MODI, XI AMONG TOP LEADERS TO ATTEND WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

NEW DELHI/DAVOS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese premier Xi Jinping will be among the top world leaders who will participate in the sixday online Davos Agenda Summit of the World Economic Forum (WEF), beginning on Sunday.

In what could be the first major global summit of the year, the event will see more than 1,000 global leaders, including heads of state and government, CEOs and chairmen of big companies, heads of multilateral organisations as also members of academia and civil society, discuss economic, environmental, social and technological challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic. The WEF said there would be 15 special addresses from G20 heads of state and government and international organisations during the summit from January 24-29. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver his address on Thursday.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Petroleum and Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, as also business leaders such as Anand Mahindra, Salil Parekh and Shobana Kamineni would be among other speakers from India.

While the WEF will host its physical annual meeting in May in Singapore, as against the regular venue of the Swiss ski resort town of Davos, the Geneva-based organisation is hosting this online event, named ‘Davos Agenda’ around the same time it generally hosts its yearly congregation of the rich and powerful of the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a special address on Monday, while the day will also see several sessions including on the COVID crisis, restoring economic growth and stakeholder capitalism. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also address a session. Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, Tata Steel CEO T Narendran and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon are among registered participants. The 2020 summit was the last major global event before the pandemic.