Up to 5,000 Swiss soldiers will be deployed to ensure security at the World Economic Forum in Davos which opens this Monday until January 19. The French president will be one of the 60 heads of state and government to participate in this 54th edition.
As Davos puts the final touches to welcoming its thousands of guests, security services are on alert. Like every year, there are multiple threats: between extreme activist movements, spy infiltrations and cyberattacks, this year we will also have to deal with the extreme cold.
Maurizio Dattrino, division commander of the Swiss army: “The challenges are to fulfill the mission even in difficult conditions like the cold, it is currently minus 16 degrees here in Davos.”
More than 60 heads of state and government and hundreds of business leaders will visit Switzerland this year, from Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron expected on Wednesday.
The theme of the meeting will be devoted to rebuilding confidence in the world in the face of recurring crises and current deadly conflicts.
Borge Brende, president of the Forum: “This is our 54th annual meeting. It takes place in the most complex geopolitical and geoeconomic context in decades. In this context (…) we must urgently restore trust.”
In recent years, the glitzy World Economic Forum event has been criticized for being a place where high-profile figures discuss and debate big ideas but make little progress in finding solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.
In the midst of the climate crisis, the Forum is also regularly chosen to welcome wealthy executives who travel aboard business planes that generate significant CO2 emissions.