, Superfund is one of the world's leading futures funds providers for private investors.

Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder of the World Economic Forum and the Schwab Foundation said, “We are thrilled and proud that Muhammad Yunus and his pioneering colleagues at the Grameen Bank have been recognized by the Norwegian Nobel Committee as recipients of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. We have been privileged to have Professor Yunus on the Schwab Foundation's Board since its inception, and his contributions to advancing the concept and practice of social entrepreneurship have been instrumental to its development.”

The World Economic Forum on Growth, which at the same time is also the inaugural Annual Meeting of Global Growth Companies, will bring together emerging companies from around the world with the World Economic Forum’s top experts and leaders of industry. Industry-specific meetings of international business leaders will emphasize the needs and aspirations of companies that are operating globally, developing recognized global brands and managing extremely rapid expansion. Business and political leaders will also join together to address the role of competitiveness on a corporate and national level in ensuring growth.

“This is a great opportunity for everyone involved,” said André Schneider, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. “It is an opportunity for the World Economic Forum, which has launched this exciting new plan, to bring together the next generation of global champions; for the city of Dalian, which will be a superb host for this event, able to showcase its world-class facilities; and for the companies themselves, who will share their experience and highlight the growing importance of a new generation of business leaders on the global stage.”

The Mayor of Dalian, Xia Deren, echoed Mr Schneider’s enthusiasm. “Dalian is an energetic city which enjoys a beautiful natural environment, pleasant climate, perfect facilities and harmonious social environment. Hosting the Forum in Dalian and welcoming its distinguished participants will make a great contribution to the city’s global recognition.”

Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, and Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan of the People’s Republic of China, inaugurated the Beijing headquarters of the Community of Global Growth Companies on 13 June 2006. “The World Economic Forum recognized China‘s promise many years ago, inviting the first Chinese delegation to its Annual Meeting in 1979. The Forum held its first China Business Summit in 1981. It should come as no surprise that we once again turn to China to help realize what is a key strategic step for the Forum,” said Professor Schwab.

More than 300 companies from the new Global Growth Community will attend the World Economic Forum on Growth in Dalian, which will host more than 1,200 participants. The World Economic Forum is already working with the authorities of a second Chinese city, Tianjin, to host the meeting in 2008.

About the Community of Global Growth Companies

The World Economic Forum established the Community of Global Growth Companies with the mission to enable emerging multinationals to develop into the next generation of international corporate leaders. The community includes companies that demonstrate a clear potential to become leaders in the global economy based on a combination of their business model, growth record, leadership and the markets they serve. The Community offers an unparalleled opportunity for business leaders to gain a unique understanding of the key developments in industry, society and geopolitics that will have the greatest impact on their future success.

“The top rankings of Switzerland and the Nordic countries show that good institutions and competent macroeconomic management, coupled with world-class educational attainment and a focus on technology and innovation, are a successful strategy for boosting competitiveness in an increasingly complex global economy. Business activity in these countries benefits from a well-developed institutional framework, characterized by the rule of law, an efficient judicial system and high levels of transparency and accountability within public institutions. Excellent infrastructure is an additional positive feature of the business environment.

Our indicators point to the rapidly growing importance of higher education and training as engines of productivity growth. Countries that, like the Nordics, are investing heavily in education are likely to see rising levels of income per capita, growing success in reducing poverty and an increasing ability to establish a presence in the global economy,” said Augusto Lopez-Claros, Chief Economist and Director of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Network.

The rankings are drawn from a combination of publicly available hard data and the results of the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum, together with its network of Partner Institutes (leading research institutes and business organizations) in the countries covered by the Report. This year, over 11,000 business leaders were polled in a record 125 economies worldwide. The survey questionnaire is designed to capture a broad range of factors affecting an economy’s business climate that are critical determinants of sustained economic growth. The Forum annually delivers a comprehensive overview of the main strengths and weaknesses in a large number of countries, making it possible to identify key areas for policy formulation and reform.

Download the full Global Competitiveness Rankings (PDF )

This year marks an important progression in The Global Competitiveness Report’s methodology, with the adoption of a new, more comprehensive, tool to assess countries’ competitiveness: the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI). Developed for the World Economic Forum by Professor Xavier Sala-i-Martin of Columbia University, the new index –representing two years of collaboration with him and feedback from a broad set of users – extends and deepens the concepts and ideas underpinning the earlier index used by the Forum.

“The introduction of the Global Competitiveness Index is a logical extension of the World Economic Forum’s competitiveness work. Changes in the global economy and the increasing complexity which characterize the business environment have made it necessary to develop an instrument that captures a larger set of factors affecting the evolution of economic growth. We are confident that this index, elegant in design and with a strong conceptual underpinning, will become an important tool for dialogue with policy-makers and the business community on the key drivers of productivity,” said Augusto Lopez-Claros.

