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January 29, 2010
Follow Jo Cox, Director of the Maternal Mortality Campaign, on Facebook as she blogs from Davos

Click here to read "Day One at Davos" Part 1 and click here for Part 2. Click here to read "Day Two at Davos," click here to read "Day Three at Davos," and click here to read "Day Four at Davos."

Below is a transcript of Jo's blogs posted on Facebook:

Day One: Part One 
Had a difficult time squeezing appropriate essentials into my battered suitcase last night for a week at  -5.3 degrees in Davos, Switzerland followed by 4 days at 28 degrees in Kigali, Rwanda. Up at 3.30am (urgh...) for my flight to Zurich. Feeling nervously excited about my first outing to the World Economic Forum - where 1000's of leading business, political and non-profit leaders gather for an annual discussion about matters of global import. We've been trying to get maternal and newborn mortality to be seriously addressed on their main agenda for the past few years. We're not quite there yet but building on the work done by Sarah Brown and the enormous impact of the VIP women's dinners hosted by Queen Rania of Jordan, Wendi Murdoch and Indra Nooyi, at the last 2 Davos gatherings there are now a number of items on the official agenda that focus on putting women at the heart of the global economic recovery and galvanising the resources and will to educate, empower, protect and keep healthy girls and women the world over. I'm here as a Young Global Leader; we have our own side agenda but are also allowed to sit at the adults table throughout the week. My anticipated highlights of the next few days are hearing some challenging views on the future of philanthropy and Africa's growth strategy, the Nike Foundation event on girls and women with Melinda Gates and Nick Kristoff from the NYTimes and China Night at the Golden Dragon Restaurant! I'm also definitely up for Bollywood music nite. Have got my Ugg boots at the ready to help me brave the cold and lots of vitamin tablets to get me through the week.

Day One: Part Two
Lesson number 1 from day 1 at the World Economic Forum is that everyone you sit next to has a great story to tell - not a bad lesson for life generally, perhaps?

Right from the off at Zurich airport I struck up a conversation with a Tami a feisty woman from Jo-burg who runs a TV production company and Jay Naidoo, the former head of the biggest trade union in South Africa, COSATU and a former Minister in President Mandela's post-Aparteid Government. On the 2 hour trip to Davos, Jay and I didn't stop talking once covering most subjects, including how we could work together on micro-nutrient deficiency in the diets of women and children - he chairs a Foundation looking at this and it's an issue central to maternal and newborn mortality. Jay's partner is a Canadian journalist who filed a recent feature on Rwanda including an interview with President Paul Kagame which I plan to read on the plane to Kigali on Saturday. We agreed to meet up again.

Next up came Dr Naif Al-Mutawa, an impressive social entrepreneur from Kuwait who has created a superhero series each representing a virtue expounded in the Koran (www.the99.org). He wanted to create positive role models for kids aged 6-12 - a tough audience to please. On arrival in Davos, I picked up my pass with Alexandra - a heavily pregnant reporter for the Wall Street Journal in Paris - and then hit the Young Global Leaders lunch. Lots of familiar faces and organisations - Jonathan Harris; an incredible NYC artist (check out his unique work at number27.com); Architects for Humanity who are doing great work in many post-conflict/ crisis countries and who have big ideas to help re-build Haiti; Matthew Bishop from the Economist - who's just launched his new book on philanthro-capitalism (definitely worth a read). Mark Malloch-Brown, former UN Deputy Secretary-General under Koffi Annan, then talked us through the WEF's Global Redesign Project: an ambitious project aiming to do what it says on the label. There seem to be lots of ideas floating around - but Mark faces a huge job turning them into a narrative that hangs together and some practical things that will actually be implemented. Ideas workshops all afternoon - covering all sorts including a debate with National Geographic on how to increase the proportion of the world's ocean that we protect from over-fishing from the miserly 1% to something more substantial around the 20% mark (otherwise there will be no fishes in 50 years time); how to use new technologies to empower citizen reporters in potentially fraudulent elections so they can do real time reporting on electoral fraud; how to develop a standard best practice Legislative Act on the disclosure of public information forcing Governments to share data when asked (like we have in the UK.)

This issue lies at the heart of what many White Ribbon Alliance members already do, need and are advocating for: just how many midwives are actually working in a particular health clinic; when was the last time the regional health centre received the promised new medicines etc. Had dinner with an Adviser to the Japanese Prime Minister, the Vice-President from Zimbabwe and his wife, a Jordanian businessman working on King Abdullah's economic policy and a South African academic. Also had a good catch up with an Italian friend currently working in Kabul developing teacher training materials with the Minister of Education - a tough, essential role in such a volatile context. Walked back to my apartment with Canadian MP Scott Brison discussing what Prime Minister Harper might say when he arrives in Davos later this week. The Canadian PM published an article yesterday saying his Government was going to lead a major initiative on maternal health at this years G8. Look forward to seeing the details on that today. Scott and I both sang the praises of the White Ribbon Alliance's representative in Canada, Maureen Mcteer, who campaigns tirelessly on maternal and child health. No night cap for me - I'm following everyone's advice and pacing myself.

