International think-tank, the Club of Rome (CoR), is set to hold its Annual Conference and Global Summit in Stellenbosch on November 6.
This will be the first time that South Africa will be hosting this group of scientists, economists, business people and former heads of state.
The CoR gained recognition in 1972 with its first report The Limits to Growth. It was the first study to question the viability of continued growth in the human ecological footprint.
At the time the CoR predicted many of the global challenges faced today, but the think-tank has since moved beyond sounding the alarm and is now asking tough questions about the appropriateness of the current paradigm and civilization patterns it has spawned.
The theme of the summit is Our Joint Futures – Lessons from Africa. It will focus on four areas, namely the climate emergency; reclaiming and reframing economics; new models of finance; and emerging new civilizations.
The CoR will host the summit in partnership with Stellenbosch University’s Institute for Futures Research (IFR).
CoR co-president, Dr Mamphela Ramphele, says the summit comes at an opportune time for South Africa and the rest of the continent.
"New thinking is required to solve our most complex problems. This summit will highlight the latest insights on new pathways for Africa and the global community," she says.
"Africa’s potential to leverage its rich heritage and youthful population to tackle the challenges facing our joint future will be at the core of the conversations. Sharing lessons from our successes and failures could benefit policy making and implementation in much of the rest of the world."