The world’s attention descends on the small Swiss touristic ski town of Davos in the Canton of Grisons as business leaders, politicians and investors arrive. They gear up to discuss stakeholder capitalism at the Forum’s 50th anniversary. Panelists will assess global economic issues and debate solutions to some of the world’s most pressing social challenges. The not-for-profit Forum continues its efforts to improve the state of the world, while a wide array of people network relentlessly. 

Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman at the World Economic Forum, announced that, “With the world at such critical crossroads, this year we must develop a ‘Davos Manifesto 2020’ to reimagine the purpose and scorecards for companies and governments.”

The program for this year’s annual meeting in Davos will focus on mobilizing businesses to minimize ecological risks, reducing long-term debt burdens for economies while fomenting inclusiveness, ensuring an amicable global implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies, encouraging lifelong learning initiates for a billion people within a decade, and fostering cordial geopolitics through the “spirit of Davos.”

While the population of Davos considerably escalates during the week of the annual meeting, the Forum has historically sought to ensure sustainable growth. Its efforts have consistently ensured a 30% CO2 emission decrease in the city while it unfolds.

While the town of Davos in the Swiss Alps is best known for hosting the annual meeting of the WEF, it has evolved and diversified its year-round allure. 

As a touristic ski town, it remains one of Switzerland’s largest ski resorts with 200 miles of slopes. It possesses the largest natural ice skating rink in Europe, and at 5,100 feet, is among the highest altitude towns in Europe. Davos also hosts the world’s oldest international ice hockey tournament, and its world-class local hockey team, HC Davos, is consistently winning the Swiss League and Spengler Cup. Outside the vast array of winter sports available, visitors are enthralled by the cultural offerings such as at The Kirchner Museum, which shows the works of the expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

According to Marcus Caduff, Head of the Department for Economic and Social Affairs of the Canton of Grisons, “In addition to being a world-class tourism ski resort, and host of the annual meeting of the WEF, the town of Davos has developed an ecosystem of notable research centers including the AO Research Institute, University of Zurich’s SIAF Swiss Institute for Allergy and Asthma Research, Christine Kühne Center for Allergy Research and Education CK-CARE, WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, and the PMOD/WRC Physical-Meteorological Observatory. With the new allergy campus, the foundation stone was recently laid for further consolidating Davos’ position as the world’s leading research center in the field of allergies and asthma.”

While the annual meeting of the WEF only lasts one week, the Davos spirit remains in the region of Grisons year-round.