2021 Davos summit postponed over pandemic concerns
The World Economic Forum said Wednesday it could postpone its 2021 Davos summit for several months to reduce any risks to participants from the coronavirus pandemic.
Next year's gathering of the world's political, monetary and business elite might not even happen against its traditional idyllic snowy backdrop of the Swiss Alpine village of Davos, the organisation hinted.
Rather than January as usual, the function will need place "early next summer," WEF spokesman Adrian Monck said in a statement.
"The decision was not taken easily, because the dependence on global leaders to come together to create a common recovery path and shape the 'Great Reset' in the post-Covid-19 era is indeed urgent," he said.
"However, the advice from experts is that people cannot do so safely in January."
Meanwhile, cautious efforts to resume in-person diplomatic meetings in Switzerland's international hub Geneva this week saw long-delayed talks on amending Syria's constitution placed on hold after several delegates from the war-ravaged country tested positive for Covid-19.
Switzerland has to date registered a lot more than 1,700 deaths and over 40,500 cases in the pandemic.
Monck said Wednesday that through the week of Jan 25, when the summit have been scheduled to occur, the organisation would "digitally convene high-level 'Davos Dialogues' where key global leaders will share their views on the state of the world in 2021."
For the physical event, he said the dates and located area of the rescheduled 2021 summit will be made available "the moment we are assured that conditions are fulfilled to guarantee medical and safety of our participants and the hosting community."
The WEF had already announced back June that because of the coronavirus crisis, the 51st edition of its gross annual meeting would be a hybrid event, with a blend of in-person and virtual meetings.
At the time, the organisation said the focus of next year's summit would be on the political, monetary and social disruptions caused by the crisis, which had exposed the inadequacies of health, financial and energy systems, leaving leaders at a crossroads.
"The Covid-19 crisis has proven us our old systems aren't fit any longer for the 21st century," said WEF executive chairman Klaus Schwab said in June.
"Now could be the historical moment, enough time, not only to fight the virus but to condition the machine for the post-corona era."
The 2020 edition of the WEF summit, hosted in January just as the world was starting to become aware of the brand new coronavirus spreading in China, drew a lot more than 50 heads of state and government to Davos. It focused on themes of sustainability and finding a more inclusive model for capitalism.
US President Donald Trump and Swedish teenage eco-warrior Greta Thunberg were among its top speakers. - AFP
