Davos postponed until summer 2021 over pandemic

The World Economic Forum, the annual gathering of the global business and economic elite, has pushed back it’s 2021 meeting in Davos from January to early next summer.

Adrian Monck, the forum’s managing director for public engagement, said it was not possible to convene the meeting safely in January at its usual ski resort location.

Davos went ahead in January 2020, but there had been significant doubts over the ability to gather thousands of business leaders, media, and politicians in one place in 2021 after the pandemic spread.

In an email, Monck said:

The decision was not taken quickly, since the need for global leaders to come together to design a common recovery path and shape the “Great Reset” in the post-COVID-19 era is so urgent. However, the advice from experts is that we cannot do so safely in January.

The WEF will instead hold digital “Davos dialogues” during the week of 25 January. “Key global leaders will share their views on the world’s state in 2021,” he said.