The event that brings together the global elite in the Swiss mountains arrives like every year. The World Economic Forum, which will begin next week in Davos, has confirmed the attendance of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez and the new Argentine president, Javier Milei, among others. In its 54th edition, a record number of 60 heads of State and Government will attend this summit.
This meeting will have this year 2,800 participants from 120 countries with the mission of seeking possibilities to cooperate in an increasingly polarized and fragmented world. To the list of leaders, apart from the two already mentioned, we must add the president of France, Emmanuel Macron; the Secretary of State of the United States, Anthony Blinken; the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski (it is not yet known whether in person or remotely); the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog; the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen and the prime minister of China, Li Qiang.
“It is time to come together to look for common solutions like those we have recently achieved in health, the climate fight, or, to a certain extent, in economy and trade,” said Borge Brende, president of the World Economic Forum. The executive director of this organization, Mirek Dusek, believes that the world currently lives in a “geopolitical depression.” But in the various meetings they will talk above all about the economy (some 40 finance ministers, 800 CEOs and 16 central bankers are expected) and, as usually happens, business will be done behind closed doors in the congress center and in the halls of the conference halls. nearby hotels.
In particular, between January 15 and 19, sessions will address the latest developments, including industrial strategies, debt, the new reality of high rates and job prospects.
This organization, founded by the tireless Swiss economist Klaus Schwab, is seriously concerned about economic fragmentation (which could mean a 7% decline in GDP, according to IMF estimates). In its recent Global Cooperation Barometer 2024, prepared together with the consulting firm McKinsey, it is maintained that “the world economy is in a fragile state, with growth expected to be well below its historical averages.”
The report prepares a global Cooperation index. According to its evolution, it continued to grow until the pandemic, but since then it has been declining. The study highlights that there was a sharp decline in the peace and security sections since 2020, but also that trade and capital fell in 2023. At a time when Artificial Intelligence represents enormous potential (up to 4.4 trillion dollars), in the opinion of the Economic Forum, greater global coordination is needed to get the most out of it. Will Davos succeed in promoting the cooperation of yesteryear or will it have no choice but to note the profound differences that have grown in our societies?
