18,000 people
I have two concerns. The first is trend-connected: climate change. I'm very aware of the carbon footprint left by 18,000 people taking planes, consuming taxi rides, moving around in air conditioned conference spaces and overly generous buffets. The second is operational. Isn't there an alternative? Do we need to bring 18,000 people together to get the planet moving? Do we need to all meet to get our development agendas coordinated?
My answer to the first dilemma is obvious: moving 18,000 people does not make sense in an era when we tout video conferencing, smart phones and laptops. In fact soon, according to Cisco, the internet will be able to handle multi-million video person video conferences. So maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to finally do things the 'high-tech' way sometime soon. So yes, some day soon we will have huge virtual meetings (today it's still at the hype stage, multi-person 'virtual events' still do not work well enough to be effective.
But there is still the issue of the added value of actually putting the 18,000 people together in one space. Instinctively I am against it. But admittedly, I have been giving this issue some thought for many years now. This is not a new dilemma for me. I started thinking about this the very first time I went to a major conference in 1979. Back then it was not an issue of climate change so much as an issue of efficiency. Time was, I believed, a precious commodity, and traveling 20 hours to just listen and talk about things we can often just view or read… Today, however, it's time and carbon and money and disease and many more issues. So, are these huge meetings good? Do they accomplish something? Did Copenhagen accomplish something? Did Rio (climate)? Do UN general assemblies or World Health Assemblies move the world one or several steps forward?
My answer?
I'm going to, for now, take the risk of saying yes. I think that these meetings do more rather than less. I think that they motivate organizations to do more. I think that they do forge partnerships. I think that they do give us some ideas. But I also think that they are not as efficient and effective as they could be. Let's be honest, most of us come away wishing more had been accomplished. So what's the solution? It lies with us. It is up to us to get things done both at the conference and beyond. Let us not squander the privilege and opportunities given to us by these meetings. Let us act responsibly and aim to learn, teach, partner, pass on and otherwise be great conference participants.
Gotta run, suitcase to pack!
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