Cape Town – A record 3 000 leaders from government, business and civil society are set to gather for the 47th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, next week as the annual meeting seeks to address critical leadership challenges.
Under the theme "Responsive and Responsible Leadership", the meeting will focus on four leadership challenges for 2017 – re-imagining global cooperation, revitalising the global economy, reforming capitalism and preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The meeting takes place 17-20 January.
In a statement, meeting organisers described the 47th gathering as having the "most diverse participation ever", with one-third of all participants coming from outside Europe and North America and one-third representing society outside of business and government.
The annual meeting will see 400 different sessions, but in keeping with the theme and the central challenges, WEF said over half of the sessions on the programme would address the issues of social inclusion and human development.
"The world around us is changing at unprecedented speed. At this tipping point, our traditional concepts of society, meaningful employment and the nation state are challenged, and many understandably feel insecure, or even threatened," said Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum.
"A new model of responsive and responsible leadership is needed to allow us to address the challenges the world faces, from security to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with long-term, action-oriented thinking and solidarity on a national and global level."
Organisers said that in addition to being the most comprehensive meeting of ministerial delegations in the world, with over 70 countries, including all G20 countries participating, this year's meeting would include the participation of the new Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, along with heads of key international organisations.
The 2017 Meeting will be opened by President Xi Jinping of China, who will be accompanied by the largest delegation of Chinese officials since the country first participated in the Annual Meeting in 1979.
This year's meeting will see multiple efforts to promote sustainable development, social inclusion and human development, including "Shaping Davos", an interactive discussion series connecting leaders with millennials from 20 cities around the world on subjects of critical importance to the young generation.
WEF added that its commitment to developing and scaling solutions that improve the way the world responds to humanitarian crises, such as in Syria, would be advanced in 30 Humanitarian Hub sessions.
The programme also includes a number of sessions with leading social entrepreneurs.
The CEOs of over 1 000 companies participate in the Forum and WEF said its commitment to bringing leaders from all stakeholder groups together "stems from a strongly held belief that the only way to address critical global challenges is to ensure the participation of all groups in society and all members of the international community".
"The Forum believes that this is as relevant today as it was in 1971 when the first Annual Meeting was held. Despite the huge change the world has seen in recent years, the Forum has consistently argued for an inclusive and sustainable approach to managing our world's transformation, even as it has become increasingly interconnected and more complex."