WEF Meeting: PM leaves for Davos tomorrow
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka tomorrow for a week-long visit to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.
She will address the annual meeting on January 17-20 in Davos-Klosters under the theme “Responsive and Responsible Leadership”.
Around 3,000 global leaders from the fields of politics, finance, business and science are expected to participate in over 300 sessions of the meeting to discuss the world's most pressing issues.
Bangladesh foreign ministry sources said the PM would address a number of sessions of the WEF meeting in Davos, and on the sidelines, she is expected to hold bilateral talks with some "global leaders".
She would lead a high-profile delegation comprising ministers and officials from different ministries.
Ahead of the PM's visit, the foreign ministry will hold a press conference at its office this morning. As per the programme schedule, the PM would return on January 21.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will become the first Chinese head of state to attend the WEF in Davos where he is expected to take the centre stage with China presenting itself as a champion of globalisation.
The United States will be represented by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry and "someone from the transition team representing the new (Trump) administration".
Some global leaders, including the WEF regular participant German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will not be in Davos this year.
Official sources said the 47th annual meeting of the WEF would focus on five critical leadership challenges in 2017: strengthening global collaboration, restoring a sense of shared identity, revitalising economic growth, reforming capitalism and preparing for the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”.
Ahead of the meet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein yesterday called upon business leaders gathering at the WEF annual meeting to use their considerable influence to stand up for human rights and prevent rights violations in countries where they operate.
“We begin the year full of anxiety about the state of the world: the deeply disturbing increase in divisive behaviour and policies, and outright hatred; the attacks against fundamental human rights, particularly of those already vulnerable; and the continued widespread failure to ensure fair access to resources, prosperity and economic security for all,” Zeid said.
Zeid also welcomed the increasing participation by large multinational corporations in the annual UN Forum on Business and Human Rights and the growing implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.