PM Nawaz lands in Switzerland as WEF's annual meeting begins today

ZURICH - Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif arrived in Zurich to participate in the 47th World Economic Forum’s annual meeting aimed at fostering greater social inclusion and human development.

Accompanied by his wife Kulsoom Nawaz and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, the Prime Minister was received at the Zurich International by Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Mission to Geneva Tehmina Janjua and senior Swiss officials.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is here on the special invitation of WEF’s Executive Chairman, Professor Klaus Schwab to pursue his dynamic economic agenda aimed at turning around the national economy.

The theme for this year’s meeting is “Responsive and Responsible Leadership”, which would focus on four critical leadership challenges for 2017 – revitalizing the global economy, reforming capitalism and preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Around 3,000 leaders from government, business and civil society will gather at the 47th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, from January 17-20 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.

The Prime Minister has a full agenda at Davos, including a number of bilateral meetings with heads of states and governments, as well as with business leaders.

He will also have a meeting with Prof. Klaus Schwab, Chairman, WEF. Bilateral meetings are expected with the Prime Minister’s of Sweden, Norway and Sri Lanka, in addition to a meeting with Queen Maxima of Netherlands.

The Foreign Office in a statement said that the Prime Minister will address a large group of about 60 top business leaders on “Investing in Pakistan: The New Reality”.

The Annual Meeting 2017 will be opened by President Xi Jinping of China, who will be accompanied by the largest delegation of Chinese officials since the country first participated in the Annual Meeting in 1979.

In keeping with the theme, over half of the programme’s 400 sessions will address strategies for fostering greater social inclusion and human development. The CEOs of over 1,000 companies will participate in the Forum.

The Forum that began in 1971 has consistently argued for an inclusive and sustainable approach to managing our world’s transformation, even as it has become increasingly interconnected and more complex.

The co-chairs taking a principal role in shaping the discussion at the Annual Meeting 2017 are: Brian Moynihan, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Bank of America, (USA); Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, documentary filmmaker, SOC Films (Pakistan); Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer, Save the Children International (United Kingdom); Frans van Houten, President and Chief Executive Officer, Royal Philips (Netherlands); Meg Whitman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, (USA).

Anusha Rahman Khan, Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication of Pakistan will also speak at the forum.

Saira Afzal Tarar, Minister of State for National Health Services will speak on “Raising Life Expectancy and Expectations.”

Former chief of army staff General (retd) Raheel Sharif will also be speaking at the annual meeting.

The former army chief will discuss security issues reshaping global agenda and highlight developing opportunities in South Asia under the $55 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

This is the first time that a former army chief of Pakistan has been invited to speak at the WEF. Earlier, Gen. (r) Pervez Musharraf addressed the forum, but in his capacity as the head of a state.

The former army chief is also expected to highlight Pakistan Army’s counterinsurgency operations and improved security environment in the country as well as in the region.

–APP