For the second year in a row, Davos remains empty of visitors who flock to the Swiss city every winter for the World Economic Forum, as this year's event is being held virtually, due to the COVID19 pandemic.

With the world witnessing unprecedented spikes of infections with COVID19 and its different mutations, organizers of the winter annual meeting of the World Economic Forum 2022 have also called on participants to join world leaders, CEOs, and businessmen on various sessions through the World Economic Forum website and social media channels between the 17th and 21st of January, 2022. 

"State of the World"

This year's conference is expected to heavily weigh on the economic cost caused by the COVID19 pandemic, especially as its new variants are forcing many public policymakers to reintroduce strict travel rules and different levels of lockdowns.

Speakers and stakeholders at the World Economic Forum 2022 are also expected to discuss the environmental risks that continue to endanger the world, particularly as recent years have demonstrated aggravating consequences of climate change and a failure of world policies to minimize climate change impacts on communities around the world.

The World Economic Forum 2022 is also being regarded as a valuable opportunity for world leaders and business people to draw lessons from the numerous turbulences and crises experienced on a global level during the last two years, ones that can help shape future policies for a better world.

The 2022 World Economic Forum

This year's series of sessions will be held under the headline "State of the World", providing speakers and audiences from all over the world with a comprehensive platform to discuss some of the most challenging issues in today's world.

Notable Speakers

A number of world leaders will have the opportunity to address their nations and those of the globe during the World Economic Forum 2022, including the following:

16 World Leaders

1. António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations

2. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission

3. Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China

4. Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia

5. José Pedro Castillo Terrones, President of Peru

6. Ivan Duque, President of Colombia

7. Alejandro Giammattei, President of Guatemala

8. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda

9. Guillermo Lasso, President of Ecuador

10. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

11. Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan

12. Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia

13. Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister of Israel

14. Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of Germany

15. Yemi Osinbajo, Vice-President of Nigeria

16. Janet L. Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury of the United States

Speakers from the Middle East

1. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment of Egypt

2. Abdulaziz Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia

3. Sarah Bint Yousif Al-Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology of United Arab Emirates

Other Notable Speakers

1. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO)

2. Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency

3. Anthony S. Fauci, Director, US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

4. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF)

5. Christine Lagarde, President, European Central Bank

6. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organization (WTO)

Topics of Discussion in the 2022 World Economic Forum

1. Climate Action

2. Pandemic recovery

3. Economic and social resilience

4. Global cooperation

Written by Riham Darwish