Shapiro named Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum has selected Daniel L. Shapiro as a 2008 Young Global Leader. The founder and director of the Harvard International Negotiation Initiative and associate director of the Harvard Negotiation Project, Shapiro is on the faculty at Harvard Law School and Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital.

This honor is bestowed annually to recognize and acknowledge the top 200-300 young leaders from across the globe for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society, and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. The 2008 Young Global Leaders include 121 business leaders, as well as individuals from government, academia, media, and society at large from 65 countries.

“The World Economic Forum is a true multi-stakeholder community of global decision-makers. We need the Young Global Leaders to be a voice for the future in the global thought process and as a catalyst for initiatives in the global public interest,” said Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the forum.

Drawn from a pool of almost 5,000 candidates, the 2008 Young Global Leaders were chosen by a selection committee of 31 eminent international media leaders. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan chairs the selection committee.

The current community of Young Global Leaders represents more than 60 countries and includes the co-founders of Google, among other highly influential professionals.

“It is our belief that this community of committed individuals can actually change the status quo. They are not only a preview of what effective, collaborative leadership in the 21st century might look like, they are actually putting it into practice today,” said David Aikman, senior director and head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders.

Established in 2004, the forum is a community of the world’s most extraordinary young leaders, who dedicate a part of their time to jointly address global challenges and who are committed to devoting some of their knowledge and energy to collectively work toward a better future. As part of their engagement, the Young Global Leaders give their time to task forces to initiate, develop, and drive innovative solutions on important, globally oriented issues, including health, education, the environment, global governance and security, and development and poverty.

Shapiro’s research focuses on the psychology of conflict. He has contributed to numerous scholarly and popular publications, and recently co-authored “Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate.” He is now pioneering a new research program on the emotional and identity-based dimensions of regional conflict and terrorism.

Shapiro has trained key negotiators in the Middle East, China, the former Yugoslavia, and elsewhere, and through funding from the Soros Foundation he developed a conflict management program that now reaches more than 1 million people across 30 countries. For this and other work, Shapiro is the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Psychological Association’s Early Career Award and the prestigious “Peacemaker of the Year” award from the California Mediator’s Association.