Reimagining Collaboration in XR Lessons from the Global Collaboration Village 2025

Ocean Hub Sustainable aquaculture and systemic awarenessThe challenge Despite the rapid growth of aquaculture – especially in sub-Saharan Africa – leaders lacked a clear understanding of how that growth intersects with marine conservation. Traditional formats struggled to convey the urgency of protecting biodiversity, coastal forests and vital aquatic habitats. The challenge was to create an experience that revealed these interdependencies and their broader climate implications. The Village’s role The Ocean Hub used immersive technology to bring marine ecosystems to life. Participants explored vivid underwater landscapes, saw the role of mangroves and coral reefs in climate resilience and engaged with the cascading effects of aquaculture expansion. The experience enabled a shift in perspective – from siloed policy thinking to systemic environmental awareness. Participants Policy-makers, sustainability leaders and researchers used the Pavilion to engage with ocean science in real time, often experiencing for the first time the spatial and ecological connections that drive marine policy. Key moment The experience launched at the 2023 Annual Meeting with the Village’s first metaverse- based multilateral dialogue. Participants in different countries convened simultaneously in the virtual Ocean Hub to discuss marine protection. The sense of copresence – the feeling of being together in a shared environment – was so strong that some attendees found it hard to believe that the participants were not in the same physical place. When you can show a global leader the real-time impact of marine policy decisions in an immersive setting, it stops being ‘just’ data.” Alfred Collins, Global Shaper Community, Nigeria2023 USE CASE 1 17Copyright: © Global Collaboration Village: World Economic Forum, Accenture and Microsoft. All rights reserved Reimagining Collaboration in XR: Lessons from the Global Collaboration Village 17