What is Davos and why is it important? Your guide to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on EuroNews or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The World Economic Forum (WEF), founded in 1971, annually brings global elites to Davos, to discuss key global issues
• This unique gathering includes world leaders, business executives, thinkers, and activists, focusing on global cooperation across political, social, and economic fronts

🔭 The context: The WEF was established by Klaus Schwab to foster global cooperation and meets every year in Davos, typically a ski resort, which transforms into a hub for global decision-making and debate

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Davos serves as a critical platform for discussing and addressing pressing global challenges, including climate change
• However, it faces criticism for perceived hypocrisy, for instance, New York Times economics correspondent Peter Goodman, highlighted in his book 'Davos Man’ the contradiction of asking billionaires and elites to solve the world’s biggest problems when many time they are the major causes to such issues
• Another of the principal critiques levelled at the event organisers is having the climate crisis on the meeting's agenda while one in 10 participants in 2022 travelled by private jet to get to the town

⏭️ What's next: Davos remains a significant global forum for dialogue and potential resolution of critical issues with historical moments like the Davos Declaration of 1988 and the launch of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) in the year 2000, indicating its potential for future global collaborations and solutions

💬 One quote: "[Davos is] an unparalleled forum for discussion and debate on a global scale" (Peter Goodman, New York Times)

📈 One stat: Since its creation, GAVI launched at Davos, has contributed to the vaccination of 760 million children worldwide

Click for more news covering the latest on climate change