World Economic Forum’s five-day online Davos agenda meeting begins tomorrow
New Delhi/Davos:
The five-day online Davos Agenda Summit of the World Economic Forum (WEF) begins tomorrow, January 17, with special addresses by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping being the highlights of the day.
The WEF’s annual meeting, which has been taking place in the Swiss ski resort city of Davos for 50 years, could not take place in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and has been postponed until earlier this year.
However the virtual summit ‘Davos Agenda’ summit will be held for the second year in a row, originally scheduled for the physical annual meeting.
The week-long digital summit will begin with a special address by Mr Jinping on Monday, followed by two virtual sessions – one on COVID-19 and the second on technology cooperation in the fourth industrial revolution.
Mr Modi will deliver his special address on Monday evening, which will be followed by an address by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio are scheduled to deliver their respective special addresses on Tuesday (January 18), when special sessions on the challenges of global social contracting and vaccine equity will also be held, which will be attended by WHO chiefs . Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Serum Institute of India head Adar Poonawalla among others.
On Wednesday (January 19), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will deliver a special speech. In addition, there will be sessions on the energy transition, scaling up climate innovation, and Latin America’s perspective.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indonesian President Joko Widodo are scheduled to deliver their special speeches on Thursday, when special sessions will be held on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Metrics for a Sustainable Future; the next frontier for knowledge and action; and restore confidence in global trade and supply chains.
On the last day, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will deliver their special speeches. In addition, there will be special sessions on the global economy, building future preparedness and accelerating a nature-positive economy.
Speakers listed for these sessions include US Treasury Secretary Janet L Yellen, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde.
The WEF has said that the ‘Davos Agenda 2022’ will be the first global forum for leading world leaders to share their visions for 2022 and is being convened on the theme of ‘The State of the World’.
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