In an unusual turn of events, former Army Chief of Pakistan General (retired) Raheel Sharif has been invited to the 47th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), to be held in Davos, Switzerland from 17-20 January 2017.
In light of the shifting global power balance, the theme of this year’s conference is “Responsive and responsible leadership“. The annual event is focused upon figuring out ways in which leaders can be responsive to the genuine frustration of people left behind by globalized market capitalism, in a responsible way that offers workable, fair and sustainable solutions.
A spokesperson for the Forum confirmed on Friday that General Sharif would speak at two sessions of the event on the subject of terrorism and international strategies in tackling terrorism. Now, for the first time, a former army chief of Pakistan has been invited to speak at the World Economic Forum. General Musharraf has also been an army head to address the event, however, he did so in his capacity as the head of a state.
Terrorism in The Digital Age
The session titled “terrorism in the digital age” will host discussions on the “fragmented struggles” against terrorist organizations, including ISIL, ISIS, Boko Haram and Al Qaeda; role of responsible leadership in global security; and resilience to the international network.
In addition to Pakistan’s General Sharif, the session will feature Jean-Paul Laborde, Assistant Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Director of Counterterrorism; Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria; Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud; Rob Wainright, Director Europol; and the moderator – Louise Richardson, Vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford.
Global Security Context
The second session titled “Global security context” will feature debates will over the issue of “the notable changes and emerging trends remodeling the global security agenda”.
During the debate, different aspects of the re-calibration of US security policies, geostrategic and business shifts and interests, and future conflict domains will be discussed in detail.
General (retd.) Sharif will join other notable speakers including Victor L.L. Chu of the First Eastern Investment Group, Germany’s Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud. The debate moderator for the second session will be Mr. Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House, UK.
The Pakistani delegation that left for Devos today, consists of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, General (retd.) Raheel Sharif, Saira Afzal Tarrar, Mosharraf Zaidi and Arif Naqvi. The delegation will join 3,000 other attendees who will include Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.K. PM Theresa May, outgoing U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and South African President Jacob Zuma.
The annual meeting of the global forum is going to be jointly chaired by Brian T. Moynihan, chairman and CEO of Bank of America; Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Academy Award winner filmmaker; Helle Thorning Schmidt, Former Prime Minister of Denmark; Frans van Houten, CEO and Chairman of Royal Philips; and Meg Whitman, President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
“To convene public- and private-sector leaders together with defence, intelligence and public safety experts to prepare for and respond to a rapidly changing security landscape and multiple humanitarian crises.”
–The WEF’s International Security Agenda
The WEF’s annual meeting wraps up on January 20, the same day Donald Trump is set to take the oath of office.
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