Geneva (AFP)
The World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland), which is usually held in winter, is postponed "to the beginning of next summer" because the conditions were not met to organize it "in a secure manner" in January due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Forum leadership said in a statement.
"The World Economic Forum decided this afternoon (Wednesday afternoon) to reschedule the 2021 annual meeting in Davos early next summer," said Adrian Monck, spokesperson for the organization. In "the opinion of the experts", it was not possible to organize the forum "in a secure way in January", he added.
"The decision has not been easy as it is urgent to bring world leaders together" to "shape a" great post-Covid reset ".
While the organization does not provide any details on the precise dates of the 2021 Forum, it also implies that it may not be held in Davos: "You will receive details regarding the dates and location of our rescheduled annual Forum as soon as the conditions will be met to guarantee the health and safety of all participants and those who welcome them ".
At the beginning of June, the management of the World Economic Forum had indicated that it wished to maintain the famous annual meeting in the small town of the Swiss Alps but in an "unprecedented configuration" including "in-person and virtual dialogues".
These must relate to the political, economic and social disruptions caused by the pandemic, which demonstrated the flaws in the energy, financial and health systems, then informed the WEF (World Economic Forum).
Now, in addition to the rescheduled physical meeting for the summer, the Forum's management indicates that it will organize "in the week of January 25" high-level virtual dialogues during which world leaders can share their views on the world of 2021 ".
The decision to postpone the Forum comes two days after the suspension of another international meeting in Switzerland.
On Monday, the United Nations announced that it was suspending discussions on the Syrian Constitution, which brought together 45 people in Geneva, chosen equally by the government of Damascus, the opposition and UN envoy Geir Pedersen. In question: three positive results, among the participants, in the screening test for Covid-19.
As of Wednesday, nearly 24 million people had been infected with the new coronavirus, according to a count made by AFP. More than 820,000 deaths have been recorded.
© 2020 AFP