Geneva, Switzerland, 6 January 2015 – The Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, which will take place from 21-24 January in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, will convene a record number of participants in 2015. In addition to the 1,500 top business leaders from over 140 countries, more than 300 heads of state, heads of government and government members are also expected to participate. In particular, most European countries will be represented by the prime minister, president or chancellor and will be accompanied by strong government delegations.

Wilkommen in Davos am Weltwirtschaftsforum. © GMC

A number of heads of state from Africa will be in Davos as well as most of the leaders from the ASEAN countries. The key Latin American countries will also be represented at the highest level. China, the United States, Japan and Russia will send top-level delegations. The heads of all the world’s major international organizations will also be in Davos.

In addition, the Annual Meeting will also convene the heads of the world’s leading civil society organizations, world-class academics, including 14 Nobel laureates, as well as from leaders of tomorrow, drawn from the Forum’s Global Shapers and Young Global Leader communities. Global media will be represented by their most senior editorial figures.

“Today’s leaders are facing challenges that are unprecedented in their complexity, velocity and interconnectedness. Finding a way to navigate these successfully in 2015 is, therefore, a critical priority for every leader, not just to ensure sustainable growth but to rebuild trust. The Annual Meeting, by bringing together the Forum’s diverse multi-stakeholder community, aims to provide the means to identify answers to these challenges as well as the coalitions of partners necessary to create positive, transformative change,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

With significant participation from all crisis-hit areas in the world, the Meeting will convene a number of official and unofficial dialogues to stimulate peace-making efforts.

The World Economic Forum, as the lead international institution for public-private cooperation, will launch 10 major multi-year initiatives such as infrastructure finance and the future of the global financial system. At the request of the UN Secretary General, it will place special emphasis during this year’s Annual Meeting on the Post-2015 Development Agenda and next United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference in Paris, and it will provide an ongoing platform for expanding public-private cooperation in support of both. In addition, there will be a special gathering of trade ministers taking place during the Annual Meeting. (Source: WEF)