Davos Summit: Now is the time for action - 'not more empty gestures'

World facing climate crisis, fallout of global pandemic, armed conflict, food insecurity and a deeply flawed global economy

The World Economic Forum's annual meeting to begin on Monday 16 January

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general, will be attending the World Economic Forum meeting and will be available for interview

Ahead of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos that starts on Monday 16 January, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said:     

“In the last few years, it’s as if Pandora’s box has been pried open unleashing untold crises on the world. 

“We find ourselves facing challenges that often overlap and intertwine: the climate crisis, a global pandemic, armed conflicts, the latest of the industrial revolutions – tech – ripe for exploitation; widespread food insecurity; a global economy delivering unimaginable wealth to a bare few while low wages or unemployment leave millions on their knees.

“Regrettably, many of the globally staged gatherings set up to solve these problems have merely become forums for virtue signalling with few or no concrete outcomes.

“To ensure this year’s event in Davos isn’t consigned to the same fate, the highly influential elites attending must reflect on why they are there. Their focus should be to push forward tangible solutions that we already know work, rather than opting to protect the existing global economic system at any cost. Side events and panels should be filled with conversations on new taxes for fossil fuel companies, on incentivising human rights consistent green energy provision. They should be addressing endemic corruption, ending tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance, tackling inequalities – including racism and sexism – at their very root, starting with their own board rooms and cabinet offices.

“The stakes are too high for more empty gestures.”

Agnès Callamard will be attending Davos from 16^th January. She will be available for media interviews on a range of human rights issues including:                                                                                                                                           

• The climate crisis and its impact on human rights
• Russia’s aggression of Ukraine, War crimes and the path to justice
• Human rights in Myanmar
• Human rights in Ethiopia
• Big Tech
• Corporate Accountability
• Sportswashing
• The importance of addressing corruption, tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance both by individuals and corporations to benefit human rights
• The global assault on human rights defenders and restrictions on civic space, including disinformation

The World Economic Forum's annual meeting will take place in Davos, Switzerland, between 16 – 20 January.

Amnesty’s Secretary General

Agnès Callamard is an international human rights expert. A leading advocate for freedom of expression, a feminist, and an anti-racism activist, Dr Callamard has been at the forefront of international efforts to combat some of the greatest human rights challenges of our time.