The Amazon rainforest is often referred to as the "lungs of the Earth" due to its vital role in absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. However, the Amazon is also the home and the provider of livelihoods for over 24 million people in Brazil alone. We currently find ourselves at a critical moment for nature, where the protection and conservation of forests and biodiversity may contribute to meeting around a third of our climate goals.

This panel discussion aims to address the role of nature and conservation in mitigating climate change and ranges from local to global action. What does local ancestral knowledge of a sustainable use of the forest have in common with a large, international consortium of scientists? And how can we guarantee that we create global and local policies and legal frameworks that ensure that both nature and its citizens are thriving? What is the role of data and citizen science in this?

Opening remarks 

• Martina Hirayama, State Secretary, function State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
• Marina Silva, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change 

Fishbowl Conversation featuring:

• Luís Roberto Barroso, President of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil
• Thomas Crowther, Professor of Ecology and Founding Chair of the Board for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, ETH Zurich
• Michael Schaepman, Professor of Remote Sensing and President, University of Zurich
• Hosana Silva, researcher, climate activist and TV presenter

Moderation

• Gioia Deucher, CEO of InnHub La Punt

Person for information & media requests (please note that the event is fully booked)
Malin Borg
malin.borg@swissnex.org
Brazil +55 21 99140 6120 | Switzerland +41 58 485 0194

In response to our rapidly changing world, it's essential to understand the challenges we face and promote collaboration among influential thought leaders and decision-makers. This is vital for achieving the sustainable future we aspire to. The journey toward this transformation has already begun and can be accelerated by sharing business opportunities strategically and offering mutual support in addressing urgent global issues. Presenting relevant examples at the upcoming World Economic Forum, Team Switzerland aims to highlight the essential role of Swiss expertise in reshaping large-scale global infrastructure projects with sustainability in mind. We aim to present a mix of our focus countries and flagship projects while highlighting the collaborative synergy within Team Switzerland, underlining our collective ability to support companies effectively. The session will start with an impulse pitch of a governmental exponent to raise sustainability importance and end with a networking Apero.

Welcome Address

• State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda, Director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)

Team Switzerland Introduction

• Philip Morger, Director Industrial Programs Switzerland Global Enterprise

Impulse Reports

• Luciana Aparecida Da Costa, Managing Director - Infrastructure, Energy Transition and Climate Change BNDES
• Guido Schmucki, CEO, Mecana 
• Danny Langenberg, CEO, AIK Technik AG
• Alex Naef, CEO Carrosserie HESS AG

Panel discussion

• Peter Gisler, CEO SERV
• David Sander, President of the National League of Cities, Mayor of Rancho Cordova 
• Umesh Khanna, Group Head - Coordination at Shapoorji Pallonji Group Centre 
• Stefan Brupbacher, Swissmem Director

Moderation

• Matthias Zoller, Secretary General SWISS ASD (Aeronautics, Security and Defence), Swissmem

Person for information & event registration
Kalina Figurska
Function Project Coordinator Industrial Programs    
kfigurska@s-ge.com
+41 44 365 55 59

Person for media requests
Laurin Brüniger
Function Strategic Project Manager
lbrueniger@s-ge.com
+41 44 365 55 45

The use of data must be clarified between the various stakeholders. There are approaches on having data governance in sectors related to data spaces in sectors (health or agriculture). These tasks are being carried out both within the European Union and in Switzerland, and of course, worldwide. But is there a need for overarching data governance? The Committee of Chief Statisticians of the UN has made constructive proposals on what global data governance could look like: https://unsceb.org/international-data-governance-pathways-progress. This will be discussed in various forums, for example at the Friday seminar before the 55th Session of the UN Statistical Commission in February 2024 in New York City, in the coming months.

There are both public and private data producers who have more and more data at their disposal. Nowadays, with data interoperability, it is possible to make better use of this data. In addition, AI applications such as ChatGPT show that the use of good data is important. How can we guarantee that good data is used? The panel will explore the different approaches that exist. Governments and international organisations can actively collaborate to ensure that the public has the right to quality information.

This event is a follow-up to the discussion conducted at the House of Switzerland in January 2023: “Harnessing the power of data to shape the future”.

