Fon Mathuros, Head of Media, World Economic Forum: Tel.: +41 (0)79 201 0211; Email: fma@weforum.org
· The Open Forum Davos 2018, part of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2018, is hosting a series of panel discussions from 23-26 January, open to the public
· Panellists include the youngest Nobel peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai, Al Gore and Wai Wai Nu, a Rohingya advocating for equality of women and all ethnicities in Myanmar
· Topics include fostering inclusivity, sustainable food, climate change and how to lead a happy life
· The public is invited to join the sessions in Davos or via webcast on www.weforum.org/open-forum
Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 22 January 2018 – Sessions on sustainable food and tackling climate change plus special screenings of Sundance Grand Jury Winner Last Men in Aleppo and Al Gore’s most recent film, An inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, are among the events open to the public, on a first-come, first-served basis, at the Open Forum Davos 2018.
The Open Forum Davos, now in its 16th year and with a fresh new look, will open its doors to the public from 23 to 26 January in Davos, Switzerland. Leading personalities from business, government, academia and civil society as well as young people will discuss and interact with the Swiss public on critical – and, at times, controversial – subjects, opening a unique window on to the most challenging debates of our time.
Panellists at this year’s Open Forum Davos comprise public figures, chief executive officers, representatives from civil society, experts and academics from Switzerland and around the world, including:
· Wai Wai Nu, Founder and Director, Women Peace Network
· Peter Maurer, President, International Committee of the Red Cross
· Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director, Greenpeace International
· Patrick Brown, CEO and Founder, Impossible Foods
· Jens Spahn, State Secretary of Finance, Germany
· Pascale Baeriswyl, State Secretary Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
· Feras Fayyad, Film Director, Writer and Editor, Syria
· Malala Yousafszai, UN Messenger of Peace and Nobel Peace Prize Winner
· Alain Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation
· Pia Mancini, Chair, The Democracy Earth Foundation
· Al Gore, Vice-President of the United States (1993-2001), Chairman and Co-Founder, Generation Investment Management LLP
· Christiana Figueres, Convener, Mission 2020
· P. Murali Doraiswamy, Professor, Duke University Health System
· Ariella Käslin, Swiss Champion Gymnast
· Dan Buettner, Founder, Blue Zones
Open Forum Programme
Tuesday 23 January
12.00 – 13.30 Fostering Inclusivity
18.30 – 20.00 On the Menu: Sustainable and Nutritious Food
Wednesday 24 January
12.30 – 14.00 Rejuvenating European Democracy
18.30 – 20.00 Special Screening: Last Men in Aleppo – In Davos the screening of the Sundance Grand Jury winning film Last Men in Aleppo, followed by a conversation with director Feras Fayyad.
Thursday 25 January
09.00 – 09.45 An Insight, An Idea with Malala Yousafzai
12.30 – 14.00 Democracy in a Post-Truth Era
18.30 – 20.00 Climate’s Two Degrees of Separation
20.30 – 22.15 Special Screening: An Inconvenient Sequel-Truth to Power – In Davos for this special screening of Al Gore's latest film to learn just how close we are to a clean energy revolution.
Friday 26 January
09.00 – 10.30 Suffering in Silence: Tackling Depression – This session is co-designed with students of the Davos secondary school.
12.30 – 13.30 Secrets to a Long and Happy Life
The Open Forum will be held at the Swiss Alpine Mittelschule, Guggerbachstrasse 3, Davos Platz, Switzerland. Although no registration is required, those wishing to participate are encouraged to arrive early as the maximum capacity of the auditorium is 300. For those unable to take part, all eight sessions will be livestreamed on www.weforum.org/open-forum.
Follow the debates using the Open Forum Twitter account: @openforumwef #WEF #openforum. Some of the sessions will be broadcast by Swiss Television (SF-info), available on YouTube after the event; and some will benefit from social media integration, which offers deeper engagement and analysis to a global audience.
Notes to editors:
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