One of the most important consensuses reached at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, is the need for international cooperation in dealing with the current crisis, which has affected both developed and developing economies.
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Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of World Economic Forum, gestures during the session "Believing in the Dignity of All" at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2009 in Davos, Switzerland, Feb. 1, 2009. The World Economic Forum (WEF) wrapped up its annual meeting here Sunday, with pledges of cooperation from world leaders and elites in tackling the global financial crisis. |
Klaus Schwab, the WEF's founder and executive chairman, went further to stress that the whole society, not only the governments, must be engaged in dealing with the current crisis.
The call for cooperation was echoed by other major leaders, including Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
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Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao speaks at the World Economic Forum annual meeting, in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 28, 2009 |
The Chinese premier expressed confidence that China's economy would continue to grow fast and steadily despite the impact of the global crisis.
"It's very encouraging, and the important thing is Premier Wen is using the statistics from China to illustrate his point," said Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization.
U.S. President Barack Obama was absent from the annual gathering of world elites in the Swiss ski resort. But a senior advisor conveyed his willingness for cooperation.
"Our economy is global, our crisis is global and our solutions must be global," said Valerie Jarrett, Obama's assistant for intergovernmental relations.
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Participants attend the session "The Global Agenda for 2009: The View from Davos" at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2009 in Davos, Switzerland, Feb. 1, 2009. |
She stressed that the Obama administration would be partners with the rest of the world "to establish a workable international framework that can help stabilize the global economy."
But cooperation and coordination may not be easy, given the differences of systems and interests, as well as the degree of impact by the crisis, participants said.