Podium speakers

• Steve MacFeely, Chief Statistician WHO and co-chair of the Committee of the Chief Statisticians of the UN
• Catrin Hinkel, CEO Microsoft Switzerland
• Georges-Simon Ulrich, Director General, FSO, Vice-chair of the UN Statistical Commission
• Judith Bellaiche, Swico, Managing Director

Moderation
Claire Doole

This event is by invitation only. If you are interested and / or have any questions, please contact upd-initiative@bfs.admin.ch by Tuesday, 9 January 2024 at the latest. There are a limited number of places and it will not be possible to register at short notice.

Introduction and Context

The pressures of rapid urbanization combined with rising cost of living has led global and local leaders across sectors to reconsider the established culture of building. A surface area equivalent to the city of São Paulo is being built every week and this rapid expansion is outpacing population growth and quality tends to be poor. At the same time small towns and rural areas are struggling with shrinking populations. Communities and nature are under greater pressure than ever. 

The session asks how leaders and communities can forge more inclusive and vibrant places of durable quality by placing social, cultural and, wellbeing needs on an equal footing with technical and economic considerations.

Breakfast Overview

• The breakfast will be a broad ranging discussion which focuses on how to achieve higher quality across varying global contexts through greater consideration of a holistic suit of criteria, as set out in the Davos Baukultur Quality System, ranging from the role of good governance to the importance of culture and beauty.

• The event also aims to offer an opportunity to bring together the current community at the mid-point of the first year as the Davos Baukultur Alliance's work begins to emerge. It will act as an open setting to invite in and share the broad work of the Alliance with potential new members and collaborators from across the sectors.

Welcome Speech 

• Oliver Martin, Head of the Baukultur Section, Swiss Federal Office of Culture & Chair of the Davos Baukultur Alliance

Podium Speakers
tbc 

Moderation 

• Jeff Merritt, Head of Urban Transformation, Member of Executive Committee, World Economic Forum 

Person for information & event registration
Thomas Selby
Thomas.Selby@weforum.org
Mobile: +4179 372 4518

Person for media requests
Lisa Chamberlain
Communication Lead, Urban Transformation
lisa.chamberlain@weforum.org
+16465783296        

Thomas Selby
Thomas.Selby@weforum.org
Mobile: +4179 372 4518

The bedrock of the biomedical global ecosystem is its people and the potential of their collective human capital.

The majority of the healthcare workforce today are people who move atoms from one place to another. 

The essence of biomedicine is intensely physical. In the very heart of it lies the interaction of you, a human, with your own body, your physicians, caregivers, family, in the moments of care and decision making. 

What are the opportunities for machine intelligence to augment and empower the human one?

From education, research to managing large-scale healthcare systems: where are we heading next?

Welcome speech

• Martin Vetterli, president, EPFL

Podium speakers

• Gil Alterovitz, Chief AI Officer, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
• John Halamka, President, Mayo Clinic Platform
• Ashish Jha, Dean, Brown's School of Public Health, former White House COVID Coordinator
• Karin Kimbrough, Chief Economist, LinkedIn
• Victoria Lee, CEO and President, Fraser Health
• Shez Partovi, Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer, Philips
• Martin Vetterli, President, EPFL

Moderation

• Amy Bernstein, Editor, Harvard Business Review Magazine
• Miriam Donaldson, former Novartis executive
• Jennifer Pougnet, Head of Data Strategy, Roche

Person for information & event registration
Anja Hartewig
Programme Manager
davos@four-corp.com

Person for media requests
davos@four-corp.com

Switzerland's technology ecosystem is characterized by a strong emphasis on research, a supportive start-up culture, and academic collaboration, making it a significant player in the global technology landscape. The event will explore the significance of fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem that nurtures the creation of disruptive technologies and fosters homegrown talent. The conversation aims to provide actionable insights for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and the academic community to collaborate effectively and leverage Switzerland’s competitive edge as catalysts for driving inclusive growth and fostering sustainable development on the global stage.

Welcome speech

• Martina Hirayama, State Secretary, Head of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)
• Joel Messot, President of ETH Zurich

Podium speakers

• Andreas Güntner, ETH Zurich and Alivion
• Heike Riel, IBM Research Zurich
• Nicolas Bouduban, Swiss m4m Center
• Judith Bellaiche, Swico
• Petra Ehmann, Ringier
• Ralph Gerdes, inspire AG

Moderation

• Chris Luebkeman, Head Strategic Foresight Hub, ETH Zurich

Person for information & event registration
Jürg Brunnschweiler
Head of Office of the President, ETH Zurich
juerg.brunnschweiler@sl.ethz.ch
+41 79 572 02 21

Person for media requests
Simone Keller
Projektverantwortliche Kommunikation SBFI
simone.keller@sbfi.admin.ch
+41 58 485 67 74, +41 79 832 80 29 

Alexandra Cron
Communications, Community & Outreach, ETH Zurich
alexandra.cron@sl.ethz.ch
079 717 96 42

Showcase to changemakers present the potential investment opportunity that exists in menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) and the triple benefits it offers for gender equality, economic growth and the environment. Highlight how development finance actors, governments and regulatory frameworks, funders and investors can each play a role in scaling up local SMEs and MHH solutions that place women and girls at the centre, and the returns this can offer in terms of economic and social empowerment, for women,
communities and economies. 

