Davos 2023: World Economic Forum’s annual meet starts on Jan 16, will focus on cost-of-living crisis, green financing, others

The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting will kick start in the city of Davos, Switzerland, on January 16 and continue till January 20. The 53^rd annual event’s theme is ‘Cooperation in a Fragmented World’, where business leaders, politicians, economists, and stakeholders are expected to discuss various aspects of global challenges ranging from the cost-of-living crisis, sustainable business models, energy transition, natural resource crises, future of jobs, gender inequality, among others. The present meeting is crucial amidst the present crisis after the Covid-19 pandemic, growing US-China hostility and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and others. 

Recognising the need for such a global dialogue when the world is facing a multitude of crises, the McKinsey Global Institute in a recent report said the countries in the world are facing challenges that don’t respect borders, they’re global in nature. “Countries and economies everywhere are troubled by the challenges of building resilience in the face of massive disruption, affordably weaning our societies from fossil fuels, and building a system in which everyone prospers. There are no solutions to the world’s largest problems that don’t involve the leaders of the world’s largest companies and national and international policymakers,” stated the report, Global flows: The ties that bind in an interconnected world. 

Who all are attending the meeting? 

Global leaders, celebrities, business heads, social activists, and economists, and business leaders are all expected to meet in Davos between January 16 and 20.  

Leaders who will be attending the meet will include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, South Africa President Cyril M Ramaphosa, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Swiss President Alain Berset, and Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will appear by video link on Wednesday for a live interview. 

Among other leaders, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will also be in Switzerland for the 2023 summit. 

From India, central ministers Ashwini Vaishav, Smriti Irani, R K Singh, and Mansukh Mandaviya are expected to attend the meeting. 

From the states, three chief ministers -- Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Adityanath, Maharashtra’s Eknath Shinde, and Karnataka’s BS Bommai – are expected to attend the sessions.  

Among Indian business leaders, RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Adani Group’s Gautam Adani, Tata Sons’ N Chandrasekaran, Aditya Birla Group’s Kumar Mangalam Birla, Serum Institute of India’s Adar Poonawalla, JSW Group’s Sajjan Jindal, Godrej Industries’ Nadir Godrej, Airtel’s Sunil Mittal, and Bajaj Finserv’s Sanjiv Bajaj, are expected to attend the sessions. 

The US will be represented by Labour Secretary Marty Walsh, Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray. 

When and where to watch 

Interested viewers can watch the live sessions at WEF’s official Facebook page http://wef.ch/facebook. On LinkedIn, one can follow the daily updates at http://wef.ch/linkedin. 

One can also follow the proceedings on Instagram at http://wef.ch/instagram to get updates. Livestreamed sessions and videos can be seen on their YouTube channel: wef.ch/youtube. 

Also Read: Davos 2023: Why WEF is batting for investment in agri, education, green jobs