ZURICH, Switzerland - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday arrived here to participate in the 47th World Economic Forum’s annual meeting aimed at fostering greater social inclusion and human development.
Accompanied by Begum Kulsoom Nawaz and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, Nawaz Sharif was received at the Zurich International Airport by Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UN Mission to Geneva Tehmina Janjua and senior Swiss officials.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached here on the special invitation of WEF Executive Chairman Professor Klaus Schwab to pursue his dynamic economic agenda aimed at turning around the national economy.
The prime minister will be presenting Pakistan’s case of economic success and the ideal business and investment opportunities besides attracting foreign investment.
He will be extensively utilising the visit to further Pakistan’s economic and business interests by inviting leading firms to invest in Pakistan.
The theme for this year”s meeting is “Responsive and Responsible Leadership”, which would focus on critical leadership challenges for 2017 – revitalising 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’s annual meeting from January 17 to January 20 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
The participants include one-third from outside Europe and North America and one-third representing society outside business and government.
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 WEF Chairman Prof Klaus Schwab. Bilateral meetings of the prime minister are expected with leaders of Sweden, Norway and Sri Lanka as well as Queen Maxima of Netherlands. He will also meet United Nations Secretary General Antoni Guterres and Swiss President Ms Doris Leuthard.
The Foreign Office in a statement said the prime minister would address a large group of about 60 top business leaders on “Investing in Pakistan: The New Reality”. He will have a roundtable meeting in which he would share with a select group of business leaders the significant economic changes taking place in Pakistan and the immense investment and trade opportunities opening up in the country.
The Annual Meeting 2017 will be opened by Chinese President Xi Jinping who will be accompanied by the largest delegation of Chinese officials since the country first participated in the Annual Meeting 1979.
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 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), and Meg Whitman, president and chief executive officer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (USA).
Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rahman Khan will also speak at the forum. Minister of State for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar will speak on “Raising Life Expectancy and Expectations.”
In addition to being the most comprehensive meeting of ministerial delegations in the world, with over 70 countries, including all G20 countries participating, this year’s meeting will include the participation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres along with heads of key international organizations.
The forum activities throughout the year promote projects and initiatives that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.