Youth polls suggested that global business should play a key role in the alleviation of poverty yet many of us agree that certain aspects of multinational corporation behaviour is to our dissatisfaction. Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus presented how he created Grameen Bank, lending out $27 to 42 women as a solution to Bangladesh’s poverty. Therefore he created a bank that helps poor women living in villages who have no income. Women play a big part in social business as key communicators within their villages, and in present day Grameen Bank has over 80 million borrowers whereby 90% are women. Entrepreneur Bill Liao also gave a testament to how business is shaping indigenous societies. He is currently involved in reforestation projects as a way to take responsibility for the rectifying damage caused by his generation.In following, a plenary session based on global business was led by OYW Counsellors, Elio Leoni-Sceti (CEO of EMI Music), Graeme Sweeney (Chairman of Zero Emissions Platform), Ken Costa (Chairman of Lazard International), Osvald Bjelland (Chairman of Xyntéo), Benita Matofska (Head of Global Entrepreneurship week), and Dr. Santanu Das (Founder of TranSwitch Corp).
Son of Mongolian Prime Minister, Battushig Batbold 
stressed a positive that technical staff should be given opportunities to work abroad as part of a global placement to share skills. Swapping staff across borders will not only enhance intercultural diversity but create fuller global synergy. Diptesh Bose (India) also agreed that sharing information in all areas can be better disseminated through the use of internet. At the height of the digital age, this tool must be used to its greatest potential. Coming from a country where crime and theft is high, Christina Lopez Guevara from El Salvador suggested the best way to reduce poverty is to not start small businesses within the country but through the integration of global businesses. Governments are responsible in creating a healthy environment for investment thereby corporations should make ‘the eradication of poverty’ part of their business mission.
16-year-old, Adrian Lo (China) turned business on its head, urging businesses to change solely from being 
for profit to sustainability. He suggested to up the national minimum wage to improve productivity of workers and incorporating the “re-think” role of society, “re-design” business model, “re-build” new world without poverty into the business mainstream. Niece of former US President, Lauren Bush stated that ignorance in a globalised world is no longer a viable excuse. Every six seconds a child dies of hunger yet even with the assistance of global aid, the number of malnutrition children is growing. As the founder of FEED, Lauren has created a business enabling one designer bag purchased by a consumer to feed one child for a year, which opened up the issue of how profit is directed. Deniz Çıkış (Turkey) coined the term ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR) as “window dressing”, highlighting its ineffectiveness towards the Millennium Development Goals.
Burt’s Bees are a great example of how embedding CSR framework in the business model is a positive step forward in all aspects. Acting as the only ‘zero waste’ US company, Burt’s Bees mission takes into account materials used in its products, its people, humanitarian and environmental operations. Delegates speaking on the floor panel were incredibly insightful sharing views on fair trade, ethical leadership, corporations adapting CSR within a political framework and philanthropic investments. Inspired by the level of agreement from delegates, I will be drafting letters to global coffee and chocolate companies urging them to support fair trade. This will be completed in due course but we, the consumers, should demand free trade.
Draft Resolution (to be amended): In the belief that multinational corporations have a fundamental responsibility to behave ethically, we call upon global businesses to define and act on their role in the fight against poverty.
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