World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2009 in Davos-Klosters will offer an historic opportunity to "Reshape the Post- Crisis World"

• Theme and structure of Meeting refocused to reflect crisis: Shaping the Post-Crisis World
• Forum to look at new path for global governance and new financial architecture
• Forum confirms record top-level participation from government, business and other leaders

Geneva, Switzerland – Against a background of economic uncertainty and global crisis, the World Economic Forum has announced record engagement from business, government and other leaders for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2009 in January. More than 20 heads of state/government, including G8 countries, and close to 1,000 business leaders have already confirmed their participation, demonstrating the need for governments and business to sit together and focus on an agenda to restore sustained economic growth. Among the highlights, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation has confirmed his participation and will address the opening of the Meeting.

“Together with a carefully crafted and refocused programme for the Annual Meeting, participants will have an historic opportunity to tackle the key issues facing the world at the moment,” said Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. “The record level of Annual Meeting registrations, both in terms of quality of the participants and the numbers, shows the desire for us to collectively deal with the broader problems facing us all. It reflects the growing need for a multistakeholder and systematic view of the major economic, political, societal and technological changes that lie ahead in 2009.”

“The credit crunch provides an opportunity to address not just the immediate global financial issues but the broader agenda to which it is inextricably bound: effective and equitable governance arrangements for dealing with increasingly urgent economic, environmental, food security and human development issues. This opportunity must not be lost,” said Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations (1997-2006); Member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum and Co-Chair of the Annual Meeting 2009.

The Annual Meeting will provide a unique opportunity at the beginning of 2009 for leaders from industry, government and civil society to shape the transformation that appears to be underway. Organized under the theme Shaping the Post-Crisis World, the Annual Meeting programme will explore six tracks:
• Promoting Stability in the Financial System and Reviving Global Economic Growth
• Ensuring Effective Global, Regional and National Governance for the Long Term
• Addressing the Challenges of Sustainability and Development
• Shaping the Values and Leadership Principles for a Post-Crisis World
• Catalysing the Next Wave of Growth through Innovation, Science and Technology
• Understanding the Implications on Industry Business Models

On Friday 7 November in Dubai, an important preparatory conference will convene the most comprehensive network of experts in the world. Over 700 Members of 69 Global Agenda Councils of the World Economic Forum will meet to advance solutions to the most critical challenges facing humanity. Their insights and recommendations will help catalyse solutions for the challenges faced by world leaders, and the findings and deliberations will feed into the Annual Meeting 2009 programme.

The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
Incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests (http://www.weforum.org).