LONDON — It’s that time of year when great minds gather in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual World Economic Forum.
Many heads of state, politicians and business tycoons will attend the four-day event at the Alpine resort, but more telling is which leaders will shy away from the forum.
While Donald Trump, who was inaugurated as US President on Monday, is expected to address the forum via live video link on Thursday, some key leaders will miss the event entirely.
These include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The only head of state among the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations that includes the United States, Europe's largest economies, Canada and Japan to attend the summit in person is outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The World Economic Forum said this year's 55th annual forum, which will take place from Monday to Thursday and will bring together nearly 3,000 leaders from more than 130 countries, said the gathering "demonstrates the urgent need for dialogue in an era of increasing uncertainty." ". The report states that 350 government leaders, including 60 heads of state and government, "will gather in Davos-Klosters to address pressing challenges and create new opportunities."
The theme of the event is "Collaboration in the Smart Age" and the agenda focuses on five key areas: Reimagining Growth, Industries for the Smart Age, Investing in People, Protecting the Planet and Rebuilding Trust.
However, not all world leaders will be present to discuss these issues.
“The leaders of Brazil, China, India who gave keynote speeches a decade ago are no longer here. Russia has been unpopular for several years and Keir Starmer won’t be there. Leiden University Global Transformation and Governance Challenges Professor Jan Aart Scholte told CNBC on Thursday: “Macron will not be attending. "
"It's true that the Prime Minister of Spain will be there and a few other Prime Ministers, but the general picture of the heads of state and government who are attending is that they are not big names. I think if you look at the G20 list, you will find that (the people attending) are just A handful,” he said.
Official reasons for absenting from the World Economic Forum are often not given, but pressing domestic issues - from slowing economic growth to political crises - are known to keep heads of government at home.
In recent years there have also been some ambivalence about attending an event that has been accused of being elitist and out of touch with reality.
The forum has repeatedly stated that it provides a space for stakeholders from business, government, academia, civil society, media and the arts to "meet on a global, impartial, not-for-profit platform."
According to the report, these individuals “come together to find common ground, seize opportunities, and effect positive change on major global issues.”
The World Economic Forum said in a statement to CNBC on Monday that while it always values the presence of key global leaders, “the annual meeting’s impact and ability to drive meaningful dialogue and action depends on a broad and representative A collective community effort.”
This year’s program, the forum continued, “aims to address the most pressing global challenges, including economic fragmentation, technological transition and climate action.”
The World Economic Forum added: "We recognize that global leaders face broad commitments and responsibilities, and their absence does not diminish our continued engagement with their respective governments and institutions throughout the year."
Many big names will still be attending this year's summit - an event that began in 1971 under the chairmanship of Klaus Schwab, who served as the event's executive chairman until early this year.
Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, Ukrainian President Zelensky, Argentinian Prime Minister Javier Milley and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will speak in Davos this week.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also attend, as well as leaders of global organizations including the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization.
Sven Smit, a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, a strategic partner of the World Economic Forum, said in online comments that the first priority for attendees was to "understand the thinking of leaders in Davos."
"You can't completely predict it, there are themes that have been brought up and they range from growth to sustainability, but as a distillation of Davos themes it's not entirely predictable and that's the interesting part," Smit said.
In recent years, however, many participating Western institutions have found themselves on the wrong side of opposition to globalization from populist leaders such as Trump and countries such as Russia and China.
Short noted that the World Economic Forum has also run afoul of this anti-establishment trend, and while the presence of a leader like Trump may not have been sought in the past, there is now an acknowledgment that the world has changed.
"I don't think promoters of a free, open world economy will speak with the same disdain they did before the global financial crisis when talking about opposing forces and perspectives," he said.
"I think being humble, no, sometimes doesn't quite cut it. No, we don't always fully consider those who feel left out."
Nonetheless, he stressed that the World Economic Forum remains attractive to many business and political leaders.
"There are multiple signs that the appeal of sites like the World Economic Forum is not as strong as it was a few decades ago," Short said. "But the idea that it's no longer attractive, and that there aren't certain areas in world economic governance where it can still be very powerful, I think is wrong."