Global business leaders from the ICT industry engaged with international politicians, UN representatives, policy makers and a variety of professors spanning from Columbia University and MIT in the US, to Kwangwoon University in South Korea.

36 hours of intense discussions were driven primarily by smaller round tables with discussion leaders sparking the dialogue by challenging and provoking the participants. The unique format and collective knowledge within the custom-designed Hexagon venue contributed to both unforgettable conversations and concrete initiatives from all sectors.

The discussions where divided into three main sessions: Access For All, Redefining Education and Bridging The Education Gap. Barriers were lowered during the course of the first day as new insights and deeper understanding of one another’s structures and challenges were revealed.

At the end of the Forum sessions, President Bill Clinton delivered a compelling key note concerning the challenges facing today’s society in which ICT can drive positive change. This was followed by an onstage discussion with Hans Vestberg, President & CEO of Ericsson, about the importance of establishing sustainable cross-collaboration models between private and public stakeholders.

Vestberg brought the Forum to a close by encouraging all participants to take action in the quest towards enabling improved models of 21^st Century education.

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

PARTICIPANT QUOTES

“50 years ago we were a very poor country. Today we are the 14^th largest economy in the world. With no natural resources, education is what has transformed our country.”

Ambassador Young-Shim DHO, UNWTO, South Korea

“The Internet supports teachers in unlocking the creative potential of every child.”

Sir Harry Kroto, Nobel Laureate & Professor of Chemistry, USA

“For 100 years our industry has tried to put mobile handsets in the hands of consumers. We are almost at 100% penetration in some countries, and now we need to think about what to do with the networks.”

Jon Eddy Abdullah, CEO of Total Access Communications PLC , Thailand

“We don’t currently have a good measurement that helps us understand the positive economic impact of ICT on education. Together with the Earth Institute, Jeffrey Sachs and other influencers, we will see if we can define the impact of ICT on education in a way that is equally clear as our measurements on broadband connected to GDP growth.“

Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson, Sweden

“By all means this is a license industry, so we work with the government in trying to make the country more connected. This is also the vision of the government. But I still believe we need to educate within the society – this is not only building infrastructure, it is promoting ideas, so we create the atmosphere that all enterprises can start to join – and start to look into this issue. Because education is the foundation for the success or competitiveness of countries.”

Yvonne Li, CEO of Far EasTone Telecommunciations, Taiwan

“Usually I come to these things and I feel like I am the young optimist who’s proclaiming the radicalization of our social institutions, but now I feel like a conservative.”

Chris Hughes, Co-founder of Facebook, USA