Cosgrove To Attend Annual Meeting Of World Economic Forum - Davos Switzerland

Clayton Cosgrove, Labour Member of Parliament for Waimakariri leaves on the weekend to attend the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland.

The Annual Meeting has emerged as the top international event bringing together business and political leaders from around the world, along with world-renowned academic experts, media leaders and representatives from civil society. Mr Cosgrove is attending the Annual Meeting at the Forum’s invitation.

The theme of the Annual Meeting 2003, Building Trust, is more appropriate than ever. In today’s fast-changing and uncertain context, the agenda of the Annual Meeting will focus on addressing the key economic, financial and business issues that are part of our daily priorities.

At the Forum Mr Cosgrove will meet a number of high profile political, academic and business leaders people including: General Wesley Clark former NATO Commander, Pauline Marois Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Economy and Research of Quebec, Eva Biaudet Minister of Health and Social Services of Finland, Ian Goldin, Director of Development Policy at the World Bank, Austan Goolsbee Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes Director, International Institute for Corporate Governance at the Yale School of Management, Fareed Zakaria Editor, Newsweek International and Andre Dua Associate Principal McKinsey & Company Inc USA.

Others participating in the Annual Meeting include: Former US President Bill Clinton, US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Bill Gates founder of Microsoft, H.M. King Abdullah II of Jordan, Grant Aldonas US Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade, John Ashcroft US Attorney-General, Alec Urwin Minister of Trade and Industry of South Africa and Donald Johnston Secretary-General of the OECD.

Last year Mr Cosgrove was appointed a member of the World Economic Forum’s Free Trade Task Force which will meet during the Annual Meeting.

The Task Force, whose objective is to promote global trade liberalisation, is co-ordinated by Matthew Cadbury, a former senior executive of Cadbury Schweppes Hudson. The purpose of the group is to encourage faster progress towards free trade as a means to increase wealth in the world and reduce poverty.

Members of the task force include Ian Goldin, Director of Development Policy at the World Bank in Washington, David Kamenetzky, an Associate at the leading investments firm Goldman Sachs in Germany, and Paola Ghillani, Chief Executive Officer of Switzerland’s Max Havelaar Foundation (a company dedicated to opening the markets of developed countries under fair and sustainable conditions of trade).

"I am looking forward to once again attending the Forum’s Annual Meeting. It is a great honour and gives me the opportunity to interact with and learn from some of the world’s great political leaders and entrepreneurs and bring back some new and innovative ideas to this country. I also look forward to renewing old friendships and networks with people from around the world who are key supporters of New Zealand and it’s many trading and commercial causes", Mr Cosgrove said.

Background Information

Each year members of the World Economic Forum nominate 100 new Global Leaders of Tomorrow (GLTs). Mr Cosgrove was nominated in the class of 2002 and is the first New Zealand politician to be selected. Mr Cosgrove attended last years Annual Meeting in New York and is attending this years Meeting again at the invitation of the Forum.

In line with the Forum’s commitment to building partnerships between business and society to improve the state of the world, the GLT initiative was started in 1993 to provide an informal, efficient framework for an ongoing exchange of opinions on strategic issues of concern to this younger generation of decision-makers.

Active task forces and initiatives that have grown out of the GLT activities range from environmental sustainability, the changing face of healthcare and the future of Europe to the prospects of leadership and service, and the social impact of new technology.

The World Economic Forum ( http://www.weforum.org), based in Geneva, Switzerland, is an independent organisation committed to improving the state of the world. Funded by the contributions of 1,000 of the world's foremost corporations, the Forum acts in the spirit of entrepreneurship in the global public interest to further economic growth and social progress. The Forum serves its members and society by creating partnerships between and among business, political, intellectual and other leaders of society to define, discuss and advance key issues on the global agenda.

Incorporated in 1971 as a foundation, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit, and is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. In 1995 the Forum was awarded NGO consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

(Note: The trip is being jointly funded by Mr Cosgrove and the World Economic Forum)

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