War, Climate and Trade to dominate Davos summit

In the forthcoming week, the political and business haut monde will gather for the annual Davos meet. The key agendas that will be discussed in the Swiss Alps include the Ukraine war, climate crisis and worldwide tensions over trade. While the World Economic Forum has brought executives together in harmony whilst reaping the seeds of globalization, the narrative reads totally differently today. A hodgepodge of issues ranging from health to right-wing have led to speculation on the end of 50 glorious years of globalization. 

Notable attendees for the summit include Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be in attendance through a video link, while Russia and China are expected to not make it to the summit. The elephant in the room i.e. the Russia-Ukraine crisis will take centre stage, with a plethora of Ukrainian ministers and military leaders expected to appeal for more arms and financial leverage from the Western bloc.

However, the forum’s attempts on discussing climate change alleviation have faced its fair share of denunciation. No less an organization like Greenpeace has openly called the World Economic Forum a “distasteful masterclass in hypocrisy” owing to the usage of private jets by attendees last year. In addition, a demonstration is set to be enacted by the youth wing of the Swiss left, which is set to demand for higher wealth tax for aristocrats and debt relief for developing nations. Clearly, Davos will not be without its share of action.