The Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos has been postponed from January to “early summer” of 2022, over “continued uncertainty over the Omicron outbreak”.
In lieu of the Annual Meeting, a “State of the World” series of sessions will be held to bring together “global leaders online to focus on shaping solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges”.
The summit was originally scheduled to be held between January 17-21, 2021.
“Current pandemic conditions make it extremely difficult to deliver a global in-person meeting. Preparations have been guided by expert advice and have benefited from the close collaboration of the Swiss government at all levels,” the WEF said in a release.
“Despite the meeting’s stringent health protocols, the transmissibility of Omicron and its impact on travel and mobility have made deferral necessary,” it said, adding that the health and safety of everyone involved in physical meetings have always been the Forum’s priority.
“The deferral of the Annual Meeting will not prevent progress through continued digital convening of leaders from business, government and civil society,” said Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. “Public-private cooperation has moved forward throughout the pandemic and that will continue apace. We look forward to bringing global leaders together in person soon.”
This is the first time that the summit has been postponed since the pandemic. 2020’s edition was held on January 24 of that year, a week before the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 a pandemic.