In a recent opinion piece, Smriti Irani, a former Union minister, has urged critics to refrain from bashing Davos, emphasizing that while the World Economic Forum is not an end in itself, it serves as a vital catalyst for global progress. She argues that Davos provides a brief, concentrated moment where worldwide attention converges, and the real value lies in what institutions, governments, and leaders build in its aftermath.
The Genesis of the Alliance for Global Good
Three years ago, on the sidelines of the Davos Forum, Irani established the Alliance for Global Good as an independent platform. This initiative was designed to move beyond episodic interventions and focus on systems-level solutions grounded in research, partnerships, and institutional accountability. The primary goals are advancing women's economic participation, fostering inclusive growth, and enhancing cross-sector collaboration.
Evidence-Based Impact and Global Reach
Since its inception, the Alliance has engaged with over 5,000 international delegations and collaborated with more than 12,000 industry stakeholders. Its work is anchored in evidence, with over a dozen policy papers examining critical areas such as public health systems, climate transition economics, the care economy, and structural barriers limiting women's participation in growth. These findings have influenced national discourse, including reflections in India's Economic Survey.
Key Initiatives: SPARK and Maternal Health Innovations
A defining principle of the Alliance is the recognition that policy coherence and delivery capacity are inseparable. This understanding shaped SPARK — The 100K Collective, an initiative aimed at enabling 100,000 women entrepreneurs across 300 locations in India. Focused on capability rather than charity, SPARK connects women-led enterprises to skills, capital, markets, and regulatory systems to foster growth and formalization.
In maternal health, the Alliance encouraged the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to develop a clinician usage protocol for an affordable postpartum haemorrhage drape. Costing under $1, this innovation demonstrates how institutional leadership, paired with frugal innovation and system adoption, can deliver life-saving impact at scale.
Global Collaborations and Recent Milestones
The Alliance has built four collaborations in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the US, each tailored to local contexts but unified by a commitment to women's economic participation and inclusive growth. At this year's Davos engagements, the WE Lead Lounge, now in its third year, evolved into the flagship convening platform, hosting 14 structured conversations with 65 global leaders and over a thousand participants on issues like health security and climate resilience.
Several milestones were announced, including Laila Nutraceuticals' $40-million women's wellness initiative and the $100-million SPARK Fund to accelerate women-led enterprises. The report 'Unlocking Her Wealth: The Untapped Economy' provided original analysis on the undervaluation of women's work and its economic implications.
Reflections on Davos's Enduring Value
Irani, in her fourth consecutive engagement with the Forum, noted that this year's role as chairperson of the Alliance for Global Good shifted focus from voice to architecture—translating ideas into systems, evidence into collaboration, and dialogue into delivery. She highlighted that Davos's strength lies in its reflection of the world's state, bringing together heads of government, CEOs, civic groups, and ordinary citizens.
Global attention is a finite resource, and when it gathers, it must be used to surface complexity rather than flatten it. As conversations from Davos recede, the principle remains clear: progress is sustained not by momentary alignment but by institutions designed to endure. The enduring value of Davos lies in how global attention is stewarded, serving as a bridge between dialogue and design when engaged with intent.
