The World Economic Forum (WEF) has made a significant shift in its 2024 program, notably reducing the use of two prominent left-wing terms.
However, the Davos conference's content remained predominantly progressive.
In a departure from previous years, the WEF excluded any mention of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) from its 2024 program, and the term "diversity" was mentioned only once, as initially reported by Semafor. Despite this, the WEF continued to host discussions on "sustainability," "climate," "gender," and other topics typically associated with left-wing ideologies.
The term "diversity" was mentioned only once in 2024, a significant reduction from five mentions in 2022 and four in 2023. Similarly, the term "ESG" was completely absent, following two mentions in 2022 and one in 2023. Despite these changes, the conference appeared to maintain a focus on initiatives closely aligned with these themes.
For example, the WEF hosted several events related to sustainability and climate, including a Social Innovation Awards ceremony to honor "the worlds leading social innovators for their collective efforts in creating a just, equitable and sustainable world for all" at its 2024 Davos conference.
The WEF also organized two events on "gender parity" and one on "Closing the Gender Gap in Health." The organization stated in a clip of closing remarks posted on Friday that "the main topics discussed in the 2024 Davos meetings include climate change, the green transition and AI." Other events included "LGBTQI+ Inclusion at Work" and "Thinking Big on Digital Inclusion."
According to Semafor, prominent individuals at the WEF have become increasingly concerned about conservative backlash. Former PayPal CEO Dan Schulman was among a group of CEOs who privately informed WEF Chairman Klaus Schwab that his organization has become excessively left-wing.
The group's aim was to "ensure that the dialogue at Davos and WEF is at the center, and not just on the progressive side," one of three individuals who characterized the discussions told Semafor.
To help rebrand the WEF's political image, the group enlisted public relations executive Richard Edelman and "Republican Davos allies," Semafor reported. WEF leaders have also sought advice from Washington Republicans on how to appeal to conservatives.
Additionally, Gulf monarchies involved in the WEF have expressed concern over the forum's backlash against fossil fuels, suggesting "we can do this elsewhere," a well-known WEF participant told Semafor.
Furthermore, European and American elites made it clear that former President Donald Trump is not their preferred choice for President in 2024, according to remarks made during the conference, as reported by Bloomberg on Monday.
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