Prime Minister (PM) James Marape is attending the exclusive World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Switzerland which starts tomorrow. Prime Minister Marape announced this following his return from Palau on Friday 17th January, saying that this is another trip with a strategic intent behind it. The WEF is a non-government global organization that brings together leaders from business, politics, academia, and civil society to address global issues, with the objective of improving the world by shaping global agendas and finding solutions to challenges. Opportunities to attend the meeting are given strictly by invitation only, directly from the Founder of WEF, Professor Klaus Schwab, which PM Marape revealed that this is the second invitation from Professor Schwab to him to address the Forum after missing his first opportunity last year because of the unfortunate situation that occurred on January 10th, 2024. “These meetings are relevant to our economy, to our country’s benefit,” said the PM. “There is strategic intent behind why we pitch those visits. My pattern of visits has strategic economic rationale behind the choice of visits.” Prime Minister Marape has already left the country for Switzerland, leaving the Deputy PM in charge as acting PM for at least four days during his absence. The 2025 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum takes place from 20-24 January in Davos. The meeting brings together nearly 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, and 350 governmental leaders, including 60 heads of states and governments, from all key regions.