World Economic Forum : 13th Open Forum Davos Welcomes Public Debate on Global Issues

Michèle Mischler, Associate Director, Public Affairs and Media, Tel.: [phone]; michele.mischlerf29d40a9c47d2fca5@676b21d04 weforum.org

• Open Forum Davos 2015 programme offers insights on current affairs, globalization and more
• Panellists include top leaders from business, politics and civil society
• For more information about the 13th Open Forum, visit: http://www.openforumdavos.ch

Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 20 January 2015 - On the occasion of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2015, Open Forum Davos 2015 will open its doors to the general public from 21 to 23 January in Davos, Switzerland.

Upholding its tradition of stimulating dialogue among thought leaders on a range of crucial issues, Open Forum will offer six sessions on such diverse topics as immigration, religion, democracy and pandemics. Each session is designed to offer a platform for debate and interaction on controversial topics between the public and scholars, business leaders and policy-makers.

Leading personalities who will participate in Open Forum include:

• Kofi Annan, Chairman, Kofi Annan Foundation, Switzerland; Secretary-General, United Nations (1997-2006)
• Tony Blair,Middle East Quartet Representative
• Paul Bulcke, Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé, Switzerland; International Business Council
• John W. Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado, USA
• Vitaliy Klychko, Mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine
• Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden
• Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva
• Simonetta Sommaruga, President-elect of the Swiss Confederation and Minister of Justice and Police, Federal Department of Justice and Police, Switzerland

Open Forum Davos 2015 programme:

Wednesday 21 January

12.30 -14.00     Religion: A Pretext for Conflict?
18.30 - 20.00    The End of Democracy?

Thursday 22 January

12.30 - 14.00    Pandemics: Whose Problem?
18.30 - 20.00    Open Borders: Unavoidable or Unnecessary?

Friday 23 January

12.30 - 14.00    Employment: Mind a Gap?
18.30 - 20.00    Should Business Lead the Social Agenda?

As in previous years, Open Forum Davos 2015 will be held at the Swiss Alpine Mittelschule, Guggerbachstrasse 3, Davos Platz. Though no registration is required, those wishing to participate are encouraged to arrive early as the maximum capacity of the auditorium is 300. For those unable to take part, all sessions will be livestreamed on the Open Forum website at www.openforumdavos.ch.

You can also follow the debates using the Open Forum Twitter account: @OpenForumDavos #WEF #OFD. Some of the sessions will be broadcast by Swiss Television (SF-info), available on YouTube after the event.

Notes to Editors

All about the Annual Meeting 2015: http://wef.ch/davos15
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Open Forum programme: http://wef.ch/openforum
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The World Economic Forum is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation in the spirit of global citizenship. It engages with business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

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