Day Two:
“Take criticism seriously but not personally”. Best tip of the day from President Bill Clinton in a private, informal chat with us Young Global Leaders. The President was on good form, giving a succinct overview of his invaluable role as UN Envoy for Haiti – pulling in corporate partners, helping to coordinate the aid effort and chasing donors to deliver on their financial commitments. There's surely a model there for other former Presidents - asking them to use their experience, convening power and network to help national authorities and the UN galvanize an effective emergency response when disaster strikes. One of our partners estimates there at least 37,000 pregnant women right now in Haiti. Imagine being pregnant or having a heavily pregnant loved one in that hell? Many face the very scary prospect of birth in dangerous, unsanitary conditions often without medicine and professional care. Our Patrons Naomi Campbell and Sarah Brown just launched a February fundraiser to help rebuild Haiti’s healthcare system, putting women and their newborns at the heart of the reconstruction effort (for more info see: http://www.whiteribbonalliance.org/activities.cfm?a0=news&n0=621). President Sarkozy opened up the Forum formally yesterday finishing with a rallying cry to the assembled dignitaries not to forget how the world must meet the Millennium Development Goals (so... keep your own promises on development, Monsieur le President). Had a great chat with the Facebook team about how we can join forces to promote our campaigning - especially in March around the 100th anniversary of international women's day. My dinner debate was on the future of philanthropy with a mix private donors, big Foundations like Rockafella and companies like Merck investing in social causes. Highlights were the rise of 'slacktivism' e.g. US teenagers texting a $10 donation for Haiti whilst watching TV; how we all need to be prepared to take more risks to leverage bigger impact and how strategic partnerships can be just as rewarding as a financial relationship with a donor. Had a late night drink with good friends from Save the Children and UNESCO and decided the buzz words from this years Forum are 'completing the circle'; and "let's consider the metrics' (or 'optics' if you prefer). Woke up this morning to a snowed-covered Davos which reminded me that away from all the frantic 'speed-dating' happening inside the Conference centre we're actually in an incredibly beautiful corner of the world.

Day Three:
Late night, early start. Yesterday felt like a good day for mums and newborns. Prime Minister Harper from Canada made a passionate commitment - in front of 2,000 global leaders and to the world's media - that his Government will, as Chair of this year's G8/G20, lead a major initiative to stop women and their babies dying needlessly in pregnancy and childbirth. He also said that the Summit he will Chair in July will focus on accountability for past promises to tackle global poverty.
Great. 3 things he can use this platform to deliver:

1. Interim targets to monitor progress on maternal and child health between now and 2015
2. Increased investment of at least $10 billion this year and a commitment that money spent strengthening health systems in poor countries will lead to tangible outcomes for women and children
3. Support for a UN-led accelerated Action Plan on maternal and child health so we can fast-track progress to 2015. Hope his focus on accountability will apply to his own words and Canada's past promises.

Very interesting views flying around about the China-US nexus; How, indeed whether, the Chinese economy can evolve from being export orientated with a weak domestic consumer base and an undervalued currency; and how the US will respond in the meantime. Top tips from the Bank of China for African leaders: become self-sufficient in agricultural production and build roads. My additions: educate kids so they can learn about the best technological innovations in agriculture and set up their own infrastructure companies; and stop their mums dying so they can drive economic development. Interesting reflections from South Korean President on moving from aid recipient to aid donor in just 40 year, and a great discussion with Mckinsey on what they can do to speed up and make sustainable the recruitment of an extra 3.5 million trained health professionals to fill the gap in community health workers, midwives, nurses and doctors that mean 50% of women still give birth alone. Dinner with the Malaria No More team - what a success story the world's effort to combat malaria has been. Incredible reduction in malaria deaths led by a great team of advocates. We really can eliminate this deadly disease, which has such a deadly burden on kids and pregnant women, by 2014/15 but the money needs to keep flowing. Great chat with Al Gore's former Chief of Staff in the Clinton Whitehouse and his wife who's doing revolutionary things on women’s leadership and a late night dancing to a very funky DC band. A few too many men in grey suits on the dance floor but I guess that's Davos for you.

Day Four:
A whirlwind finale to my week in Davos. Had a very positive chat to Bob Orr, Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary General's top adviser, about the much needed leadership on maternal and child health this year. The Secretary General has really grabbed this issue and is leading from the front; next step a UN convened April retreat to accelerate progress. The same is true for Bill and Melinda Gates, whose investment in vaccines to stop kids dying before their 5th birthday, and whose personal leadership on global health is inspirational. Melinda - just back from a visit to Benin and Malawi - spoke passionately about the need to start talking more about family planning; adolescent girls aged 15-19 should not be getting pregnant. Quick chat with her about the upcoming Canadian G8 and how much we're looking forward to working with the Gates Foundation team this year. Bill also came to meet the 'Young Global Leaders' (feel like a right prat using this phrase...as a good friend of mine referenced in her recent FT blog). Bill talked passionately about the need for risk-takers and innovation to target those that the market often ignores i.e. the most vulnerable. Also talked to the thoughtful Michel Kazatchkine - the Head of the Global Fund for TB, malaria and HIV/ AIDS - about how we get a global funding mechanism agreed this year that really targets resources on women and children. Brainstormed what the world can do to invest more in girls at an awesome Nike session on The Girl Effect and discussed tackling child malnutrition with Josette Sheran, Head of the World Food Programme, over lunch (which made me feel a bit uncomfortable). Fascinating dinner with some of the female CEOs and leaders at Davos, including Arianna Huffington and Melanne Verveer - President Obama's impressive Global Ambassador for Women. I sat between Princess Matilde of Belgium (who's a UNFPA and UNICEF ambassador doing great work on the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS) and the Indonesian Minister of Trade (who was the first woman in Asia to get a Doctorate in Economics). Women still only account for around 15% participants at the WEF, and only 3% of Fortune 500 companies have female CEO. Apparently men put themselves up for promotion when they reckon they meet 6 out of 10 of the required criteria; women wait until they hit all 10. Some good corporate leadership on show from the Chairman of Coca Cola and Sir Martin Sorrel from WPP on closing the gap between men and women in the boardroom - but long way to go. Finished off the day with a dance on the v cool flashing dancefloor at the Google party. Have amassed 1 scarf knitted in the colours of the South African flag, 300 business cards and 4 nights of sleep deprivation. Next stop Kigali, Rwanda.