Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Bredon has been chosen as the President of the WEF (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Addressing the press conference with Prime Minister Erna Solberg in the capital Oslo on September 15th, Mr. Bredon announced that he would leave office as head of Norway’s diplomacy in mid-October.
Brende, 51, has been a Foreign Minister since October 2013. He also served as Minister of the Environment 2001 - 2004, as Minister of Trade and Industry 2004 - 2005, and as a member of the Storting, the parliament of Norway from 1997 - 2009.
The WEF, established in 1971, is a Swiss non-profit foundation. Recognized by the Swiss authorities as an international body, its mission is cited as “committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas”.
The forum is best known for its annual meeting at the end of January in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubunden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland. The meeting brings together some 2,500 top business leaders, international political leaders, economists, and journalists for up to four days to discuss the most pressing issues facing the world. Often this location alone is used to identify meetings, participation, and participants with such phrases as, "a Davos panel" and "a Davos Man".
The organization also convenes some six to eight regional meetings each year in locations across Africa, East Asia, and Latin America, and holds two further annual meetings in China and the United Arab Emirates. Beside meetings, the foundation produces a series of research reports and engages its members in sector-specific initiatives./.