THEMES TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE PROGRAMME

Climate Action

 A call for urgency

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There is no denying that climate change is a reality in progress. The time to take action — to reverse the scale of the crisis, to adapt to its consequences — is now. How can we respond to the greatest challenge of our time with urgency and optimism? Can design help us achieve an impact that affects large corporations, state policies, and ourselves? In the creativity of many designers, architects, activists and artists we will find the spark that ignites ideas and inspires change.

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Gender X

A call for equality

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While it is true that we have achieved considerable progress towards gender equality in recent decades, there is still a lot of ground to cover in this movement. Across the world, large gaps in equality persists with regards to sexual violence, equal pay, political participation and social justice. The involvement of the creative community in projects which promote the equal rights of women and girls can have a great effect in correcting destructive patterns that separate us and weaken us as a society.

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Designing Activism

A call for engagement

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Design influences our lives more than we can imagine; every choice a designer makes has an impact on society. Around the world, creatives are deploying their skills to combat inequality, environmental devastation, injustice and human rights violations. We focus on those designers and creative thinkers who metaphorically scale the barricades to achieve social, political, economic or environmental change. And we want to learn from them how to better design a process for social and political activation.

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Creative Leadership

A call for pioneering and optimistic actions

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Leadership, at any scale, carries an important responsibility in how we develop our businesses, systems and societies. Through new forms of creative leadership, we can make urgent global issues more accessible to the general public, forging a dynamic and positive path forward. Trailblazers in design, technology, education and entrepreneurship will share their visions towards a sustainable future for us and our planet.

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The Green New Deal

A call to action

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The Green New Deal cannot remain in the realm of good political will. It has to go — as soon as possible — from words to actions. In this effort, designers and innovators can be powerful weapons and collaborators. Together, we can generate ideas for more congruent practices of committed political leaders, while calling on other leaders who have not defined their positions to join the ranks.

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Circular Economy

A call for innovation

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To address the problem of waste pollution and resource depletion, it’s more important than ever that we develop a circular economy. But the creation of a closed-loop system is a broad and often complex issue. Discussing its scope, key principles and impact should be a must among all producers and consumers. Platforms such as WDCD provide necessary opportunities for discussion and dissemination of this issue among both agents of change and the general public.

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