World Economic Forum postpones Davos meeting to next summer

The organisation will host a digital “Davos Dialogues” event during its usual annual slot in January 2021

The theme of next year's World Economic Forum will be 'The Great Reset', looking at sustainable rebuilding of the global economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. AP 

The World Economic Forum will reschedule its annual meeting in Davos to early next summer to mitigate safety concerns around the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 50th annual World Economic Forum was held in Davos, the Swiss Alps resort town, in January 2020 and the following event was due in the same month next year, but a decision to postpone the annual event was announced on Wednesday.  A new date and location for the rescheduled meeting is yet to be decided, the WEF said.
"The decision was not taken easily, since the need for global leaders to come together to design a common recovery path and shape the 'Great Reset' in the post-Covid-19 era is so urgent. However, the advice from experts is that we cannot do so safely in January," said the statement from the Geneva-based organisation.

In June, the World Economic Forum had urged business leaders to join an ambitious initiative to tackle the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and change the face of capitalism.

The plan, called "The Great Reset", would put long-term problems such as climate change at the heart of policy-making and business decisions.

The Great Reset manifesto calls for unprecedented international co-operation involving every industry, country and sector of society. The ideas would commit people to building a fairer economic and social system, with a new social contract centred on human dignity, social justice and where societal progress does not fall behind economic development.

About 3,000 high-level executives and officials, and leaders of more than 50 countries, gather annually for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos.

The statement on Wednesday added that a "Davos Dialogues" digital convention will be held during the week of January 25 where key global leaders will share their views on the state of the world in 2021. 
The agency said it continues to engage its partners and constituents in several collaborative activities to address global, regional and business challenges.
"Since February, almost 1,200 members from business, government and civil society have joined the Forum's Covid Action Platform following the outbreak of the pandemic," the statement said.