Two-day special meeting commences in Riyadh
With geopolitical upheavals and complex economic challenges destabilising a fractured world, the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development will bring together 1,000 global leaders from 92 countries in a two-day meeting starting on Sunday, to support global dialogue and find actionable, collaborative and sustainable solutions to shared global challenges.
The meeting is organised around three themes: revitalising global collaboration; a compact for inclusive growth; and catalysing action on energy for development.
Building on the inaugural Growth Summit held in Switzerland last year, the meeting will promote forward-thinking approaches to interconnected crises, while remaining realistic about shorter-term trade-offs.
As per a curtain raiser release, WEF said it will work to bridge the growing North-South divide on issues such as emerging economic policies, the energy transition and geopolitical shocks.
Geopolitical tensions
“With geopolitical tensions and socio-economic disparities deepening divides globally, international collaboration and purposeful dialogue has never been more urgent,” said Borge Brende, President, World Economic Forum.
“The Special Meeting 2024 provides an opportunity for leaders from across sectors and geographies to turn ideas into action and unlock scalable solutions to the many interconnected challenges we face.”
“At this global inflection point, revitalizing international collaboration has never been more important. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the World Economic Forum has chosen an established and dynamic global platform for thought leadership, solutions and action, as the host of a critical meeting - at such a critical moment,” said Faisal F. Alibrahim, Minister of Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia.
“To this end, Saudi Arabia is mobilizing its full diplomatic might to lay out a mutually beneficial path to prosperity for the intertwined destinies of the global community. We are working to ensure that progress for one part of the world does not come at the expense of another. And we are committed to meeting this moment with a determination to co-author a shared future that is secure, stable and sustainable.”
During the special two-day meeting, more than 220 public figures, from over 60 countries will participate in the Special Meeting which is under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.