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The theme of this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) gathering is ‘Cooperation in a Fragmented World,’ with the goal of addressing pressing issues and promoting new solutions. The annual meeting will be place from January 16 to 20 in Davos, Switzerland.
The Davos meeting was a historic golden jubilee event in 2020. President Donald Trump addressed it, speaking about the “great American comeback” and the US economic boom. The once-in-a-century Covid-19 epidemic had yet to take hold of the world’s most prominent leaders’ minds. I recall just one or two-panel presentations on Covid-19, and scientists were speculating that the new virus originated in a Wuhan animal market.
Yet, within a few weeks, our entire world was turned upside down. Even as the globe initiated the quest for a vaccine on a war footing, lockdowns were the first line of defense. The global economy is on the verge of collapsing. We are still feeling the aftershocks, particularly with China suffering a new wave.
As a result, the WEF meetings in 2021 and 2022 were held virtually. In May 2022, Davos hosted the first post-epidemic in-person meeting after the pandemic was announced. The summer gathering inspired me to name the extraordinary gathering.
This event connected with the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Unsurprisingly, this year’s World Economic Forum mirrors the aftermath of this protracted conflict, which will mark one year next month.
“The world today is at a critical inflection point. The twin triggers of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine rattled an already brittle global system. Economic growth in the world’s largest economies is stalling while navigating headwinds from rising food and energy prices,” says WEF.