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Saudi FM Leads High-Ranking Delegation to WEF Annual Meeting in Davos

The Saudi flag. Asharq A-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq A-Awsat
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Saudi FM Leads High-Ranking Delegation to WEF Annual Meeting in Davos

The Saudi flag. Asharq A-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq A-Awsat

A high-level Saudi delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah will participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos on January 20-24.

The Kingdom’s delegation includes Minister of Commerce Majid Al-Kassabi; Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Cabinet Member, and Climate Envoy Adel Al-Jubeir; Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih; Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan; Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha; Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef, and Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim.

Taking place under the theme of “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age”, the 55th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting arrives at a time of growing geopolitical, economic and humanitarian challenges — from ongoing conflicts to a tepid global growth trajectory, and from the seismic impact of advanced technologies on labor markets and human capital to the increasingly urgent need for a practical and inclusive energy transition.

During its participation, the Saudi delegation will collaborate with leaders from government, the private sector, civil society and academia to address these pressing global challenges and shape a prosperous future. The delegation will also explore opportunities to drive disruptive innovation, unlock human potential, steer sustainable transitions and foster global dialogue.

The delegation will also share experiences and insights from its transformation journey and wide-ranging reform agenda under Saudi Vision 2030, which is building a more resilient, productive and integrated economy.

The Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP) leads the Kingdom’s long-standing partnership with the WEF and has delivered impactful initiatives that have addressed pressing global challenges.
The 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum brings together representatives from more than 100 governments, major international organizations, and more than 1,000 major private sector players, in addition to young changemakers and representatives of civil society and academic institutions.

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IMF Sees Steady Global Growth

FILED - 24 October 2024, US, Washington: The logo of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is seen on the facade of the conference building on Pennsylvania Street. Photo: Soeren Stache/dpa
FILED - 24 October 2024, US, Washington: The logo of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is seen on the facade of the conference building on Pennsylvania Street. Photo: Soeren Stache/dpa
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IMF Sees Steady Global Growth

FILED - 24 October 2024, US, Washington: The logo of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is seen on the facade of the conference building on Pennsylvania Street. Photo: Soeren Stache/dpa
FILED - 24 October 2024, US, Washington: The logo of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is seen on the facade of the conference building on Pennsylvania Street. Photo: Soeren Stache/dpa

The International Monetary Fund expects the world economy to grow a little faster and inflation to keep falling this year. But it warned that the outlook is clouded by President-elect Donald Trump’s promises to slash US taxes, impose tariffs on foreign goods, ease regulations on businesses and deport millions of immigrants working illegally in the United States.

The Washington-based lending agency expects the world economy to grow 3.3% this year and next, up from 3.2% in 2024. The growth is steady but unimpressive: From 2000 to 2019, the world economy grew faster – an average of 3.7% a year. The sluggish growth reflects the lingering effects of big global shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The IMF is a 191-nation lending organization that works to promote economic growth and financial stability and to reduce global poverty.

Global inflation, which had surged after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global supply chains and caused shortages and higher prices, is forecast to fall from 5.7% in 2024 to 4.2% this year and 3.5% in 2026.

But in a blog post that accompanied the release of the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook report, the fund’s chief economist, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, wrote that the policies Trump has promised to introduce “are likely to push inflation higher in the near term,” The Associated Press reported.

Big tax cuts could overheat the US economy and inflation. Likewise, hefty tariffs on foreign products could at least temporarily push up prices and hurt exporting countries around the world. And mass deportations could cause restaurants, construction companies and other businesses to run short of workers, pushing up their costs and weighing on economic growth.

Gourinchas also wrote that Trump’s plans to slash regulations on business could “boost potential growth in the medium term if they remove red tape and stimulate innovation.’’ But he warned that “excessive deregulation could also weaken financial safeguards and increase financial vulnerabilities, putting the US economy on a dangerous boom-bust path.’’

Trump inherits a strong US economy. The IMF expects US growth to come in at 2.7% this year, a hefty half percentage point upgrade from the 2.2% it had forecast in October.

The American economy — the world's biggest — is proving resilient in the face of high interest rates, engineered by the Federal Reserve to fight inflation. The US is benefiting from a strong job market that gives consumers the confidence and financial wherewithal to keep spending, from strong gains in productivity and from an influx of immigrants that has eased labor shortages.

The US economy’s unexpectedly strong performance stands in sharp contrast to the advanced economies across the Atlantic Ocean. The IMF expects the 20 countries that share the euro currency to collectively grow just 1% this year, up from 0.8% in 2024 but down from the 1.2% it was expecting in October. “Headwinds,” Gourinchas wrote, “include weak momentum, especially in manufacturing, low consumer confidence, and the persistence of a negative energy price shock’’ caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Chinese economy, No. 2 in the world, is forecast to decelerate – from 4.8% last year to 4.6% in 2025 and 4.5% in 2026. A collapse in the Chinese housing market has undermined consumer confidence. If government doesn’t do enough to stimulate the economy with lower interest rates, stepped-up spending or tax cuts, China “is at risk of a debt-deflation stagnation trap,’’ Gourinchas warned, in which falling prices discourage consumers from spending (because they have an incentive to wait to get still better bargains) and make it more expensive for borrowers to repay loans.

The IMF forecasts came out a day after its sister agency, the World Bank, predicted global growth of 2.7% in 2025 and 2026, same as last year and 2023.

The bank, which makes loans and grants to poor countries, warned that the growth wasn’t sufficient to reduce poverty in low-income countries. The IMF’s global growth estimates tend to be higher than the World Bank’s because they give more weight to faster-growing developing countries.