More than 2,800 political, economic, business, scientific and social leaders from 120 countries have been invited to the 54th annual meeting this Monday through January 19. World Economic Forum (WEF, its English abbreviation) has been meeting in the small ski resort of Davos in the Swiss Alps since 1971, now becoming the largest ski resort in the world. World capital of capitalism.
For more than 50 years, Davos discussions have sought to adapt the capitalist model to global challenges that have changed in recent years. And all this is done in the name of ‘stakeholder theory’, which aims to integrate employees, suppliers, customers, society and the environment into the company’s purpose, and still fosters great distrust of NGOs that support the fight against inequality and change. climate. Specifically, the 2024 edition is coming on: The most complex geopolitical and economic context of the last few decades”, as WEF president Borge Brende acknowledged this week.
“The war in Gaza continues and there are fears that violence will escalate,” Brende warned. And all this with the war Russia’s invasion of Ukraine He’s about to turn two years old. Wars and geopolitical tensions will be the hallmark of this year’s Davos meeting, which will also see the international presentation of new political leaders, such as Argentina’s newly elected president. Javier Milei He will hold a lecture early in the afternoon on Wednesday the 17th, shortly before the areas reserved for the interventions. Pedro Sánchez and later the French president, Emmanuel Macron, the same afternoon.
general pessimism
Borge Brende hoped that the meeting of political and economic leaders would at least serve “to see how we will prevent the situation from getting worse and how to look to the future.” The slogan chosen by the Economic Forum for this edition is: “Rebuild trust.”
“We face a fragmented world and growing social divisions, leading to uncertainty and widespread pessimism. “We must rebuild confidence in our future by going beyond crisis management, analyzing the root causes of current problems, and building a more hopeful future together,” he said on Tuesday. Klaus SchwabFounder and chairman of the World Economic Forum.
A space for diplomacy
At least in the corridors and rooms of the Davos Conference Center, there will be opportunities to meet and greet figures like the US Secretary of State, who has a lot to say about the current major wars and geopolitical conflicts. Anthony BlinkenUS national security advisor Jake SullivanIsraeli president, Isaac Herzogprime ministers Lebanon, Qatar and JordanChinese Premier, Li QiangUN Secretary General, Antonio Guterresthat of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyenor the president of Ukraine, Volodomir Zelensky, It is not yet known whether he will attend physically or telematically.
In total, more than 60 heads of state and government and representatives of international organizations, IMF, HE ECB, HE world Bank wave World Trade Organization. Until a few days ago, the first vice president of the Government, Nadia Calvino In his new role, he will join the European Investment Bank (EIB) as president.
Spanish presence
Also, help 1,600 business leaders among them there are often representatives of large Spanish multinational companies. Ana Botín (Santander), Carlos Torres (BBVA), Josu Jon Imaz (Repsol), Francisco Reynes (Naturalness), Ignacio Sanchez Galan (Iberdrola), José María Álvarez Palette (Phone) or Rafael del Pino (Ferrovial).
Celebrations of the 54th annual meeting of the Economic Forum will begin this Monday. Call for protest this Sunday Swiss socialist youth called against what they saw as a “closed meeting between the powerful and the rich” who “bear responsibility for crises and wars”.
Capitalism faces global challenges
A large part of the discussions planned for the Davos Forum’s working sessions will take traditional Global Risks ReportBased on your opinions More than 1,400 experts Global risks, according to a September 2023 survey of policymakers and economic leaders.
As stated in the 2023 Global Risk Report World inflation crisis as the first economic and social problem In the short term, the year 2024 presented to the world on January 10 shows the following: misinformation and difficult weather conditions It is among the most likely reasons why a global crisis will be triggered in the next two years.
This could pose a particular threat when billions of people go to the polls. In the most important election year in history.
Major economies, from the United States to India and Mexico, Elections will be held this yearThis will leave the industry and political leaders to rely on polls and forecasts to assess what the political landscape will look like by 2025.
“The widespread use of misinformation and disinformation, and the tools to spread them, can undermine the legitimacy of newly elected governments,” warns the report, prepared in collaboration with Zurich Insurance Group and Marsh McLennan ahead of the Davos annual meeting. Forum.
negative outlook
In general, the survey results show that a predominantly negative opinion While the world situation is worsening in the short term, it is expected to get worse in the long term. 30% of experts worldwide in the next two years global disasters will be higher, with nearly two-thirds expecting this to happen within the next decade.
«Advances artificial intelligence It will fundamentally change organizations’ risk perspectives as many will struggle to respond to threats from misinformation, disintermediation and strategic miscalculations. At the same time, companies will have to deal with increasingly complex supply chains due to geopolitics and climate change, as well as cyber threats from a growing number of malicious actors,” warns Carolina Klint, European commercial director at Marsh McLennan.