Fon Mathuros, Head of Media, World Economic Forum, Tel.: +41 (0)79 201 0211 E-mail: fma@weforum.org
· World Economic Forum’s 47th Annual Meeting represents the largest and most diverse meeting of leaders from all stakeholder groups
· Priorities of the Meeting are strengthening global growth; reforming market capitalism; preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and re-imagining global cooperation
· With the theme Responsive and Responsible Leadership, over half of the programme’s 400 sessions will address strategies for fostering greater social inclusion and human development
· One-third of the 3,000 participants come from outside Europe and North America, another one-third will represent stakeholder groups outside business and government
· For more information see http://wef.ch/davos17. To follow us on all digital platforms wef.ch/follow
Geneva, Switzerland, 10 January 2017 – A record 3,000 leaders from government, business and civil society will convene at the 47th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, which will take place on 17-20 January 2017 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
Under the theme Responsive and Responsible Leadership, the Meeting will focus on four critical leadership challenges for 2017 – re-imagining global cooperation, revitalizing the global economy, reforming capitalism and preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The most diverse participation ever at an Annual Meeting will contribute to discussions and help design solutions, with one-third of all participants coming from outside Europe and North America, and one-third representing society outside of business and government.
In keeping with the theme and its four challenges, over half of the 400 sessions on the programme at this year’s Annual Meeting will address the issues of social inclusion and human development.
“The world around us is changing at unprecedented speed. At this tipping point, our traditional concepts of society, meaningful employment and the nation state are challenged, and many understandably feel insecure or even threatened. A new model of responsive and responsible leadership is needed to allow us to address the challenges the world faces, from security to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with long-term, action-oriented thinking and solidarity on a national and global level,” said Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum.
In addition to being the most comprehensive meeting of ministerial delegations in the world, with over 70 countries including all G20 countries participating, this year’s Meeting will include the participation of the new Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, along with heads of key international organizations. Forum activities throughout the year promote projects and initiatives that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Annual Meeting 2017 will be opened by President Xi Jinping of China, who will be accompanied by the largest delegation of Chinese officials since the country first participated in the Annual Meeting in 1979.
At the Annual Meeting 2017, efforts to promote sustainable development, social inclusion and human development include Shaping Davos, an interactive discussion series connecting leaders with millennials from 20 cities around the world on subjects of critical importance to the young generation. The Forum’s commitment to developing and scaling solutions that improve the way the world responds to humanitarian crises will be advanced in 30 Humanitarian Hub sessions. The programme also includes a number of sessions with leading social entrepreneurs.
The CEOs of over 1,000 companies participate in the Forum. Its commitment to bringing leaders from all stakeholder groups together stems from a strongly held belief that the only way to address critical global challenges is to ensure the participation of all groups in society and all members of the international community. The Forum believes that this is as relevant today as it was in 1971 when the first Annual Meeting was held. Despite the huge change the world has seen in recent years, the Forum has consistently argued for an inclusive and sustainable approach to managing our world’s transformation, even as it has become increasingly interconnected and more complex.
The Co-Chairs taking a principal role in shaping the discussion at the Annual Meeting 2017 are: Brian Moynihan, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Bank of America, USA; Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Documentary Filmmaker, SOC Films, Pakistan; Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer, Save the Children International, United Kingdom; Frans van Houten, President and Chief Executive Officer, Royal Philips, Netherlands; Meg Whitman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, USA
About the Annual Meeting 2017
The Call for Responsive and Responsible Leadership explains the theme and the specific objectives of this year’s Annual Meeting.
The Annual Meeting is based on an ongoing programme to address global challenges in a holistic way. The document World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017: System Initiatives Programme provides you with insight into the multifold projects integrated into the Forum’s 14 System Initiatives, and that are closely related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum is the foremost global multistakeholder meeting. The composition of participants is highlighted here.
Particularly important in Davos this year is the need to have the discussions related to the concerns of the young generation, social entrepreneurs and cultural leaders. Find here the respective biographies for each community: Global Shapers (20-30 years of age), Young Global Leaders, Social Entrepreneurs, Technology Pioneers and cultural leaders
The Annual Meeting is the most comprehensive global multistakeholder meeting in the world, reflecting the interdisciplinary issues discussed in Davos. The government delegations participating this year are listed here.
The Annual Meeting in Davos, and the global initiatives, are complemented by a strong portfolio of regional projects, as described here.
In view of the tragedies in Syria and elsewhere, the World Economic Forum is specifically engaged in the humanitarian sector.
The World Economic Forum, as the international organization to prepare the future, is concerned about the preparedness of the world for the forthcoming Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is also the focus of the Forum’s new Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco.
The Annual Meeting 2017 has been prepared by hundreds of experts from around the world and is integrated into a yearly flow of complementary activities as highlighted here.
The Annual Meeting 2017 welcomes members from a wide range of other Forum communities, including the heads of all leading international organizations, leaders from civil society organizations including NGOs, labour organizations and faith-based organizations.
The World Economic Forum has been a promoter of social integration and the humanization of globalization for many years. See the enclosed materials:
· The Compact for Responsive and Responsible Leadership to be presented in Davos this year
· “Start Taking the Backlash Against Globalization Seriously” written by Professor Schwab in 1996
· The announcement of a new Schwab Award for Responsive and Responsible Leadership
More information on the programme is available here.
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