The global situation according to the World Economic Forum
DAVOS, Switzerland – Direct from Cebu City, attending the Sinulog upon the invitation of Mayor Mike Rama. We flew here to Davos precisely to observe the proceedings of the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum. There are Filipinos attending on behalf of various global financial and socio-economic institutions.
This annual meeting started on January 15 and ends today after no less than 200 sessions tackling a plethora of economic, social, and political issues. More than 60 heads of state and heads of government are attending and they all shared their country's economic and financial standing as these impact on the rest of the world in this globalized economy. China Prime Minister Li Quiang delivered the first special address. He called for the rebuilding of mutual trust among the world's economies even as he boasted of what he deems as the upward trajectory of China's global economic standing. It is very apparent that Li wants to turn around the negative image of China in the eyes of the rest of the world.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, likewise called upon all global leaders to come together in order to rebuild the trust and confidence among the world economies. The most applauded speech was that of Volodymyr Zelensky, president of the war-torn Ukraine. He called on all the other delegations to support his country as it continues to resist the war of aggression and invasion perpetrated by Russia. Zelensky exclaimed: "We need you in Ukraine to build, to reconstruct and to restore our lives." Anthony Blinken the US Secretary of State discussed the worsening military conflicts in the Middle East, the disruptions of the shipping and maritime global chain the Red Sea, on top of the protracted Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Israel President Isaac Herzog exchanged views with the World Economic Forum President Borge Brende and he expressed much concern about the escalation of hostilities in Gaza and the worsening tensions in the Middle East. He claimed that all these were directly triggered by the terrorists' attacks against Israel by Hamas on October 7 last year and until today. Emmanuel Macron, president of France, also shared how France, by sheer technological prowess considerably advanced his country's competitive position in the global economy but with alignment with the rest of the European Union.
The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterrez, in a special address, called on all nations to set aside their political conflicts, economic rivalries and all other areas of disruptive fragmentation, and unite in order to combat the evil effects and the root causes of climate change. Sheikh Mohammad Abdulrahman AlThani, Qatar's dynamic and progressive thinking prime minister and minister of Foreign Affairs, had a conversation with Brende, and the Qatari leader shared his country's deep concern about the disruption of the shipping industry and the derailment of the global supply chain due to the worsening tension in the Red Sea.
Other notable figures who spoke and made some declarations were Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; Muhammad Mustafa, chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund; Javier Melie, president of Argentina; Pedro Sanchez, prime minister of Spain; Kyriakos Mitsotakis, prime minister of Greece; Mohammed Shyia Al Sudani, prime minister of Iraq; Hossien Amir Abdullahian, prime minister of Iran; Bisher Hani Al Kahawnei, prime minister of Jordan; and Jack Sullivan, National Security Advisor of the USA.
Nothing is heard from the Philippines. This is not as important as the Singapore F1 Grand Prix. Thus, I am flying back to Cebu to finish the Sinulog tomorrow.