GENEVA (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel will headline the annual elite gathering in Davos, Switzerland this month, underscoring the world’s focus on the European debt crisis that for over two years has wreaked havoc on financial markets.
Organizers of the World Economic Forum said Wednesday that close to 40 heads of state and 18 of the world’s central bankers will be among the expected 2,600 participants from nearly 100 countries. making it the biggest such gathering in four decades at the Swiss Alpine resort.
The exclusive, invitation-only meeting of government and business leaders and VIPs from all walks of life is held to foster debate on the world’s most pressing problems. Participants’ expertise ranges from technology to arts and sciences, from NGOs to media organizations.