Hosted annually by the Louise Blouin Foundation and the United Nations Office for Partnerships, the Global Creative Leadership Summit brings together world leaders in business, government, science, and the arts for multidisciplinary exchanges and discussions of complex, global issues. At the heart of the Summit is a belief that nation states, both rich and poor, have become interdependent- and in order to solve the challenges that face us, as well as to reap the rewards, we must walk together. inaugural event took place at the Harold Pratt House, New York City in November 2006. Follow up events were held in 2007 and 2008. The Fourth Annual Global Creative Leadership Summit is scheduled for September 23-25 2009.

By bringing together influential leaders in business, technology, government, science and the arts, the Global Creative Leadership Summit aims to create partnerships and stimulate dialogue across multiple disciplines in the hopes that the Summit’s recommendations and conclusions will be taken up within the policy-making process. Founder Louise Blouin stated that:

The Summit’s principal objective is to develop practicable solutions to these and other global issues that combine an understanding of cultural and ethical values with scientific and technological innovations, while acknowledging the global implication of local actions and the importance of trade and economic development in bringing hope and dignity to communities and helping them realize their aspirations.

The Global Creative Leadership Summit is an invitation-only event with roughly 120 delegates each year. Notable delegates have included:

• Nobel Laureates Henry Kissinger, Richard Axel, James Watson and Eric Kandel

• Scientists V.S. Ramachandran, Mehmet Oz and Lisa Randall

• Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

• Journalist Arianna Huffington; chess grandmaster Susan Polgar; then-Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Turki Al Faisal; artists Chuck Close and Richard Serra; Business leaders Stephen Schwarzman and Jared Kushner.

Confirmed delegates for the 2009 Global Creative Leadership Summit include:

• Former Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, H.E. Shaukat Aziz

• Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce, Guy Sebban

• UNIDO Director-General Kandeh Yumkella

• MTV Networks Vice Chairman Bill Roedy

• The President and CEO of Institute of International Education Allan E. Goodman

• Internet entrepreneur Craig Newmark

• Economist and Nobel Laureate Eric Maskin

2006

The first Summit posed the question, "What kind of mind will we need to deal with the challenges of the 21st century?"

One branch of the discussion focused on business competition and success in the Western world. Bob Greenberg brought up the history of Kodak’s sluggish business development to show the importance of strong research and development. Ron Arad spoke of the importance of attractive product designs.

The necessity for tolerance and humility was a recurring theme throughout many discussion panels. As we become more interconnected, intercultural understanding becomes paramount. Dr. Henry Kissinger spoke about this issue in the context of leadership. He said that there are no perfect leaders, and that existing leaders must be encouraged to develop a multi-disciplinary mind and look at problems with a multi-dimensional approach.

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar moved the discussion beyond the realm of the mind with the idea that our souls are directly linked with our emotions. The discussion of emotions was continued by Antonio Damasio who stated that you can only fight a negative emotion with something positive of a greater magnitude.

Jim Watson, Brad Anderson, and Chuck Close all stressed the importance of creativity and innovation.

2007

The 2007 GCLS aimed to develop solutions in the areas of global poverty reduction, trade, communication, and foreign policy. The GCLS focuses on developing actionable solutions. For 2007, these included several initiatives that were announced during the Summit.

Development of a new initiative toward a Global Rule of Law, developed in collaboration with delegates such as David Boies, which will signify a renewed commitment to upholding certain universal principles. Signing on to the Global Rule of Law would in turn inspire increased investor confidence to begin or boost relationships with these emerging economies.

Nicholas Negroponte, co-founder of the MIT Media Lab, announced that as part of the "Give One Get One" program of his "One Laptop Per Child" initiative, from Nov. 12 to Nov. 26, for $399, any American or Canadian buyer would send one energy-efficient laptop to a child in a developing nation in addition to receiving a laptop themselves.

The Louise Blouin Foundation will create an Internet platform to help coordinate existing efforts from NGOs, companies and global agencies. "Project LINK" will allow information to be shared more efficiently between organizations and encourage collaborative thinking, while providing a mechanism for individuals to make financial donations in different areas. As one example, to meet the need for increased numbers of toilets in Tanzania, Project LINK will aim to deliver through both local suppliers and international underwriters.

In a novel approach to addressing climate change, the Foundation will press for a "footprint tax," which would place a monetary value on carbon usage by all individuals, companies and nations.

The Foundation will assemble a series of potential scenarios called "What If?" highlighting the evolution of current threats if they are left unaddressed, such as climate change, the proliferation of biological and chemical weapons, poverty and health-care access.

2008

In 2008, the GCLS focused on global social issues including education, the financial crisis, security threats, and climate change, in the geographic areas of Africa, China, Russia and the Middle East.

After three days of discussion, the following conclusions were reached:

It is no longer possible to separate domestic from global policy. Consequently, political leaders need to build a consensus behind global actions on issues such as human rights and climate change.

Because of the Internet’s ability to disseminate information quickly and to facilitate discussions and debates among people from all backgrounds, leaders must now officially take public opinion into account in addressing foreign policy issues such as human rights and climate change.

America needs to regain its moral authority and lead a broader coalition of countries committed to promoting human rights and democracy. It should take a more nuanced, contextually sensitive and longer-term approach to promoting democracy.

An important tool in pressuring states that violate human rights is promoting solidarity with activists working on the ground to protect those rights. Public support for institutions such as the ICC needs to be increased through educational efforts—a connector belt between the national and the global should be created so that people feel like these institutions form the core of a responsible and forward-looking policy-platform.

2009

The 2009 Global Creative Leadership Summit will focus on the impact of globalization on the international economy and what that means for problems such as poverty, cultural conflict, and climate change.