Saturday, January 31, 2009

WEF 2009 (Davos) - "Shaping the Post-Crisis World"

The 2009 World Economic Forum, the overall them being 'Shaping the Post-Crisis World', is under way in Davos, Switzerland 28 January 2009 to 1 February 2009. The WEF backgrounder is summarized here:

"The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2009 promises to be one of the most important events in the Forum’s history. The significance of the Meeting is such that 42 heads of state and government have already confirmed their participation in Davos-Klosters where they will join business leaders as well as NGOs, Trade Unions and experts from a wide range of fields. The Meeting will be focused on managing the current crisis and shaping the entire post-crisis agenda, from economic reform to climate change. Participation is by invitation only and strictly limited to the criteria and quota of each stakeholder group. The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2009 is characterized by the unparalleled quality of its business participation. This year, over 2,500 participants from the business, political and cultural communities will address the Annual Meeting’s overall theme − Shaping the Post-Crisis World. There is a unique opportunity at the beginning of 2009 for leaders from industry, government and civil society to shape this transformation at an early stage for the benefit of all stakeholders. The objective of the Annual Meeting 2009 is to catalyse a holistic and systematic approach to improve the state of the world in a manner that integrates all stakeholders of global society. An important preparatory conference convened the most comprehensive network of experts in the world in Dubai in November. Over 700 members of 69 Global Agenda Councils met to advance solutions to the most critical challenges facing humanity. Their insights and recommendations have helped to catalyse solutions for the manifold challenges we face in 2009."

The webcasts are provided at the following link: http://gaia.world-television.com/wef/worldeconomicforum_annualmeeting2009/

For those looking for a English mainstream media view of the conference, check these links: CNN http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/news/davos/ and The Times(UK) http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/wef/

The panel sessions this year are a rich source of metrics necessary for forward looking executives when planning future business scenarios. In a series of forthcoming entries, I will be reviewing the sessions with a specific look at the global economic metrics and vital signs mentioned.

WEF References: WEF Global Risks Report 2008, Session Summaries