The rich and powerful of the world are descending on the idyllic Swiss resort town of Davos for the meeting of the World Economic Forum.
The annual event is taking place at a time when the world is witnessing devastating wars in Gaza and Ukraine, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) that are causing as much excitement as worry, a catastrophic debt crisis amid an economic slowdown, and a deterioration in the health of the planet.
More than 2,800 participants are slated to attend the 5-day event starting Monday, January 15, including more than 60 heads of state and government. The theme of this year’s meeting of global political and business leaders, celebrities and prominent social activists is “Rebuilding Trust.”
“The theme is a direct response to the erosion of trust that is evident in societies and among nations,” WEF Managing Director Mirek Dusek said during a media briefing.
Some might directly link the fissures to the “deep transformations all around us, be they geopolitical, geo-economic, or those related to climate and nature,” he said.
Ukraine and Gaza top the agenda
Among the top political leaders taking part are French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
Argentina’s newly-elected President Javier Milei is also expected to attend.
The US would be represented by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who would be joined by key stakeholders in the war in Gaza, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Qatar’s prime minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, to discuss ways to put an end to the conflict in Gaza and avoid a further escalation as many are fearing.
Courtesy of DW