Archived press release

Politicians sip mulled wine with business fat cats. Counter Summit also gathers in alpine resort to plan campaigns

24 January 2001

This week, world leaders and business fat cats are gathering this week for one of the biggest freebies on the planet, the so-called “World Economic Forum” (WEF).

From January 25th to 30th 2001, the 30thWEF will take place in Davos in the Swiss Alps.The WEF was founded in 1971 by Swiss-based German entrepreneur and academic Dr Klaus Schwab. Two thousand specially invited “global leaders” - senior politicians and the Chief Executives of large companies - will attend. Some of the CEOs will also meet in secretive 'Governors' Groups' to discuss their common interests. The WEF offers multinational companies an unparalleled chance to lobby decision-makers from around the world.

This year in Davos, Switzerland, Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) and other campaign groups will again expose the WEF to public scrutiny. Tony Juniper of the FOEI said:
“Business leaders go to Davos to set out their agenda for neo-liberal economic globalisation . Friends of the Earth is going to expose their unaccountable dealings.We will also be planning how to change the course of the global economy towards a sustainable future. The WEF fat cats might have the wealth and the ears of the powerful. But we have public sympathy and justice on our side.”

FOEI will be taking part in alternative discussions at Davos, to help plan the next phase of resistance to the globalisation agenda. Campaigns in which FOEI are involved have already helped stop the World Trade Organisation talks in Seattle, and destroy the international standing of biotechnology firms such as Monsanto.

The Davos meeting coincides with a major meeting of Southern NGOs and campaigners,including FOE groups, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Here discussions will be held on how developing countries can resist pressure from international financial institutions and multinational companies to impose damaging economic and social policies on their populations. The Porto Alegre meeting will feature live web-casts, available in Davos.

At the end of the Davos meeting, FOEI and other NGOs will be announcing next steps in the globalisation campaign, and new Government and multi-national targets.

Key Alternative Davos Events

• Press briefing at 11am on January 25th. Venue: Dutch Asthmas Clinic,Scalettastrasse 19, Davos. A Joint NGO statement on the WEF will be issued.
• Live web-casts from the open and participative World Social Forum in Porto Alegre,Brazil - attended by thousands of southern NGOs.
• Expert panels and debates which challenge the agenda and assumptions of the WEF - on a range of topics from trade economics to corporate accountability.
• Visual demonstrations of the failings of the WEF and globalisation, including interventions by a trio of 'World-Eating Fatcats'.
• The launch of new information resources to help citizens learn about the impacts of globalisation. Friends of the Earth International will be publishing 'Towards Sustainable Economies - alternatives to neo-liberal economic globalisation', and launching a new Citizen's web-guide to Trade, Environment and Sustainability.

Background Information

The World Economic Forum is a association of the biggest and most influential transnational corporations worldwide. At its Annual Meeting, the WEF members meet representatives of governments and international organizations in a private context. More than 90% of the WEF participants are men, a large majority of them coming from USA and Europe. The private WEF meeting in Davos reinforces the interests of TNCs and increases their influence in the international politics. It includes a series of secretive sectoral meetings of CEOs from key companies known as the 'Governors' Groups'.

As usual, the WEF is very optimistic: "By almost any measure, the world economy has never been stronger" they say and hope that we enter now "a period of unprecedented opportunity". The motto of the annual meeting 2001 is: "Bridging the Divides: Creating a Roadmap for the Global Future"

According to the WEF, it wants to become even more "committed to improving the state of the world" (motto of the WEF). The WEF states that "the growing backlash against globalization, and its various public manifestations threaten to derail the entire process".Participants at Davos will discuss ways to integrate civil society in devising appropriate responses to the anxiety and alienations that some aspects of globalization are creating.

Friends of the Earth is a research and advocacy organisation working on environmental issues. We support the right of citizens to peaceful and democratic protest. We do not support violent conduct of any kind. FOEI has groups in more than 60 countries around the world, North and South and in every continent.

Useful Links

www.davos2001.ch/ - informative NGO website on Davos 2001
www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/ - World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
www.geocities.com/pwdyson/wef_orgs.htm - list of the enterprises that are members of the WEF, with their names and countries of origin.
www.weforum.org - official homepage of the WEF.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust