World Economic Forum Cancels 2021 Annual Meeting In Singapore Amid Covid Pandemic

The world economic forum has announced on 17 May to cancel its annual meeting due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The World Economic Forum 2021 annual meeting was scheduled to be held on August 17-20 in Singapore. The event attracts political leaders, top corporate executives, celebrities, and billionaires from around the world. It is said to be the blue-ribbon event, which provides a platform for the global elite to discuss the world’s problems. 

In a statement, WEF said, “Regretfully, the tragic circumstances unfolding across geographies, an uncertain travel outlook, differing speeds of vaccination roll out and the uncertainty around new variants combine to make it impossible to realize a global meeting with business, government, and civil society leaders from all over the world at the scale which was planned.”

According to media reports, the World Economic Forum said its next annual event would take place in the first half of 2022. However, the dates and location are yet to be decided by the organization. The location and dates will be determined based on an assessment of the situation. 

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international organization that brings together its people from politics and business and gives a platform to discuss major issues concerning the world political economy. These include issues of politics, economics, social, and environmental concerns. The WEF annual meeting has been held since 1971. The event typically held in the Swiss ski resort of Davos was shifted to Singapore in December over concerns about safeguarding participants’ health. Klaus Schwa, the WEF founder, called it a “difficult decision, but ultimately the health and safety of everyone concerned is our highest priority.” 

(Inputs from Reuters)