Welcome speach

• Christian Frutiger, Vice-Director, SDC

Podium speakers

• WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (tbc)
• Wendy Anderson, Co-founder, The case for HER  

Moderator

• Jennifer Blanke, SHF Board Member and former WEF chief economist

Person for information & event registration
rucha.naware@shfund.org 
Communication Officer SHF

Person for media requests
Rosalyne Reber
Communication Officer SDC
Rosalyne.reber@eda.admin.ch

Join members of the Global Shapers Davos Hub, social entrepreneurs, waste management experts, local government and business leaders, as well as Global Shapers from all around the world for an interactive session hosted by the House of Switzerland. The discussion will focus on innovative solutions in waste management, with a particular emphasis on green waste, plastic, and construction materials.
The World Economic Forum leverages its multi-stakeholder approach while bringing together diverse perspectives and fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas and experiences. This session is aiming to empower change-makers to drive positive impact in the field of waste management and develop actionable projects that can be adopted locally and globally.

Find out more about this session by contacting davos@globalshapers.org.

Welcome speech

• Alexandre Edelmann, Head of Presence Switzerland
• Natalie Pierce, Head of the Global Shapers Community, World Economic Forum
• Sascha Lauterborn, Curator, Global Shapers Davos Hub

Podium speakers

• André Hoffmann, Chairman, Massellaz SA
• Salma Melissa Mohammadiyan, Morelia Hub, Mexico
• Luona Cai, Shanghai I Hub, China
• Joshua Verhoeven, Davos Hub, Switzerland

Firestarters 

• Garif Yalak, Head of Digital Transformation, Healthcare, Education & Governance, Cisco Systems
• Nicholaus Luoga, Global Shapers, Dar Es Salaam Hub

Moderation 

• Marek Miltner, researcher and software engineer 

Information, event registration & media requests
Global Shapers Hub Davos
Organizers of the session 
davos@globalshapers.org 

The international finance sector will play a catalytic role in the green transition. To meet the capital requirements ahead, innovation in blended finance approaches will be imperative, with private financial institutions working in partnership with governments and multilateral banks in unprecedented ways. However, at present, social and human rights factors are often seen as a risk for green investments that only adds cost and complexity, with a persistent lack of investment flowing to EMDE countries where the transition imperative includes deploying decarbonisation as a development tool.
The high-level and interactive dialogue will explore the ways in which blended capital approaches incorporate both social risks and social opportunities to serve truly just transitions locally and globally.

This dialogue is being hosted in the House of Switzerland because the Government of Switzerland considers just transitions, as recognized in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, an important crosscutting topic which is crucial for the successful implementation of climate action and limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Switzerland believes that economic sustainability and human rights are mutually dependent and interconnected. It is therefore imperative to involve the private sector, which plays a central role in shaping and delivering the transition, in discussions on the quality and pace of just transitions. The application of a human rights-centred approach by financial institutions, with the meaningful participation of those most affected, are priorities in the global just transitions agenda precisely to ensure the fastest and most efficient deployment of capital and industrial shifts.

Welcome speach

• Alexandre Fasel, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Podium speakers

• Mafalda Duarte, Executive Director, Green Finance Fund
• Rachel Kyte, former Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Energy for All, and Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All
• Sharan Burrow, former Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation
• Leslie Johnston, CEO, The Laudes Foundation 

Moderation

• John Morrison, CEO, IHRB

Person for information (please note that the event is fully booked)
Andrés Zaragoza
Event liaison (IHRB)
andres.zaragoza@ihrb.org 

Please RSVP to
Rémy Friedmann 
Senior Advisor
Desk Human Security and Business
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)
Peace and Human Rights Division
remy.friedmann@eda.admin.ch

Person for media requests
Sam Simmons
Head of Communications (IHRB)
sam.simmons@ihrb.org
+44 (0)78 953 176 57