- In a message to participants, His Holiness Pope Francis urged participants at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting to take bold steps to build a sustainable, human-centred future
- The Pope echoed theme of the meeting, Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World, calling on participants to build “inclusive, just and supportive societies”
- The 48th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is taking place on 23-26 January in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland
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Geneva, Switzerland, 22 January 2018 – His Holiness Pope Francis helped open the 48th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting with a special message, passionately calling on participants to overcome fragmentation between states and institutions and work together to facilitate more inclusive approaches in an increasingly globalized world.
In a speech delivered by Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Pope Francis said: “It is vital to safeguard the dignity of the human person, in particular by offering to all people real opportunities for integral human development and by implementing economic policies that favour the family.”
Echoing the theme of the meeting, Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World, the Pope said, “The entrepreneurial world has enormous potential to effect substantial change by increasing the quality of productivity, creating new jobs, respecting labour laws, fighting against … corruption and promoting social justice.” He continued: “If we want a more secure future, one that encourages the prosperity of all, then it is necessary to keep the compass continually oriented towards ‘true north’,” represented by authentic values.
The World Economic Forum’s 48th Annual Meeting opens today in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. More than 3,000 leaders from around the world are gathering in a collaborative effort to shape the global, regional and industry agendas, with a commitment to improve the state of the world. The meeting brings together governments, international organizations, business, civil society, cultural leaders, media, experts and the young generation, at the highest level and in representative ways.
The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. (www.weforum.org).