Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

WEF forced to postpone Singapore meeting to August

Singapore
Local transmission of Covid-19 in Singapore remained at negligible levels, according to the WEF Keystone / Wallace Woon

The World Economic Forum’s special annual meeting – exceptionally being held in Singapore this year – has been pushed back by three months. The WEF conference will now convene from August 17-20.

The coronavirus pandemic forced WEF to relocate its flagship event from the Swiss mountain resort of Davos to the Southeast Asian city state. It will be only the second time in 50 years that it will be staged outside Davos.

The 51st annual meeting of business, political and civil society leaders will now take place in Singapore between August 17-20 instead of May 25-28, WEF announced on Wednesday.

The meeting follows the success of the forum’s virtual Davos Agenda in January.

More

The WEF said in a statementExternal link that although the forum and the government of Singapore remained confident of the measures in place to ensure a safe and effective meeting, and local transmission of Covid-19 in Singapore remained at negligible levels, “the change to the meeting’s timing reflects the international challenges in containing the pandemic”.

Current global travel restrictions had made planning difficult for an in-person meeting in the first half of the year, it added. “Furthermore, differing quarantine and air transport regulations have increased the lead time necessary to ensure that participants globally can make arrangements to join.”

“A global leadership summit needs the participation of all global stakeholders,” said Klaus Schwab, WEF founder and executive chairman.

More
Congress centre in Davos

More

All quiet in Davos

This content was published on No WEF, no Spengler Cup: Davos is suffering the consequences of Covid-19. But its inhabitants are keeping amazingly cool.

Read more: All quiet in Davos

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Parliament clears the bill for a new start with E-ID

More

Swiss parliament clears way for new start with e-ID

This content was published on A new attempt to introduce electronic proof of identity has been made in Switzerland. The Senate has resolved the final differences in the legal provisions on a state e-ID.

Read more: Swiss parliament clears way for new start with e-ID
Rare Roman coin sold for 1.89 million francs at auction

More

Rare Roman coin auctioned for almost CHF2 million in Geneva

This content was published on A rare Roman coin with a portrait of Brutus, the assassin of Julius Caesar, was sold at a Geneva auction on Monday for CHF1.89 million ($2.15 million), according to the organiser of the sale.

Read more: Rare Roman coin auctioned for almost CHF2 million in Geneva
Council of States says yes to the federal budget without a dissenting vote

More

Swiss Senate approves federal budget without opposition

This content was published on The Swiss army will receive an additional CHF530 million in 2025, and no cuts will be made to direct payments for agriculture. What is unclear is how much will be saved on foreign aid.

Read more: Swiss Senate approves federal budget without opposition
SEM suspends asylum procedure for asylum seekers from Syria

More

Swiss suspend decisions on asylum-seekers from Syria

This content was published on Asylum procedures and decisions for asylum-seekers from Syria will be suspended with immediate effect until the situation can be reassessed, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) said.

Read more: Swiss suspend decisions on asylum-seekers from Syria
Seafood can lead to toxic arsenic compounds

More

Seafood can lead to toxic arsenic compounds

This content was published on Potentially toxic arsenic compounds can form in the human body when seafood is consumed. This is caused by arsenobetaine, which is often found in seafood.

Read more: Seafood can lead to toxic arsenic compounds
Coop expands food waste program for frozen fresh meat

More

Coop expands food waste programme for frozen meat

This content was published on Swiss retailer Coop is expanding its programme to avoid meat waste. A corresponding pilot project is gradually being extended to the entire store network.

Read more: Coop expands food waste programme for frozen meat

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR