People & Profit

It's been a chaotic start to the year for the global economy, with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 disrupting a range of industries. In this edition, we're looking ahead to what else may be in store for the rest of 2022. Ian Bremmer, President of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, joins us to discuss his annual list of top geopolitical risks the world faces. They include: China's "zero-Covid" policy, big tech companies' influence on the world, the US midterm elections, US-Russia tensions, climate change and more.

2021 brought big changes to households and businesses around the world. In the last show of the season, Stephen Carroll and Kate Moody take a look at some of the biggest business and economic stories of the year and how they might evolve in 2022.

Covid-19 has impacted businesses around the world. But despite rising costs, labour shortages and supply chain problems, French bosses are feeling more positive that at any point since the year 2000, according to a November survey. Stephen Carroll meets two entrepreneurs who are making and selling products in France: Christèle Merter, founder and CEO of the eco-conscious clothing company La Gentle Factory; and Benjamin Kuentz, who makes French whisky under his own label Maison Benjamin Kuentz.

The Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated inequalities between the very wealthy and the rest of the population, according to the latest report from the World Inequality Lab. So what can be done to prevent a massive rise in poverty? Stephen Carroll speaks to Lucas Chancel, the lead author of the report. Also in the programme: Kate Moody looks at the right to disconnect and what it really means in practice for workers. Plus we bring you a report about a French entrepreneur who's making tracks with old bike tyres.

The hotel chain Marriott has said bookings at its South African locations have been hit by new Covid-19 travel restrictions, but that they have "not seen a huge number of cancellations as yet". President Cyril Ramaphosa has criticised the travel bans imposed on his country and its neighbours after the Omicron variant was first identified there. Marriott's EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) President, Satya Anand, told FRANCE 24 that the company is hopeful the effects will merely be temporary.

The United States is the only developed economy without any national policy on paid parental leave. American lawmakers have recently made efforts to pass mandates on parental and family leave, but the legislation is likely to be blocked in partisan bickering. “It has immense benefits” says Richard Petts, Sociology professor at Ball State University, to journalist Kate Moody. “It's really a can't miss policy”.

The French government's strong and swift response to the Covid-19 pandemic has won praise from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in its latest report. But the OECD is also warning of risks from debt and high public spending. For more, Stephen Carroll speaks to OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann.

Former Danone CEO Emmanuel Faber has just attended the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Now a partner at the impact investor Astanor Ventures, he has long called for the private sector to play a greater role in the fight against climate change. "No one has stepped up enough at this stage. But people and companies are moving," he told FRANCE 24's Kate Moody.

At the COP26 summit in Glasgow, the IMF is urging rich countries to keep the promises they made when they signed the Paris Agreement in 2015. Developed countries pledged $100 billion per year to help poorer countries reduce carbon emissions, a target that has not yet been met. Kate Moody spoke to Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, about how to close the financing gap and, more broadly, how to keep the goal of a 1.5°C temperature rise alive.

The head of the Fairtrade Foundation says consumers, businesses and governments need a ‘reality check’ on the situation facing farmers in developing countries. CEO Michael Gidney speaks to FRANCE 24 ahead of the COP26 climate conference, where Fairtrade will be bringing a pledge for businesses. In this pledge, companies will promise to invest in more sustainable supply chains and provide guaranteed prices to farmers.