The World Economic Forum 2022 marked the first Annual Meeting in Davos since the start of the pandemic two years ago, and took place from the 22nd to the 26th of May. This year arguably saw one of the most critical editions so far, because of the dramatic events recently occurred. Talks about the consequences of the pandemic shared the stage with concerns linked to the invasion of Ukraine, while discussions about energy, security and climate also retained an important place in the agenda.
The World Economic Forum, commonly known as the Davos Forum, has acted as a global venue bringing together the world’s most influential political, commercial, cultural, and other leaders to address crucial issues at the start of each year for more than 50 years. The war in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis that followed demanded a change in the list of discussion topics scheduled for the forum. Global leaders debated the challenges linked to these recent events while also keeping in mind long-term issues such as technologies and environment.
The war in Ukraine took a central role in numerous sessions. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine both expressed gratitude to the world community for their assistance, but asked for more cooperation. The EU vouched for continued support, and overall there was general agreement around the need for more negotiations with the objective of peace.
Economy was also a big point in the discussions, as experts warned the world might face an incoming recession, with the war in Ukraine being one major driving factor. Nevertheless Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, reminds leaders that the world has faced many “unthinkable crises” so far, but resilience was always the key to overcoming them.
Food and energy crises were hot topics, along with concerns about the environment and the challenges of an energy transformation. The subject of health was not forgotten either. Talks about the best strategies to face the next pandemic, as well as how to deal with mental health issues caused by the current one were extensively featured during the event.
This year, nearly 2500 participants, including politicians, corporate leaders, civil society leaders, and journalists were in attendance. The Forum has a social media following of over 25 million people, and it also involves approximately 430 cities in 150 countries through Global Shapers, a network of young people that drive debate, activism, and progress. The event can count on both TopLink and Strategic Intelligence, its digital engagement platform and information app, counting respectively 20,000 members and 400,000 subscribers. The event is also largely promoted on social media through its official accounts, and followers around the world can keep themselves updated and share their thoughts on the hashtag #wef2022.
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