“With the growing complexity of the global economy, The Global Competitiveness Report is a contribution to enhancing our understanding of the key factors which determine economic growth and will help explain why some countries are much more successful than others in raising income levels and opportunities for their respective populations. By providing detailed assessments of the economic conditions of nations worldwide, the Report offers policy-makers and business leaders an important tool in the formulation of improved economic policies and institutional reforms," noted Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

Harvard Business School Professor Michael E. Porter presents the results of the Business Competitiveness Index (BCI), an especially useful complement to the GCI, with its emphasis on a range of company-specific factors conducive to improved efficiency and productivity, such as the sophistication of the operating practices and strategies of companies and the quality of the microeconomic business environment in which a nation’s companies compete. Results of the BCI rankings are fully reported in the Executive Summary and available online at www.weforum.org/gcr.

The World Economic Forum continues to expand geographic coverage of The Global Competitiveness Report and with the current instalment featuring a total of 125 economies, this Report is the most comprehensive of its type. This year, coverage has been expanded to Angola, Barbados, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Lesotho, Mauritania, Nepal, Suriname and Zambia.

This year’s Report features a number of country-specific boxes on Argentina, Brazil, France, Hungary, Israel, Japan, South Africa, Turkey and the United States, providing an in-depth analysis of the issues affecting national competitiveness. Moreover, the Report contains a number of external studies on pertinent issues related to global competitiveness and, more generally, themes which emanate from the World Economic Forum’s concern with growth and development. In addition to these, the Report also includes an interview, in which the Forum’s Chief Economist Augusto Lopez-Claros talks to Harvard Professors Richard Cooper and Kenneth Rogoff about the ramifications of global imbalances.

The Report contains a detailed country/economy profile for each of the 125 economies featured in the study, providing a comprehensive summary of the overall position in the Index rankings as well as a guide to what are considered to be the most prominent competitive advantages and competitive disadvantages of each. Also included is an extensive section of data tables with global rankings covering over 100 indicators.

"We need to maintain a number of options to translate the closely-held aspirations of individuals into action in their living environment." - Alban D'Amours

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - In this age of hostile takeovers, offshoring, rationalizations and the multiplication of events that undermine the internal balance of communities, local institutions, such as cooperatives, certainly represent a safe haven since their presence enables communities to maintain a certain control over their future.

That was the message delivered today by the President and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group, Mr. Alban D'Amours, to members of the World Savings Banks Institute, gathered for the World Congress of Savings Banks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Without suggesting that market globalization is essentially a source of problems, Mr. D'Amours feels it is healthy to maintain a number of options to translate the closely-held aspirations of individuals into action in their living environment. He feels strongly that "retail banks" and cooperatives together have a constructive role to play in this area.

Moreover, asserted Mr. D'Amours, "The cooperative formula can therefore be seen as a valuable element of security for populations and governments that are often destabilized by the excesses of badly controlled globalization." The President of the largest integrated financial cooperative group in Canada also explained that for Desjardins Group, the key to success faced with the challenges of the global market has certainly been to combine the maintained connection of each caisse with its territory with a network-wide solidarity. This solidarity translates into sharing a wide range of resources.

In more than 400 Québec municipalities in outlying areas, the Desjardins caisse is the only financial institution physically present. In Québec, Desjardins alone holds 57% of the points of service in the banking industry. "Without sacrificing any of the close links with the base, and allowing a certain level of autonomy for each caisse, we have thus given ourselves the means that enable us to benefit from the strength of the entire group to better face the competition," he explained.

For the President of Desjardins Group, this extensive presence across the territory means a reassuring guarantee of access to financial services.

As a final point, Mr. D'Amours encouraged his colleagues to continue defending their own right to be different. "The danger is always present that we ourselves give up what make us original in the first place and quietly allow ourselves to be assimilated by the dominant model."

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The Doha Round is supposed to be “a development round” with developing economies the main beneficiaries, Rachid reminded Summit participants. “We need to see that development is the outcome of this Round.” China can play a key role in pushing the Round to a successful conclusion, Rachid said, noting China’s growing trade and investment with Egypt and the Middle East. “This diversification is bringing China and Asia into our market for the long term. We are entering a new phase in our relationship.” China, Minister Sibal added, is playing a constructive role in promoting Asian regional integration. Like India, he said, “China is engaged and building partnerships to send a message to the world that it will play by the rules of the game. Let the rules of the game be fair.” Takemoto stressed that strong relations between Japan and China are vital for sustainable growth in Asia and the world.

