M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the economy, leads the Thai delegation which also includes Mr. Narongchai Akrasanee, Minister of Energy, and Mr. Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudhya, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, to join the world leaders’ gathering at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held in Davos during 21-24 January 2015.

The theme of this year’s Davos meeting, “The New Global Context: What will we do about it?”, is both relevant and timely since the international community is encountering uncertainty and complex challenges arising from profound political, economic, social and technological transformations. Thailand’s participation in this global forum will be a good opportunity to present its progress in national development and reform agenda as Thailand is continuing its journey towards a strengthened democracy under good governance, transparency and accountability.

At this Forum, the Deputy Prime Minister attended several sessions on the development of the ASEAN Community, the global political and economic trends, as well as digital economy which is one of the priority areas of the government. The sessions include “The ASEAN Agenda” “The End of Democracy?”, “Fundamental of the Internet Economy”, “Europe's Twin Challenges: Growth and Stability", "Asia Growth Market" and "The Future of the Digital Economy”.
Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula also had bilateral meetings with high ranking representatives from business sectors namely, Prof. Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF, ITU (International Telecommunication Union: ITU) Secretary-General, Standard Chartered Bank, Cisco and Visa.

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is widely recognized by global political, economic, and media leaders as a premier forum for exchanging information and insights on global trends and issues. Since 2009, Thai Prime Ministers and Ministers have continuously participated in the Davos and other WEF meetings. In 2012, Thailand hosted the WEF on East Asia under the theme “Shaping the Region’s Future through Connectivity”. This demonstrates Thailand’s active engagement in global economic fora and WEF.