World Economic Forum Opens Its Doors to the Public at 14th “Open Forum”

· The Open Forum Davos 2016, which runs in parallel to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2016, is organizing a series of panel discussions from 20-22 January, open to the public

· Panellists include Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, heads of state or government of five countries, chief executives of multinational corporations and other global leaders

· Topics include the global economic outlook, secrecy in the digital age and the refugee crisis

· The public is invited to join the sessions live in Davos or via webcast on www.openforumdavos.ch

Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 19 January 2016 – The impact of the refugee crisis, artificial intelligence, international security and alternative economic growth strategies are among the topics for discussion at the Open Forum Davos 2016, held in parallel with the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.

The Open Forum, now in its 14th year, will open its doors to the general public from 20 to 22 January in Davos, Switzerland. Leading personalities from business, government, academia and civil society will discuss and interact with the Swiss public on critical – and, at times, controversial – subjects, opening a unique window onto the most challenging debates of our time. Panellist highlights at the Open Forum include:

Heads of state and government and senior ministers

o Nelson Henrique Barbosa-Filho, Minister of Finance of Brazil

o Alexander De Croo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development Cooperation, the Digital Agenda, Telecommunications and Postal Services of Belgium

o Sigmar Gabriel, Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany

o Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia

o Enda Kenny, Taoiseach of Ireland

o Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden

o Tomislav Nikolić, President of Serbia

o Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, President of the Swiss Confederation and Federal Councillor of Economic Affairs, Education and Research of Switzerland

o Mehmet Simsek, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey

Chief executive officers and chairs

o Mathias Döpfner, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Axel Springer, Germany

o Rolf Dörig, Chairman, Adecco Group, Switzerland

o Sergio P. Ermotti, Group Chief Executive Officer, UBS Group, Switzerland

o Ulrich Spiesshofer, President and Chief Executive Officer, ABB, Switzerland

o Hamdi Ulukaya, Chief Executive Officer, Chobani, USA

o Zhang Xin, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, SOHO China, People's Republic of China

Other public figures and academics

o Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations, New York

o Yo-Yo Ma, Cellist, USA

o Salil Shetty, Secretary-General, Amnesty International, United Kingdom

o Joseph E. Stiglitz, Professor, School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University, USA

o William Lacy Swing, Director-General, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Geneva

o Amira Yahyaoui, Founder and Chair, Al Bawsala, Tunisia, and Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2016

In addition to these free public sessions, the Open Forum is partnering with international media for the first time to help provide an enlarged international footprint on issues of global interest. The Leading European Newspaper Alliance (LENA), Quartz and VICE News will offer audiences deeper engagement and analysis in featured sessions. The Open Forum will also livestream its seven sessions at www.openforumdavos.ch. The programme:

Wednesday 20 January:

12.45 - 14.00 Making Music across Borders with Yo-Yo Ma

18.30 - 20.00 From Migration to Integration

Thursday 21 January:

12.30 - 13.45 How to Reboot the Global Economy?

15.00 - 16.30 A Social Contract to Transform Our World by 2030

18.30 - 20.00 Privacy and Secrecy in the Digital Age

Friday 22 January:

12.30 - 13.45 Is the Swiss Model under Threat?

18.30 - 20.00 Life in 2030: Humankind and the Machine

The Open Forum Davos 2016 will be held at the Swiss Alpine Mittelschule, Guggerbachstrasse 3, Davos Platz, Switzerland. Although 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

Watch the Open Forum Davos 2016 live at www.openforumdavos.ch

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