World leaders, including the Secretary-General, United Nations (UN), António Guterres, Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Prime Ministers of India and Japan, Narendra Modi and Kishida Fumio, respectively, are among those to deliver “State of the World” Special Addresses at the Davos Agenda 2022.
Other speakers are President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison; President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo; Prime Minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett; and Secretary of the Treasury, United States, Janet L. Yellen.
These global leaders will convene for the World Economic Forum (WEF’s) Davos Agenda 2022, from January 17-21, which comes two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A WEF statement yesterday, said The Davos Agenda 2022 will also mobilize government and business leaders, international organizations and civil society to share their outlook, insights and plans relating to the most urgent global issues such as climate change, social contracts and vaccine equity.
Heads of state and government will join CEOs and other leaders for a virtual week-long dialogue on critical collective challenges and how to address them.
This will be the first global platform this year to provide an opportunity for key heads of state and government, together with chief executives and leaders from civil society and international organizations, to reflect on the “State of the World” and shape solutions for critical challenges in the year ahead.
Radically different pandemic experiences have exacerbated global divisions. Vaccine inequities, combined with new strains, have also slowed international economic recovery.
However, as the Global Risks Report 2022 makes clear, COVID-19 is only one of the critical global challenges which may become unmanageable unless world leaders prioritize proactive collaboration.
Accordingly, the Davos Agenda will focus on driving concerted action among key global stakeholders.
Everyone hopes that in 2022 the COVID-19 pandemic, and the crises that accompanied it, will finally begin to recede. But major global challenges await us, from climate change to rebuilding trust and social cohesion.
Global challenges
Founder and Executive Chairman, WEF, Klaus Schwab, said: “Everyone hopes that in 2022 the COVID-19 pandemic, and the crises that accompanied it, will finally begin to recede. But major global challenges await us, from climate change to rebuilding trust and social cohesion.
“To address them, leaders will need to adopt new models, look long term, renew cooperation and act systemically. The Davos Agenda 2022 is the starting point for the dialogue needed for global cooperation in 2022.”
Through Special Addresses and panels with leaders of G20 economies and international organizations, the Davos Agenda 2022 will provide crucial insights into a range of critical challenges, the statement added.
Participants will hear first-hand how these leaders will drive action in these and other areas.
Additional “State of the World” Special Addresses with G20 leaders will be announced today, which will also provide a platform for a wider connection, enabling the global public to engage and be included in the conversation.
The Davos Agenda 2022 will also mark the launch of several WEF initiatives to accelerate the race to net-zero emissions, the economic opportunity of nature-positive solutions and cyber resilience.
Other launches include strengthening the resilience of global value chains, building economies in fragile markets through humanitarian investing, bridging the vaccine manufacturing gap and using data solutions to prepare for the next pandemic.