COLOGNY (dpa-AFX) – “Restore trust”: Under this motto, the World Economic Forum (WEF) will bring together around 2,800 representatives from business, politics and society in Davos next week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is expected to attend the conference, as the WEF reported on Tuesday. On Sunday (January 14th), one day before the start of the WEF, a Ukraine meeting will take place in Davos. Security advisors and senior officials from around 70 countries take part.
Celebrity participants
In addition to Zelensky, the key political speakers at the forum include Chinese Prime Minister Li Qian, French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The new Argentine President Javier Milei and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken are also expected. Unlike in 2023, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will not be traveling to Davos, as his spokesman said. According to the program, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Economics Minister Robert Habeck (both Greens), Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (both FDP) are taking part on the German side.
The annual meeting is taking place for the 54th time. This year it runs from January 15th to 19th. Participants from 120 countries are represented. Founded in 1971 by the German Klaus Schwab, the WEF sees itself as a platform for cooperation between companies and public organizations for the benefit of humanity.
challenges
Geopolitical tensions are greater this year than they have been for decades, said WEF President Børge Brende. “The only way forward is to come together and find solutions,” he said. Companies played an important role in this. He mentioned an agreement between well-known companies that have promised to use their purchasing power to ensure the necessary demand for green products and solutions. In addition to the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, Borge cited possible new pandemics, climate change and cyberattacks as other challenges.
One of the WEF’s managing directors, Mirek Dusek, spoke of “geopolitical depression”: “We believe that in order to deal effectively with this new reality, we need to restore trust.” The WEF is doing everything it can to initiate dialogue and show solutions to systemic problems. Dealing with artificial intelligence (AI) is also an important topic. Governments must urgently deal with this in order not to lag behind technological developments./oe/DP/jha