The COVID-19 crisis has derailed plans to hold the World Economic Forum’s Davos event in January 2021. The organization announced on Wednesday (Aug. 26) that the invitation-only Annual Meeting 2021 is moving to early next summer.
The decision was not made lightly, the WEF said, “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.” The organization added that experts advised that the forum could not go forward safely in January.
Instead, the economic forum said, it will host online “Davos Dialogues” featuring key global leaders during the week of Jan. 25. The organization said that “details concerning the dates and location of the rescheduled Annual Meeting 2021 will be shared as soon as the forum is assured that all conditions are fulfilled to guarantee the health and safety of our participants and the hosting community.”
The organization added that it “continues to engage its partners and constituents in manifold, collaborative activities to address global, regional and business challenges.”
Since the COVID-19 crisis hit in February, “almost 1,800 organizations from business, government and civil society have joined the forum’s COVID Action Platform,” the statement noted.
Looking ahead to September, the WEF said that its Sustainable Development Impact Summit “will bring the core principles of ‘The Great Reset’ into focus, asking all of us how we can contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive future.”
The organization noted that the world is entering “a unique window of opportunity to shape the recovery” from the COVID recession. The September summit aims to offer insights to help decision-makers chart the direction of global relations and national economies. According to the WEF, its “Great Reset” initiative will strive to build “a new social contract that honors the dignity of every human being.”
“The digital revolution has the potential to change traditional ways of conducting business,” stated a report on the COVID-19 crisis from the WEF. The report added that investment in new technologies must be preceded by “policies and measures” covering such things as telemedicine, mobile banking and online sales.
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