The World Economic Forum has confirmed plans to bring world leaders, corporate chiefs and activists back to Davos next January, two years after it last held its annual meeting at its usual base in the Swiss Alps.
The decision to proceed with an in-person gathering comes after a tumultuous period for Klaus Schwab’s group, which relies on the annual meetings for much of its income and agenda-setting reputation.
Its last event in Davos in January 2020 coincided with the moment when business and world leaders first realised that Covid-19 could become a serious challenge beyond China. Since then, the pandemic has grounded the jet set, upended economies and businesses and scrambled the supply chains that underpin the globalisation Davos champions.
It has also forced the forum to change its plans repeatedly. In June 2020, it announced plans for a “twin summit” the following January, combining virtual sessions around the world with some in-person meetings in Davos. By August it had decided to push the event back to the summer of 2021, and in October it had changed the planned venue from its usual alpine village to two sites on opposite sides of Lake Lucerne.
By December 2020, the forum had given up on a Swiss location, picking Singapore — where cases were relatively low — to host its annual meeting the following May. Two months later, citing continued travel restrictions, it pushed back the date to August. By May, it had abandoned that plan altogether as a new outbreak of Covid cases prompted Singapore to reimpose strict social-distancing measures.
Many conferences and trade shows have slowly returned since then, as Covid vaccinations become more widespread, but many executives have seen Davos as the ultimate test of the global elites’ willingness to resume in-person networking.
The forum said in a statement on Thursday that its annual meeting would take place on January 17-21 in Davos, billing the gathering as “the first truly global leadership event to set the agenda for a sustainable recovery”.
The event would address “economic, environmental, political and social faultlines exacerbated by the pandemic”, it said, and themes such as restoring trust and making the future of work more inclusive.
The forum gave few details of the steps it will take to keep delegates and staff safe. It said it was working closely with Swiss authorities, experts and health organisations to put measures in place “that are appropriate and adapted to the context”.
At present, visitors need to show proof of vaccination or evidence of a negative PCR test or rapid antigen test to enter Switzerland.
“In a world full of uncertainty and tension, personal dialogue is more important than ever,” Schwab said. “Leaders have an obligation to work together and rebuild trust, increase global co-operation and work towards sustainable, bold solutions.”
Source: Economy - ft.com
