Dialogue has always been at the heart of the World Economic Forum. Bringing different actors together can open the way for positive change. Creating an environment where a multiplicity of stakeholders can engage each other is all the more important since publicly reaching out to an opponent can be a risky move, one that may be seen as a sign of weakness.
Yet after a successful negotiation, everyone walks away stronger. In Indonesia, dialogue was used to halt the destruction of the rainforest through palm oil production. Between environmental activists, slash-and-burn farmers who feared a loss of livelihood, palm oil producers and neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia who had to cope with the resulting smoke, little compromise seemed possible. Yet out of these disparate interests, the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 was formed, which aims to end deforestation.