INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
PM Modi will address the online WEF summit on the first day of five-day event.New Delhi/Geneva: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address
the online Davos Agenda summit of the World Economic Forum on the first day of the five-day event beginning January 17, joining a host of
other global leaders who will share their visions for 2022 on the state of the world.While the WEF had to defer its physical annual meeting
in the Swiss ski resort town Davos due to the coronavirus pandemic, it will host the 'Davos Agenda' summit digitally for the second
consecutive year in the previously scheduled week for the event
It hopes to convene the 2022 annual meeting later this year.Announcing the schedule, the WEF said 'Davos Agenda 2022' will be the first
global platform for key world leaders to share their visions for 2022 and it is being convened on the theme of 'The State of the
World'.Heads of state and government will join CEOs and other leaders for a virtual week-long dialogue on critical collective challenges and
how to address them, while this dialogue will be a springboard to the Annual Meeting in Davos, scheduled for early summer.In addition to
Modi, the world leaders delivering 'State of the World' special addresses will include Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, United
Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison,
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, US Treasury Secretary Janet L Yellen, and Nigeria's
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.Geneva-based WEF, which describes itself as an international organisation for public-private cooperation, said
radically different pandemic experiences have exacerbated global divisions, while vaccine inequities, combined with new strains, have also
slowed international economic recovery.However, COVID-19 is only one of the critical global challenges which may become unmanageable unless
world leaders prioritize proactive collaboration and therefore the Davos Agenda will focus on driving concerted action among key global
stakeholders, it added.Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, said, "Everyone hopes that in 2022 the
COVID-19 pandemic, and the crises that accompanied it, will finally begin to recede
But major global challenges await us, from climate change to rebuilding trust and social cohesion."To address them, leaders will need to
adopt new models, look long term, renew cooperation and act systemically
with leaders of G20 economies and international organisations, the Davos Agenda 2022 will provide crucial insights into a range of critical
Participants will hear first-hand how these leaders will drive action in these and other areas, the WEF said.The summit will also mobilize
government and business leaders, international organizations and civil society to share their outlook, insights and plans relating to the
most urgent global issues such as climate change, social contracts and vaccine equity
These sessions will also provide a platform for a wider connection, enabling the global public to engage and be included in the
conversation.The world leaders expected to attend the event include WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, IMF Managing Director
Kristalina Georgieva, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate of the US John F Kerry, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and
WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.The Davos Agenda 2022 will also mark the launch of several WEF initiatives to accelerate the race
to net-zero emissions, the economic opportunity of nature-positive solutions and cyber resilience.Other launches on a diverse range of
critical topics will also take place between January 17-21 and these include strengthening the resilience of global value chains, building
economies in fragile markets through humanitarian investing, bridging the vaccine manufacturing gap and using data solutions to prepare for
