PM Shehbaz departs for Davos to attend World Economic Forum annual meeting

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday departed here for Davos, Switzerland, to participate in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) from January 20 to 22.

The prime minister was accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi, and other senior officials, the PM Office said.

During his official visit, he will engage in important diplomatic and economic activities besides holding bilateral meetings with various heads of state and government, as well as leaders of international organisations.

The prime minister’s programme, as per the Foreign Office, includes multiple substantive engagements, including participation in the WEF’s Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders (IGWEL)’ session on “Restoring a Spirit of Dialogue in a Divided World”.

Articulating Pakistan’s perspective on global and regional peace and development and highlighting the government’s vision and achievements in the areas of economy, trade and investment opportunities will be part of the prime minister’s key messages during the visit.

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During the visit, Pakistan and the World Economic Forum will co-host a business roundtable to be attended by the prominent leaders from global companies, expressing interest in exploring investment opportunities in Pakistan or expanding their existing investments.

Being held from January 19-23 under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue”, the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum gathers leaders across geographies, industries and generations. Discussions will be centred around five key global challenges: cooperation in a contested world, unlocking new sources of growth, investing in people, deploying innovation responsibly, and building prosperity within planetary boundaries.

Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday met Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Aljadaan on the sidelines of the WEF annual meeting to discuss Pakistan’s economic outlook and avenues for enhanced investment cooperation.

During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on Pakistan’s recent economic progress and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the long-standing economic partnership between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Aurangzeb briefed his Saudi counterpart on key macroeconomic indicators, saying Pakistan’s economy was firmly on a stabilisation and growth trajectory. He said foreign exchange reserves had improved, providing an import cover of around three months, reflecting enhanced macroeconomic resilience.