DAVOS, Switzerland, May 22 (Reuters) – Russia would normally have its own ‘house’ at the World Economic Forum as a showcase for business leaders and investors.
The room on the spruced up main street in Davos was transformed this year by Ukrainian artists into a “Russian War Crimes House” that shows images of misery and devastation.
Russia has denied allegations of war crimes in the conflict.
Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
Ukraine is high on the agenda of the four-day gathering of global business leaders, which kicks off in earnest on Monday with a video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
As the WEF meeting emerges from a more than two-year hiatus from the coronavirus pandemic, a postponement from January to May means attendees are surrounded by spring flowers and verdant hillsides rather than navigating icy roads.
But not only the weather is different in 2022, Russian politicians, executives and academics are completely absent.
Russian institutions like the sovereign wealth fund, state banks and private companies have thrown some of the glitziest parties in recent years, serving up black caviar, vintage champagne and foie gras.
They even hired Russia’s most prominent musicians and pop stars to perform in front of top chefs.
MARKET CASE
In addition to the Ukraine crisis, the post-pandemic recovery, combating climate change, the future of work, accelerated stakeholder capitalism and the use of new technologies are among the topics to be discussed in Davos.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg are among the key speakers at the meeting.
On the business agenda, discussions are likely to focus on the poor state of financial markets and the global economy.
People walk past the congress center, the venue of the World Economic Forum 2022 (WEF) in Alpenresort Davos, Switzerland, May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
After a strong rebound from the downturn triggered by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago, threats to that recovery are now plentiful, prompting the International Monetary Fund to cut its global growth forecast for the second time since the start of the year . Continue reading
Inflation from disrupted supply chains has emerged as a problem over the past year, particularly in economies like the United States.
This has been compounded since early 2022 by events such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and waves of COVID-19 lockdowns across China that have blocked a recovery.
‘DEFINE TOMORROW’
The Ukrainian artists hope to convey their message of struggle for a better future to world leaders in Davos.
Visitors are presented with images such as a badly burned man in Kharkiv after Russian shelling and a film made up of thousands of images of dead civilians and bombed-out houses.
“This is a place where all the influencers and all the decision makers in the world come together,” Artistic Director of Kyiv’s Pinchuk Arts Center, Bjorn Geldhof, told Reuters TV.
“What happens in Ukraine will determine tomorrow.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation” to disarm the country and rid it of radical anti-Russian nationalists.
Ukraine and its allies have dismissed this as an unfounded pretext for the nearly three-month-old war that has killed thousands, displaced millions and destroyed cities
While the WEF meeting may not return to pre-pandemic levels as Zurich Airport expects flight numbers to be around two-thirds of previous levels, its return is welcome relief for the ski resort’s hotels and restaurants.
“It’s another step back to normality,” said Samuel Rosenast, spokesman for the local tourism association, last week.
Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Dmitry Zhdannikov, Dan Burns, Tara Oakes; Editing by Alexander Smith
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Comments are closed.