Two other panellists in the session doubted that the Doha Round could be concluded anytime soon. Jean-Pierre Lehmann, Professor of International Political Economy, IMD (International Institute for Management Development), Switzerland, blamed the US, Europe and Japan for the collapse of the talks. Unless a new multilateral trading system is created, the global economy could end up fragmented. “We are standing at the proverbial crossroads,” Lehmann observed. The opening up of China “is redefining the global trade paradigm,” he added. “China is the huge new kid on the block but the block is in the process of disintegration.” He called for the abolition of all discriminatory trade practices and conditions placed on developing economies.

The Doha Round is unlikely to be concluded by 2008, Wu Jianmin, President, China Foreign Affairs University, People's Republic of China, concluded. Warning of rising protectionism, the former Chinese ambassador to France said that the Doha Round’s collapse was the result of the disconnect between reform-reluctant developed countries and reform-eager developing economies. “When you mention reform to the average Chinese, they welcome it. But in Europe, reform is a dirty word. The deeper reason for the Doha Round collapse lies there.” In response, Asia must move to strengthen regional cooperation, Wu argued. He also said that China’s spectacular growth should not be seen as a singular phenomenon but as part of a wave of growth spreading across emerging economies. “We are sharing our growth with the rest of the world,” Wu explained. “Our policy of reform to the outside world is a long-term policy. Opening up means that we embrace globalization; we change ourselves to adapt to globalization.”

“In the new development stage, we cannot continue with the traditional development approach and growth pattern,” said Zeng Peiyan, Vice-Premier of the People’s Republic of China, in a special address at the opening of the World Economic Forum’s China Business Summit 2006 in Beijing today. “Innovation,” Zeng said, “is the soul of a nation’s advancement and the everlasting driving power of national prosperity.”

The Summit is the culmination of 25 years of engagement by the Forum in China. Organized in collaboration with the China Enterprise Confederation (CEC) and with the support of the National Development and Reform Commission, its aim is to bring key stakeholders together in Beijing to rethink and reshape the country’s growth and industry agendas. More than 500 participants from 27 countries are taking part under the theme Sustainable Growth through Innovation: China’s Creative Imperative.

The problems China faces are well-documented: breakneck investment has created widespread industrial overcapacity, while growth has polluted the nation’s air and water while sparking an unprecedented migration of people from the poor rural West to fast-growing and increasingly affluent cities. Even if it continues to grow in its present fashion, the risks of these trends would eventually prove overwhelming.

How then to achieve the government’s ambitious goals of doubling the size of the economy in 2000 by 2010 and reduce per-capital GDP energy consumption by roughly 20%? The key is to find smarter, more efficient ways to deliver growth, said Zhang Xiaoqiang, Vice-Chairman, National Development and Reform Commission, People's Republic of China. “We have to switch from our previous industrial development mode, from consuming large amounts of natural resources to a development mode based on science and technology as well as innovation.

China’s challenge is how to stop having to import such technologies and instead develop them at home. “A significant chunk of the profit has been ceded because we cannot buy core technologies right now,” said Chen Yuan, Governor of the China Development Bank and Co-Chair of the China Business Summit 2006. “We hope to absorb technologies from abroad and adapt them into our own.”

Much will depend on improving educational systems, said Baba N. Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Forge, India, and Co-Chair of the China Business Summit 2006. Many executives complain that Chinese university graduates, while numerous, are not equipped with skills useful in the workplace. Chen Tonghai, Chairman, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), People's Republic of China, for example, said China’s institutions are producing too many researchers engaged in research and development, but too few engineers. As a result, many of these graduates can not find jobs.

More needs to be done also to help these innovators find the kind of financing they need to bring their ideas to the marketplace. While financing in China is ample and money plentiful, “how will we make those resources available as venture capital for technological innovation and progress,” asked Chen.

Many of these improvements are already incorporated in the government’s development plans. Growing links between industry and universities, he said, would help stimulate innovation and turn entrepreneurs into the linchpin of a fast-growing technology market. And China will strengthen its legal framework and enforcement of intellectual property rights, he said. The government plans to invest in a wide range of fields to help China leapfrog existing technologies and become more competitive, from energy, aviation and information technology to biotech, nuclear power and exploration of the moon.

But many of the challenges for China’s government going forward are similar to those that Japanese administrators have faced in the past 20 years, according to Yasuhisa Shiozaki, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan – how to govern a rapidly developing nation while remaining transparent and giving citizen’s a meaningful voice in their own government. “The importance of so-called shared fundamental universal values – democracy, human rights, freedom of speech and the rule of law – should all be enhanced here in China,” he said.