THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM (PART 2)

 

Hi guys, how are you? This is the second part you've been waiting for. You've read "THE WEF - part one", haven't you? If you haven't CLICK HERE! Last time we left off after talking about what Wef is and what was discussed at Davos 2023.Now we continue with the second and final part.For those who have not yet read the first one, you should go and read it.If you have read it, then well done! Here is the second part for you.

There are several reasons why the World Economic Forum (WEF) and its founder and executive chairman, Klaus Schwab, have been the subject of controversy. Especially this year.

WEF AS A GLOBAL ELITE MEETING

 

 

One of the main reasons is that the WEF is seen as an organisation that mainly represents the interests of the private sector, while some claim that it should be more balanced in representing the interests of all stakeholders, including governments and civil society.

There is criticism about the exclusivity of companies participating in the WEF, as only corporations are invited to attend, and this can lead to a lack of representation of the interests of small and medium-sized.

Moreover, the elitism and exclusivity of the WEF can also be seen as contrary to the idea of democratic participation and transparency in decision-making processes.

There is also controversy surrounding the latest statement Klaus Schwab posted in English on the web after the last World economic forum: "As humanity heads further into a post-carbon future, people must accept that eating meat and private property are simply unsustainable things"

ELON MUSK AND THE WEF

 

During the event, Elon Musk, one of the richest and most influential people in the world, sternly attacked the organisation with several tweets.

Musk insulted the forum and compared it to the online message board 4Chan, which is known for generating baseless conspiracy theories.

 

So Musk in response to a Substack post by author Michael Shellenberger and journalist Izabella Kaminska about the World Economic Forum's efforts to fight conspiracy theorists who believe the forum is designed to dominate the world.

Musk also responded directly to a tweet from the World Economic Forum's official account stating that “overpopulation remains a global challenge”, contradicting it and supporting his strong belief that declining birth rates are a serious problem for humanity. "Population collapse is an existential problem for humanity, not overpopulation!" he wrote.

 

But the tweet that caused the most stir was the one in which he said that the people don’t want unelected leaders.

 

After this tweet, many wondered why the WEF, and not the UN, deals with certain issues.

THE WEF AND THE UN

 

The UN and the WEF both have global goals to improve the world situation, but they also have some significant differences in their structure, operation and goals.

The UN is an intergovernmental organisation with a global mandate to promote peace, international security, sustainable development, human rights and international cooperation.

While the WEF is an organisation that mainly focuses on global economic and social issues and cooperation between the private sector and governments.

The WEF focuses on finding shared solutions through meetings and forums, while the UN focuses on adopting international resolutions and agreements through intergovernmental decision-making.

Unlike the Wef, its decisions are subject to a vote of the UN Assembly, where 193 countries are represented. Soa democratic world organism, which in theory should have a say in the matter when it comes to the future of the world. But in practice this is not the case, due to the increasingly dominant role of big speculative finance.

Indeed, this year Davos saw the highest participation of companies, with over 1,500 leaders from 700 organisations. There were more than 100 billionaires: especially Saudi and Arab Emirates businessmen.

In conclusion, it is important to assert that there must be a balance between the representation of the interests of elites and those of all stakeholders, and that there must be transparency and democratic participation in decision-making processes.

Matteo S.C., 4sc