Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese premier Xi Jinping will be among the top world leaders who will participate in the six-day online Davos Agenda Summit of the World Economic Forum (WEF), scheduled to be held between January 24 and 29.
However, the newly elected US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson are missing from the list of the head of the states who would be attending the e-version of the yearly congregation of the rich and powerful of the world that happens every year at the ski resort of Switzerland.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Japan PM Yoshihide Suga and others are also slated to participate at the event.
As per the schedule released on the WEF website, Covid 19 pandemic and vaccination drives across the world will dominate the event. Other key topics would be climate change and restoration of economies.
The decision to host the event online comes amidst the Covid 19 pandemic situation, as the World Economic Forum writes in its statement, the pandemic has accelerated systemic changes that were apparent before its inception. The fault lines that emerged in 2020 now appear as critical crossroads in 2021. However, WEF will host its physical annual meeting in May in Singapore.
Key themes for discussion
Content is split across 7 key themes that allow you to explore the diverse topics addressed during the meeting. They are likely - How to save the planet (revolves around Covid 19, climate change), Fairer economic (financial and monetary systems of different countries), Tech for good (Big data and other tech disruptions), Society and future of work (Remote work culture, gender parity), better businesses, healthy future and beyond geo-politics.
The 'Davos Agenda' will also mark the launch of WEF's 'Great Reset Initiative' and begin the preparation of the special Annual Meeting during spring.
Key event and who will participate
Jan 24: The concert will be presented as a shared expression of trust, connection and hope and it features orchestras and choirs in Beijing, Drakensberg, Florence, Kabul, Philadelphia, Vienna and Sao Paulo, with the cellist Yo-Yo Ma and music director Marin Alsop. The concert was filmed on location despite the COVID-19 challenges.
Jan 25: Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a special address on Monday, while the day will also see several sessions including on the COVID-19 crisis, restoring economic growth and stakeholder capitalism. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also address a session.
Jan 26: The speakers would include South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, as also IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva.
Jan 27: Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in, Italy Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are among the listed speakers for Wednesday.
Jan 28: In addition to Narendra Modi, Jordan King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein and Argentina President Alberto Fernandez will also deliver their special addresses.
Jan 29: Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will speak on Friday, the last day of the summit.
Other major speakers would include Christine Lagarde, and Bill Gates, Punit Renjen of Deloitte, Brian T Moynihan of Bank of America, Al Gore, Ishaan Tharoor, Mark Carney, Angel Gurria of OECD, Ajay Banga, K T Rama Rao, Masayoshi Son of Softbank and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of WHO.
Union Agricultural Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Harsh Vardhan will also speak at the event.
How to follow:
WEF earlier this month released a guide on how to follow Davos Agenda on our digital channels. In the statement, it wrote, "It is essential for leaders from all walks of life to work together virtually for a more inclusive, cohesive and sustainable future as soon as possible in 2021."
The official meeting hashtag is #DavosAgenda. Follow tweets on this hashtag to keep up with everything going on in the meeting. WEF will be live-tweeting key sessions, posting Fleets, and updating you on sessions.
Follow wef.ch/facebook page for daily updates, livestreamed sessions, and video highlights from the event
Top stories, highlights and more will be uploaded to the wef.ch/linkedin page.
Key photographs, reels, stories and quizzes from the event will be featured on wef.ch/instagram
YouTube
Livestreamed sessions and video roundups will be uploaded to the YouTube channel: wef.ch/youtube
Podcast
Subscribe to The Great Reset for daily coverage.
TikTok
Follow the account on TikTok: wef.ch/tiktok
(With inputs from agencies)
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