By Peter Kenny
GENEVA (AA) – Due to coronavirus concerns, next May the World Economic Forum (WEF) will meet in Singapore, not Switzerland, said the forum’s leader on Monday
The meeting, which brings together political, economic, and civil society leaders from throughout the world, will return to the Davos-Klosters ski resort in Switzerland in 2022, the WEF said.
"A global leadership summit is of crucial importance to address how we can recover together," said Klaus Schwab, the forum’s founder and executive chairman.
In October, the WEF had said the meeting would be held in Lucerne-Burgenstock on May 18-21 instead of in Davos-Klosters.
The Special Annual Meeting 2021 in Singapore will be the first global leadership event to address worldwide recovery from the pandemic, said the WEF.
The in-person meeting will bring together leaders to focus on shaping solutions to the world's most pressing challenges.
"Public-private cooperation is needed more than ever to rebuild trust and address the fault lines that emerged in 2020," said Schwab.
The WEF said the location change reflects the forum's priority of safeguarding participants and the host community's health and safety.
"After careful consideration, and in light of the current situation with regards to COVID-19 cases, it was decided that Singapore was best placed to hold the meeting," said the WEF, without mentioning the high number of cases in Switzerland.
During the usual "Davos week," which in 2021 is on Jan. 25-29, the WEF said it will host a virtual event to rebuild trust and shape the principles, policies, and partnerships needed for 2021.
Ahead of the Special Annual Meeting 2021, the forum will host the Global Technology Governance Summit in Tokyo on April 6-7.