Colourful impressions of the World Economic Forum 2019

a woman takes a selfie with some soldiers in uniform. — Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd takes a selfie (WEFie?) with soldiers (Keystone/Ennio Leanza) Keystone/Ennio Leanza

A young girl walks with a protest banner on a snowy street — Sixteen-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrives at Davos. She addressed global political and business leaders in a speech on the final day (Keystone/Valentin Flauraud) Keystone/Valentin Flauraud

Man standing at the top of a ladder next to a fence — A planespotter or VIP-spotter waits for arrivals (Keystone/Walter Bieri) Keystone/Walter Bieri

WEF demonstrator — Not a fan: leftwing demonstrators held a peaceful protest on Thursday (Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller) © KEYSTONE / Gian Ehrenzeller

A man wears 3D goggles — Imagining a world of no queues and cheap accommodation: virtual reality at the WEF annual meeting, which uses the slogan “Globalization 4.0” (Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller) Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller

A loine of people waiting in a foyer — Line of work (WEF/Valeriano Di Domenico) World Economic Forum / Valeriano Di Domenico

Member of the Swiss special police force keeps watch — A member of the Swiss special police force is on guard next to the congress centre (Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller) Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

A womans face is lit up by her mobile phone. — An illuminated member of the audience (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

Two men sit talking on a stage with the picture of a polar bear in the background — The Duke of Cambridge discusses environmental challenges with broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) AP Photo / Markus Schreiber

From left, Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Swiss Federal President Ueli Maurer and Swiss Federal Councillor Alain Berset — From left, Federal Councillors Guy Parmelin, Ueli Maurer and Alain Berset relax during the opening of The House of Switzerland (Keystone/Laurent Gillieron) Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

An exercise book wioth the words I worry about written on the cover — I don't worry about running out of pens (WEF/Valeriano Di Domenico) World Economic Forum / Valeriano Di Domenico

A man writes on a notice board while attending a meeting on AI — The writing's on the wall during a session on the future of AI, computing and mathematics (WEF/Valeriano Di Domenico) World Economic Forum / Valeriano Di Domenico

Two men sit on a bench inside a room with plants, one of the men wears a jacket with the hood over his head. — Sometimes you just need a bit of peace and quiet (Keystone/Laurent Gillieron) Keystone/Laurent Gillieron

As the annual general meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) draws to an end in Davos, we reflect on a hectic week of networking, brainstorming, protesting – and queuing.

This content was published on January 25, 2019 - 11:15

I write articles on the Swiss Abroad and “Quirky Switzerland” as well as daily/weekly briefings. I also translate, edit and sub-edit articles for the English department and do voiceover work for videos. Born in London, I have a degree in German/Linguistics and was a journalist at The Independent before moving to Bern in 2005. I speak all three official Swiss languages and enjoy travelling the country and practising them, above all in pubs, restaurants and gelaterias.

Born in England, I've lived in Switzerland since 1994. I trained as a graphic designer in Zurich between 1997 – 2002. More recently I have moved on to work as photo editor and joined the team at swissinfo.ch in March 2017.

Helen James (picture editor), Thomas Stephens (text), swissinfo.ch

The 3,000 or so statesmen, business leaders, scientists and activists from around the world will be packing up on Friday and heading off to do their moving and shaking elsewhere. Some 500 journalists will do the same.

WEF 2019 didn’t have the big political names of previous years – domestic woes meant US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron all pulled out – but princes, popstars and the (paying) public all rubbed shoulders without incident in the Swiss mountain resort, attending debates, workshops and presentations.

swissinfo.ch was also there, of course, reporting on a wide range of issues including gender equality, the role of technology in the future of food and pharmacology, and environmental pollution.

What were the highlights (or lowlights) of the 49^th gathering for you?

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

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