CA wraps up 4-day Davos trip after joining 47 events

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has joined at least 47 events during the World Economic Forum annual meeting and other high-level side events in the Swiss city of Davos.

“The chief adviser had a very busy schedule at the WEF [meeting] where he held meetings with a number of heads of government and states and dignitaries on the sidelines,” CA’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told BSS.

Professor Yunus joined a total of 47 formal events during the WEF summit. He joined meetings with four heads of government or state, four ministerial-level dignitaries, 10 heads or top executives of UN or similar organisation, 10 CEOs or high-level business persons, nine programmes of the WEF, eight media engagements and two other events.

Since his arrival in Davos on January 21, Yunus passed hectic days through his broader engagements with the global leaders at the annual meeting of the WEF.

On first day of his visit on January 21, the chief adviser joined seven engagements, while he held a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the summit.

Yunus also met Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta, Munich Security Conference Chairman Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and Finland President Alexander Stubb.

On second day (January 22), he joined around 14 programmes and many side events.

The CA held meetings with Wolfgang Schmidt, head of the Federal Chancellery and federal minister for Special Tasks, Federal Chancellery of Germany; Belgium’s King Philippe; Ignazio Cassis, federal councilor, Federal Department for Foreign Affairs, Switzerland; Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, UAE; UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres; Congo President Felix Tshisekedi; former US special envoy on Climate Change John Kerry; former British PM Tony Blair; and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, among others, at the WEF.

Yunus spoke at a plenary session titled, “The State of Climate and Nature”, during the summit and attended an event of Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship at a hotel in Davos.

On third day (January 23), Yunus attended 14 scheduled events and many side programmes.

He held meetings with Sir Nick Clegg, president of Global Affairs at Meta Platforms Inc; Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of UAE-based global logistics provider DP World; Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International; Robert Maersk Uggla, chair of Danish shipping and logistics company AP Moller- Maersk; and Anna Bjerde, MD of Operations, World Bank.

The CA attended a one-on-one programme organised by Klaus Schwab, founder of World Economic Forum at WEF summit, while he addressed an event at the Climate Hub in Davos on the sidelines of the meeting.

On his final day in Switzerland on Friday, the chief adviser joined over seven events.

American investor Ray Dalio, founder of Marino Management and Dalio Family Office, called on Yunus during the summit on Friday.

Besides, Amer Alireza, chairman of the Executive Committee, Xenel Group (Red Sea Gateway Terminal Company), met the chief adviser.

The CA arrived in Zurich to attend the annual meeting of the WEF on January 21.

He is scheduled to leave Zurich for Dhaka on Friday night (local time) via Zurich International Airport wrapping up his very busy four-day visit.

Yunus is expected to return home on January 25.