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World Economic Forum hires ex-Norway minister

The Geneva-based World Economic Forum has snapped up Norway's former foreign minister Espen Barth Eide, appointing him as a managing director just two months after he stepped down from government.

Published: 20 November 2013 22:42 CET

World Economic Forum hires ex-Norway minister

Klaus Schwab (left) and Espen Barth Eide. Photo: World Economic Forum

Eide will be responsible for fostering relations between business and the public sector for the organization, famous for its annual get-together in the Swiss mountain resort town of Davos, attracting the global business and political elite.

“I am delighted to be joining an organization that plays a critical role in bringing stakeholders together from all aspects of the public and private spheres,” Eide said in a statement.

“Now more than ever, dialogue that crosses boundaries and breaks people and institutions out of silos, is critical in addressing the challenges the world faces.”

Eide was instrumental earlier this year in arranging the deal whereby Syria agreed to dismantle its chemical weapons programme.

He has also worked closely with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, international collaboration on the Arctic and developing Nato's new strategic concept.

Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum said that Eide brought "leadership, energy and great experience in international and security affairs", and would help turn the organization into "the foremost platform for public-private cooperation".

Eide will be the only one of the WEF's nine managing directors to have held a ministerial post in government when he joins next February.

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Switzerland: 2021 Davos summit shifted to Lucerne in May

Participants at the World Economic Forum at Davos in 2020. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

The annual gathering of the world's political, economic and business elite traditionally takes place in January against the idyllic snowy backdrop of the Swiss Alpine village of Davos.

But it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, charged with remodelling the world economy in the wake of the crisis, will now be held 125 kilometres (75 miles) away in the plush Burgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne.

“The meeting will take place as long as all conditions are in place to guarantee the health and safety of participants and the host community,” WEF spokesman Adrian Monck said in a statement.

“The meeting will focus on the solutions required to address the world's most pressing challenges. “Global leaders will come together to design a common recovery path, to shape 'The Great Reset' in the post-Covid-19 era and rebuild a more cohesive and sustainable society.”

Hybrid format

The WEF announced in June that the 51st edition of its annual meeting would take place in a hybrid format, then in August said it was being delayed for several months to reduce any risks to participants from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Lucerne summit will combine both in-person and virtual elements, with participants linked to a network of around 400 hubs worldwide to incorporate dialogue with the WEF's “young global shapers, to ensure openness and inclusion”, said Monck.

The summit will be preceded during the week of January 25 by digitally-convened high-level “Davos Dialogues”, when global leaders will share their views on the state of the world in 2021.

The novel coronavirus has killed more than 1.04 million people while at least 35.5 million infections have been recorded since the outbreak emerged in China late last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

The pandemic has also triggered a global economic downturn, though the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that while it is far from over, it will not be as bad as originally feared thanks to a flood of government spending.

The World Trade Organization said likewise, forecasting a global trade contraction of 9.2 percent this year, rather than its previous “optimistic scenario” prediction of 12.9 percent.

But global trade will then grow by only 7.2 percent next year, rather than the previous 21.3-percent estimate issued in April, the WTO added.

Swiss cases rising

The WEF announcement comes as Switzerland announced Wednesday that daily coronavirus cases had jumped over the 1,000-mark for the first time since April 1, when the peak of the pandemic's initial wave began to recede.

Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset has urged the country to “get a grip” and be more rigorous in applying the basic measures to control the spread of the virus.

The 2020 edition of the WEF summit, hosted in January just as the world was beginning to become aware of the new coronavirus spreading in China, drew more than 50 heads of state and government to Davos.

It focused on themes of sustainability and finding a more inclusive model for capitalism. US President Donald Trump and Swedish teenage eco-warrior Greta Thunberg were among its top speakers.

The WEF said it aims to be back in Davos for 2022.

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