The forum has been criticized by some as a forum for the rich, but he insists it has the power to bring together decision-makers in a world facing multiple crises amid growing geopolitical mistrust..
“We are all still caught up in a crisis mentality,” Klaus Schwab, founder and CEO of the Forum, said in a press conference prior to the forum, referring to a world facing the Ukraine war, climate change and the simultaneous energy and food supply crisis..
The last in-person Winter Gathering was in Davos in 2020, just days before the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a global health emergency. The forum was held in 2021 via the Internet, after changing its date from January to May, after a rise in infections.
Regarding the forum’s program, which includes a group of panel discussions, gatherings and informal events over a week under the slogan “Cooperation in a divided world,” Schwab said, “Davos should help change this mindset.”
While the absence of the Russian delegation will be evident, the organizers praised a record turnout in terms of the number and diversity of participants, with expectations of a “high-level” Chinese participation.“.
Fifty-two heads of state and government will attend, along with 56 finance ministers, 19 central bank governors, 30 trade ministers and 35 foreign ministers. The leaders of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization will be among the 39 heads of international agencies.
The upscale ski resort also hosts the largest number of corporate executives ever, with more than 600 executives out of 1,500 business leaders, including the largest number of female CEOs ever..
Discussions are set to focus on short-term challenges such as how to avert the risk of a global recession in 2023 and how to ensure that global efforts to tackle climate change are not set back by an energy crisis exacerbated by the Ukraine war and sanctions on Russia..
Organizers said Ukraine, which dominated the forum’s sessions last year, will send another high-level delegation and there will be several sessions related to the war..
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