WEF postponed its annual meeting in Davos due to Omicron coronavirus variant

The World Economic Forum (WEF) on Monday postponed its annual meeting in Davos due to the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, putting off the event scheduled for January until mid-2022.

The annual meeting was scheduled to take place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland between 17 and 21 January 2022. It is now planned for early summer in the light of continued uncertainty over the Omicron outbreak, read WEF release.

WEF said in a statement, “The Annual Meeting was scheduled to take place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, between 17-21 January 2022. It is now planned for early summer.”

Despite the meeting’s stringent health protocols, the transmissibility of Omicron and its impact on travel and mobility have made deferral necessary. The health and safety of everyone involved in physical meetings – participants, collaborators and the host community – have always been the Forum’s priority, said the release.

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In the meantime, the participants will instead take part in a headline series of State of the World sessions that would bring together global leaders online to focus on finding solutions to the most pressing challenges the world is facing at the moment.

WEF added, “Participants will instead join a headline series of State of the World sessions bringing together global leaders online to focus on shaping solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.”

Among others, more than 100 leaders from India, including union ministers, chief ministers and CEOs, had already been registered for the Davos Annual Meeting 2022, for which ‘Working Together, Restoring Trust’ was decided as a theme. It was billed as the ‘first truly global opportunity for leaders from business, government and civil society to come together again and set the agenda for a sustainable recovery’ in a post-pandemic world.

(With inputs from agencies)