dpa, Berlin
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) The women in Davos are making history this year as an all-female group of leaders take charge of the agenda.
DAVOS, Switzerland
For the first time this year, the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) is chaired by an all-female group of political, economic and social leaders, who called for a more inclusive approach to tackle global problems on Tuesday.
“My hope is that we can collectively demonstrate that even without testosterone, we can produce positive, constructive energy to deliver solutions,” said International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde, who serves as one of the seven WEF co-chairs.
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said the 3,000 participants of the meeting that started on Tuesday in Davos, Switzerland, should look beyond the current debate about sexual harassment, to gender issues such as education for girls and barriers that prevent women from working.
Chetna Sinha, and Indian social entrepreneur and activist, announced the launch of fund for rural women entrepreneurs in her country, which is endowed with 100 million Indian rupees (1.5 million dollars).
Reporters asked the forum’s chairwomen how they feel about US President Donald Trump’s attendance later this week, especially in light of his alleged sexist comments about women.
“That actually brought women together; that actually made clear that we’re not going to listen to that,” Sinha said, citing the WEF’s all-female leadership as an example.
The chairwomen also had a wider message for Trump, who is set to deliver the meeting’s final keynote speech on Friday.
“My most important message to the American President is that we need a US that’s in the international arena,” especially on the issue of sustainable development, Solberg said.
