World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2015

[Update] Diplo director Dr Jovan Kurbalija is participating in the World Economic Forum. Watch this space for updates.
[New] Read: Your day-by-day guide to Davos 2015
[New] View the detailed programme, which includes links to live webcasts, or download the pdf version.

For over four decades, the World Economic Forum’s mission – improving the state of the world – has driven the design and development of the Annual Meeting programme.

We live in a fast-paced and interconnected world, where breakthrough technologies, demographic shifts and political transformations have far-reaching societal and economic consequences. More than ever, leaders need to share insights and innovations on how best to navigate the future. The Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, on 21-24 January 2015, remains the foremost creative force for engaging the world’s top leaders in collaborative activities focused on shaping the global, regional and industry agendas.

The New Global Context

Complexity, fragility and uncertainty are all challenging progress at global, regional and national levels, potentially ending an era of economic integration and international partnership that began in 1989. What
is clear is that we are confronted by profound political, economic, social and, above all, technological transformations. They are altering long-standing assumptions about our prospects, resulting in an entirely
“new global context” for future decision-making. This new context requires a greater awareness of the near and long-term implications of the following trends and developments:

• The systemic impact of deepening geopolitical fault-lines, decreasing multilateral cooperation and increasing strategic competition.
• The expected normalization of monetary policy through the reduction of quantitative easing and a future rise in interest rates.
• The continuing erosion of trust in public and private sector institutions, and the deteriorating dialogue between government and business globally.
• The breadth and velocity of scientific and technological advances that are considered inspiring and empowering as well as disruptive and ominous.
• The inability to significantly improve the management and governance of critical global commons, most notably natural resources and cyberspace.
• The ecological, societal and business repercussions of unabated climate change, youth unemployment and income inequality.
• The generational shift from societies sharing common values to those that are primarily interest-driven, and the related rise of sectarianism, populism, nationalism and statism.

In response, and more than ever before, leaders are looking to strengthen their situation awareness and contextual intelligence. In this regard, the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting provides an
unparalleled platform for leaders to develop the necessary insights, ideas and partnerships to respond to this new context. It achieves this by convening global leaders from across business, government,
international organizations, academia and civil society in Davos for strategic dialogues which map the key transformations reshaping the world in 2015. The Annual Meeting remains the foremost venue to shape and develop global, regional and industry agendas at the beginning of the year.

Based on the principle that a multistakeholder, systemic and future-oriented approach is essential in this new context, the issues to be addressed through sessions, taskforces and private meetings at the Annual Meeting 2015 include:

> The Global Agenda
The Annual Meeting 2015 is where 250 top political leaders gather to discuss with the heads of international organizations and with business leaders how global governance can be improved through public-private cooperation. These discussions will be prepared in close collaboration with the respective international organizations, aimed at providing substantial, yet informal, input into major global processes.

> The Economic Agenda
The Annual Meeting 2015 aims to convene all of the main stakeholders entrusted with delivering sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Top-of-mind will be how to meet expectations in the face of lower global growth and looming geopolitical risks. The presence of key economic decision-makers, such as the G20 finance ministers and heads of central banks, will ensure the highest possible impact of the Annual Meeting.

> The Regional Agenda
The Annual Meeting 2015 will explore in depth the social and political transformations occurring in all regions of the world. Emphasis will again be on the key actors, policies and structures that are pivotal in addressing a wide range of regional and national challenges. The informal interaction of political leaders from around the world creates unique opportunities for renewed progress on major issues. As in the past, the Annual Meeting will offer many private opportunities to discuss specific trade and investment-related issues in various national and regional contexts.

> The Industry and Business Agenda
The Annual Meeting 2015 is the world’s leading platform for strategic insights into the future evolution of industry ecosystems and business models, particularly in the context of scientific, technological and policy innovations. The informal interaction of industry leaders with their peers from government enables innovative ideas and proposals to be acted on by building trust and by identifying delivery gaps. Each industry will engage in strategic dialogues that map the trends, drivers and opportunities transforming their industry, globally and regionally.

> The Future Agenda
The Annual Meeting will explore the ideas, innovations and discoveries that will reshape our world by working closely with those at the vanguard of change from such fields as the arts, media, medicine, science and technology. “New Champions”, representing leaders of the Millennial Generation, will play a significant role in the design and development of the various sessions focusing on the future.

Source: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2015 Executive Summary

For more details: download the programme, visit the event webpage, or e-mail the organisers.

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