Prominent guests set to attend WEF

A record number of political and business leaders are set to attend this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. According to a WEF statement, India’s prime minister Narendra Modi will give this year’s opening address. It was given last year by China’s president Xi Jinping, who took the occasion to call for more trade. 

U.S. president Donald Trump will deliver a keynote address before the close of the meeting, making him the second sitting U.S. president in history to attend the WEF.

Overall, more than 340 top political leaders will travel to Davos, including a record number of leaders from G7 economies. These include president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker; French president Emmanuel Macron; British prime minister Theresa May; Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni; and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. Leaders from the G20 include Michel Temer, the president of Brazil and Mauricio Macri, the president of Argentina. All of them will give speeches over the course of the meeting.

The WEF annual meeting, which will take place from 23 to 26 January, is being held under the theme “Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World”. 

“We must have the full and equal participation of all to have economies that work for everyone and a future that is fairer, more inclusive, and more compassionate,” Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement this week.