ZURICH, Switzerland: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in Switzerland’s Zurich City on Monday to participate in the 47th World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting aimed at fostering greater social inclusion and human development.
The prime minister, accompanied by Begum Kulsoom Nawaz and his Special Assistant Syed Tariq Fatemi, was received by the Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Mission to Geneva Tehmina Janjua and senior Swiss officials at the Zurich International.
Nawaz Sharif is Switzerland 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 prime minister will be presenting Pakistan’s case of economic success and the ideal business and investment opportunities besides attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). He will be extensively utilizing 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 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 WEF annual meeting from January 17-20 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
The participants include one-third from outside Europe and North America while one-third representing society outside of 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 Chairman WEF Professor Klaus Schwab. Bilateral meetings are expected with the prime ministers of Sweden, Norway and Sri Lanka besides a meeting with Queen Maxima of Netherlands.
Sharif will meet the new Secretary General United Nations Antonio Guterres as well as the Swiss President Ms. Doris Leuthard.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said that the prime minister will address a large group of about 60 top business leaders on “Investing in Pakistan: The New Reality”.
The prime minister will have a round table 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 the Chinese President Xi Jinping 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).
The Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication of Pakistan Anusha Rahman Khan will also speak at the Forum while the 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 the new Secretary-General of the United Nations Ant¢nio 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.
Source: APP
