The 47th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) will take on Jan. 17-20 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, under the theme of “Responsive and Responsible Leadership.” More than 2,500 participants from nearly 100 countries are slated to meet and participate in over 300 sessions at the elite gathering. The theme of the meeting calls on global leaders to renew the systems that have supported international cooperation in the past by adapting them to today’s complex, multipolar world in ways that foster genuinely inclusive and equitable growth, according to the WEF website.
To build on this theme, the program focuses on five “gravity centers,” each constructed to help leaders address distinct yet related critical challenges in 2017: Strengthening systems for global collaboration, addressing identity positively, revitalizing the global economy, reforming market capitalism, and preparing for the “4.0 Industrial Revolution.”
The star attraction will be Xi Jinping, the first Chinese president ever to attend Davos. His presence is being seen as a sign of Beijing’s growing weight in the world at a time when U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is promising a more insular, “America first” approach and Europe is pre-occupied with its own troubles.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, who has the thorny task of taking her country out of the EU, will also be there, but Germany’s Angela Merkel will not.
There will be a limited participation from Ankara, due to the ongoing debates over the constitutional amendment vote. Unless there is a last minute change, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek will participate, along with Central Bank Governor Murat Çetinkaya. Şimşek is due to be among the speakers at the “G20 Agenda – Growth” event at this year’s World Economic Forum.
