Press Release

Published 14.01.2009 Author: FSPC/WEF

Public discussion on globalization and its effects

Between 29 and 31 January 2009 for the seventh time the Open Forum will be taking place in Davos in parallel to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. The public are invited to debate with key figures from civil society, politics and the business world. Among those expected are Kofi Annan; Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf and Micheline Calmy-Rey, members of the Federal Council; and Andi Gross and Rudolf Rechsteiner, menbers of the National Council, along with the former national councillor and price supervisor Rudolf Strahm.

The Open Forum Davos is organized jointly by the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches and the World Economic Forum. It focuses on the critical discussion of globalization and its effects.

This year, too, it has been possible to secure high-ranking guests for the panels. Thus Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General and now President of the Global Humanitarian Forum is on the panel on environmental justice. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, Federal Councillor and President of the Federal Department of Justice and Peace, is tackling questions of euthanasia together with Thomas Wipf, President of the Council of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches. Micheline Calmy-Rey, federal councillor and Head of the Department for Foreign Affairs, is introducing the topic “religion and human rights”. Further panellists include the Turkish foreign minister and chief negotiator Ali Babacan, the Swiss national councillors Martine Brunschwig Graf, Andi Gross and Rudolf Rechsteiner, former national councillor Rudolf Strahm, the President of the Board of the Swiss National Bank Jean-Pierre Roth, the President of Guyana, Jagdeo Bharrat, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier de Schutter, and the Director General of the World Bank, Ngozi Okongo.

Events at the Open Forum Davos 2009 are open to the public and free of charge. They take place in the hall of the Swiss Alpine Mittelschule, Guggenbacherstrasse 3, Davos. The languages of the discussions are German and English (simultaneous translation). After a first round of discussion among the panellists the public are invited to challenge them with controversial questions and positions.

Swiss television DRS is broadcasting individual sessions of the Open Forum Davos on channel SF-info or as a summary report. All the information and an extended report on the upcoming Open Forum Davos can be got on the internet page www.openforumdavos.ch. The complete panels can also be obtained there by webcast.

An up-to-date flyer with the complete programme is available for downloading from today on www.openforumdavos.ch

more on www.openforumdavos.ch

Printable version