{"id":85572,"date":"2024-04-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2024\/04\/28\/your-primer-on-the-wefs-special-meeting-in-riyadh\/"},"modified":"2024-04-28T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-28T00:00:00","slug":"your-primer-on-the-wefs-special-meeting-in-riyadh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2024\/04\/28\/your-primer-on-the-wefs-special-meeting-in-riyadh\/","title":{"rendered":"Your primer on the WEF\u2019s special meeting in Riyadh"},"content":{"rendered":"

Public policy is ostensibly the star of the show, but regional tensions and <\/strong>the Israel-Gaza conflict will take top billing<\/strong> at this week\u2019s World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh. <\/p>\n

Expect some 200 heads of state and government as well as public figures <\/strong>and more than 1k industry leaders to descend on the capital city for a gathering headlined Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch public sessions live <\/strong>here<\/a><\/strong> or check out the full agenda here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In context: \u201cThe world is today walking a tightrope trying to balance security and <\/strong>prosperity.<\/strong> We meet at a moment where one misjudgment, or one miscalculation, or one miscommunication could further exacerbate our challenges,\u201d said Economy Minister Faisal Alibrahim (watch, runtime: 0:21<\/a>). <\/p>\n

On the agenda:<\/strong> Public policy, climate, energy, finance, and artificial intelligence will dominate the public conversation \u2014 but you can expect peace and security to get plenty of attention. WEF President B\u00f8rge Brende saying at a press conference yesterday that \u201cwhat we\u2019ve seen is geopolitical recession [that] we have to take very seriously <\/strong>because it can influence also the growth we are seeing now\u201d (watch, runtime: 0:13<\/a>).<\/p>\n

As is often the case at the WEF, it\u2019s what happens on the sidelines that will move the <\/strong>needle <\/strong>on key issues. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken<\/strong> is in town for the event and Riyadh will play host to a \u201ccrisis meeting\u201d of regional and global officials including Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron<\/strong> to talk about Gaza, Bloomberg<\/a> reports, citing people it says are familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n

WEF will separately hold a briefing on Gaza <\/strong>tomorrow featuring the prime ministers of Egypt<\/a>and Jordan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Panels to keep your eye on today:<\/strong><\/p>\n