This is the annual conference of the World Economic Forum, held since 1971 in the town of Davos in the Swiss Alps, bringing together world political leaders, business executives, celebrities, and investors.

Leaders meet to discuss the state of the world’s economy, climate change, technology, and global cooperation in these areas.

Delegates from 100 governments are attending, including 65 heads of state, notably US President Donald Trump, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt, and the European Union’s Ursula von der Leyen. 

World leaders are meeting against the backdrop of the most complex geopolitical, environmental, socioeconomic, and technological crises and fragmentation since World War II, under the theme of ‘‘A Spirit of Dialogue’’.

For years, Davos has been criticised for being an ‘‘elitist’’ summit that hosts an exclusive club of participants, namely government officials, top corporate executives, and celebrities, in one of the priciest towns in the world.