From Modi’s ministers to India Inc: A strong Indian showing at WEF

Davos: India is set for a power-packed representation at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in this Alpine resort town that will see the global elite discuss “a spirit of dialogue” in a fragmented world for five days beginning Monday.

US President Donald Trump will be the biggest star among over 3,000 global leaders from government, business, academia, multi-lateral bodies, civil society, and labour unions. Trump is coming with his five cabinet members and the city has got a USA House for the first time in over five decades, it has hosted the annual WEF summit. The WEF said at least 64 heads of government or state would be present, while six out of seven G-7 countries would be represented by their top leadership. China and Pakistan will also have big delegations attending the event. Pakistan will also host for the first time a ‘Sufi Night’ where it will also serve ‘Indus Valley’ delicacies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also be present, WEF President and CEO Borge Brende said at an online press conference, asserting that the five-day annual meeting beginning January 18 will have a hard look at Ukraine, Gaza and Latin America, including Venezuela. He said a big bipartisan delegation from the US Congress and state governors would also attend the meeting, being held under a theme of “a spirit of dialogue”. President Trump will bring along the largest-ever US delegation to Davos, including at least five secretaries. Those expected include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and also US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Brende said the world is probably facing the most complex geopolitical situation since 1945, and dialogue is not a luxury in times of uncertainty, but an urgent necessity today. Brende said the WEF Annual Meeting will have a historic participation of more than 3,000 world leaders from over 130 countries this year, including over 1,700 business leaders, half of whom are CEOs or chairpersons. There would be a record number of 400 top political leaders from across the globe, including a strong Latin American presence. The meeting will also be attended by more than 30 foreign ministers, over 60 finance ministers and central bank governors and more than 30 trade ministers. Top political leaders taking part include Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, and Swiss President Guy Parmelin. They also include presidents of Argentina, Indonesia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Congo, Ecuador, Finland, Mozambique, Poland, Serbia, Singapore, Israel, and Syria, alongside prime ministers of Spain, Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Palestinian National Authority, and Qatar. Close to 200 leaders from civil society and the social sector, including labour unions, non-governmental and faith-based organisations, as well as experts and heads of the world’s leading universities, research institutions and think tanks, will also participate. Global leaders attending the summit include United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, World Bank President Ajay S Banga, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UNESCO Director General Khaled el-Enany, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. From Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will also be there. PTI