The Davos meeting, that will last until Friday, brings together over 2,700 world leaders from business, government, international organisations, academia and civil society to debate the global economy.
Organised under the theme ‘Responsive and Responsible Leadership’, this year’s World Economic Forum is taking place against the background of a challenging global environment.
Today on the agenda are matters such as:
- Winning against inequality. The world’s most inclusive economies.
- Smashing the glass ceiling. How six female leaders did it.
- How to change the world economy? Ten Davos experts answer.
One of the highlights is a presentation by Shakira, the Columbian performer and singer on early childhood education to change lives and societies. She will also receives a Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum for her humanitarian work as she talks about the crisis of child poverty in her country.
Other discussion will be about:
- ‘A Silk Road not a Great Wall’: China’s impact on the world in 2017.
- The Fourth Industrial Revolution might grow the gender gap, unless we act on learnability.
- Globalisation’s new class system. The ‘precariat’ and populism.
The South African Presidency said this week the programme for the WEF has been organised around five areas, which have been identified as in need of urgent responsive and responsible leadership.
These, it said, include preparing for the fourth industrial revolution; strengthening systems for global collaboration; revitalising the global economy; reforming market capitalism and addressing identity through positive narratives.
According to the Presidency, team South Africa will communicate to the global community the positive message that “Working together our future is in our hands”.
“In this context, the South African team will utilise the opportunity presented by the World Economic Forum to highlight the work that government working together with business and labour is doing to; implement economic transformation and the reform agenda, make progress towards achieving inclusive growth and employment, restoring investor confidence, achievement of supportive business confidence and refine government spending efficiency.”
