The 29th Davos World Economic Forum will be examining the issue of responsible globality, a truly apt theme for an assembly that brings together decision-makers and intellectuals from all fields. I am delighted that Switzerland has the privilege of hosting this annual event which is so well suited to our national political culture a culture where the sharing of responsibilities prevails, as well as a certain distrust of any attempt at hegemony, whether by individuals, political parties or companies. One consequence of this is that every year, a different President of the Swiss Confederation bids you a warm welcome to Davos, highlighting that, in this particular case, change betokens the stability of our institutions. Faced with the internationalization challenge, responsible globality implies a multitude of players, showing that globalization cannot be seamless or synonymous with standardization and the ironing out of differences.
Barriers fall, avenues open up and communications become faster and faster.
But markets do not expand into empty territories. Their main characteristic is that they are home to human beings embodying a tremendous cultural diversity who occupy very different places in the world economy. We all know this and see fresh proof of it every day. In the past, States have played a major role in this connection. While the business world has not without good reason concentrated mainly on growth and generating riches, States for their part have assumed the essential function of redistributing wealth.