POBNEWS24, Desk report, Dhaka Jan 25, 2025 : The Chief Advisor is returning home on Saturday (January 25) after completing his visit to Switzerland. The Chief Advisor attended at least 47 events during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting and other high-level side events in Davos, Switzerland. The Chief Advisor had a very busy day during the WEF and attended meetings with several heads of government, heads of state and dignitaries.
In a statement, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Advisor, Abul Kalam Azad, said that Professor Yunus attended a total of 47 formal events during the WEF summit. He attended four heads of government or heads of state, four ministerial-level dignitaries, 10 heads or top executives of UN/similar organizations, 10 CEOs/high-level business figures, 9 hosted events (formal dinners and lunches-04), 8 media engagements and two other events. Since arriving in Davos on 21 January, Professor Yunus has spent the day engaging with world leaders at the annual meeting.
On the first day of his visit on 21 January, the Chief Adviser met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the summit. Professor Yunus also met with East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta, Munich Security Conference Chairman Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, Thai Prime Minister Pyotr Shinawatra, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Gandy and President of Finland Alexander Stubbs.
On the second day (22 January), he attended about 14 programs and side events. The Chief Advisor met with Wolfgang Schmidt, Head of the Federal Chancellery of Germany and Minister for Special Operations, King Philippe of Belgium, Prime Minister of Thailand, Pyeongtaek Shinawatra, Federal Councillor of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, Ignazio Cassis, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of the Congo Félix Tshisekedi, former US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, among others, at the WEF. Professor Yunus addressed a plenary session on ‘Climate and the State of Nature’ during the summit and attended an event for social entrepreneurs at a hotel in Davos by the Schwab Foundation.
On the third day (23 January), Professor Yunus attended 14 scheduled events and many side events. He met 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 rights group Amnesty International; Robert Maersk Ugla, Chairman of Danish shipping and logistics company A.P. Moller-Maersk; and Anna Bjerd, MD, Operations at the World Bank. The Principal Advisor attended a private meeting hosted by Klaus Schwab, Founder of the World Economic Forum, at the WEF Summit and spoke at an event at the Climate Hub in Davos on the sidelines of the meeting.
On the final day, Friday, the Principal Advisor attended more than seven events. During the summit, American investor Ray Dalio met with Professor Yunus, founder of Marino Management and Dalio Family Office. In addition, Amer Alireza, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Zenel Group (Red Sea Gateway Terminal Company), met with the Chief Advisor. Earlier, on January 21, the Chief Advisor arrived in Zurich to attend the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum.