Why Asia will benefit from the Davos to New York move

Frank-Jurgen Richter, World Economic Forum, Geneva

After all that has happened at a global level in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, can an international meeting of government and business in New York claim to be impartial?

This week the World Economic Forum -- known for its annual gathering of business and political elites in a small Swiss mountain town called Davos -- decided to hold its Annual Meeting for 2002 in New York.

This exceptional decision is a direct response to the September tragedy. Among the many negative impacts of the attacks of that day are not only the economic downturn but also a fractured public conscience and a need for reconciliation and dialog among stakeholders in rebuilding our global society.

By moving the Annual Meeting to New York, the World Economic Forum aims to help the rebuilding process by creating a platform for dialog across boundaries and cultures at the center of the devastation. By siding with New York we are signaling our support for a city that has always welcomed the widest diversity of people and evolved into one of the world's leading financial and intellectual centers.

Let us be clear, however, that the Forum will not underwrite a Western agenda. Our Annual Meeting 2002 will remain an international gathering, preserving the "spirit of Davos" in recognition of the fact that global solutions come from a discussion that is globally inclusive and yet impartial and independent.

The proposition of an international meeting in New York has great implications for Asia's business and political leaders who may be considering or committed to take part. We hold that despite initial doubts -- anthrax and security, distractions, a partisan agenda -- the balance weighs in Asia's favor.

The global recession strikes at the heart of Asia's economic lifeline -- i.e. exports to developed markets -- and Asia needs more than ever to integrate itself now more substantively into the global economy. There is greater access to the international community and a deeper Asian presence in New York than in virtually any other city in the world.

New York represents internationalism at its best -- in business, thought and culture. A Davos in New York will forge the global agenda in this spirit and draw strength from the city's resilience and multilateral approach to problem solving.

Although the world of Asian business remains distinctly regional, a few core ways of doing business are increasingly becoming globalized. Asia needs to capture the best of this knowledge -- both from the discussions held during the meeting, but also from the "buzz" of being in one of the world's foremost business centers.

The question for Asia is simply whether to embrace integration into the global agenda built around political, business and civil society leaders, or to stand back and observe from the sidelines.

For a region with a historic tendency to turn inwards at signs of stress and tension, Asia is confronted again with the risks of realizing the interdependence which will shape the world's development. Asia stands to gain much from participating in an environment as embracing as New York, in a meeting to make history.