Davos 2005: since 1970, Davos has been home to the World Economic Forum. Swiss News interviews Andre Schneider, the Forum's Chief Operating Officer to find out what this year's meeting has in store.
| Auteur | Hollingdale, Michael |
The World Economic Forum is the brainchild of Klaus Schwab, who, way back in 1970, brought together Europe's chief executives for a round of informal talks in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos.
More than 30 years later, the five-day Annual Meeting of the WEF has become an essential part of the summit landscape, attracting around 2,000 participants from business, politics, religion, academia and civil society. Funded by contributions from the world's foremost 1,000 corporations, the WEF's self-proclaimed agenda aims to encompass all the challenges to global economic, social and environmental improvement.
The organisation, however, has become a focal point for many on the left of the political spectrum, who regard it as part of the problem rather than the solution. Anti-globalisation protesters routinely descend on Davos to make their point although heightened security in recent years and the deployment of the Swiss army have led to a decrease in violence that surrounded the event a few years ago.
Andre Schneider, the World Economic Forum's Chief Operating Officer, talks to Swift News about this year's Annual Meeting in Davos.
Swiss News: What is the role of the World Economic Forum?
Andre Schneider: The World Economic Forum is the world's most important informal multi-stakeholder platform for leaders of business, politics, governments, and civil society to discuss the important problems of the day and to create specific taskforces and initiatives to address these issues.
What are the main achievements of the World Economic Forum over the last 30 years?
During the Annual Meetings in particular, we have been able to host major political events. Let me just share some of them with you. In 1988, Greece and Turkey turned back from the brink of war by signing the 'Davos Declaration'; in 1992, the President of South Africa, FW de Klerk, met with Nelson Mandela and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, their first summit outside South Africa; in 1999, Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, announced the Global Compact, to give 'a human face to the global market'; finally in 2000, Gro Harlem Brundtland, announced the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation.
The Annual Meeting has become a focus for the anti-globalisation movement. Do you have any sympathy or understanding for its concerns?
Not only do we have sympathy and understanding for their concerns but we also share them. The only distinction comes from our belief that it is the leaders of today's...
Pour continuer la lecture
SOLLICITEZ VOTRE ESSAICOPYRIGHT GALE, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
