Davos has become one of the capitals of globalization. Every year, the small Swiss mountain resort hosts the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and attracts about 2,000 corporate CEOs, leading politicians, academics and journalists. Hundreds of workshops and informal meetings provide opportunities to discuss important issues. The world's presidents and prime ministers court corporate chiefs and financiers; together they chart the global economic rules for finance, trade and development. Under the grand motto of being "committed to improving the state of the world," past Forum meetings have engendered the launch of trade negotiations such as the GATT's Uruguay Round or NAFTA. The upcoming Annual Meeting will discuss topics such as "Building the new financial architecture," "After Seattle: who wants trade liberalization?," "How many people can the earth sustain," "What's left to privatize," and "The fate of the universe."

The format of any meeting should be compatible with its goals and topics. The World Economic Forum agrees that "creating a new paradigm of governance at the national as well as international level" is a central challenge of the 21st century. Yet what is the WEF's own governance paradigm? Its members are the 1,000 largest private corporations and 1,000 so-called global growth companies. At the Annual Meetings, closed circles of business, government, academia and media elites discuss problems of global importance. The media representatives are handpicked, and some have been refused accreditation after reporting critically about the WEF. Journalists are excluded from certain secret meetings altogether. Common people have no voice in the discussions of Davos. Women are a small minority among the participants. The number of NGO representatives is growing, but still minimal too. This secretive approach is not compatible with the "highest degree of credibility, efficiency and accountability" which the WEF purports to aspire to. Symbolized by NAFTA and the Uruguay Round, the approach has rather contributed the very problems of economic marginalization, financial crisis, loss of democratic space, social exclusion and environmental destruction which the world is suffering from today.

Public affairs must be negotiated in democratic fora, in a spirit of openness and participation, with full public debate and dissent. We therefore believe that there are two choices for the World Economic Forum. If it intends to remain an exclusive club of the world's corporate elite, the representatives of governments and international organizations should not negotiate their affairs at the Forum's exclusive gatherings in Davos anymore. The failure of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) and the WTO Millenium Round demonstrates that in today's world, issues of public interest cannot be negotiated behind closed doors any longer.

If on the other hand, the WEF intends to become an forum where important public concerns have a place to be debated, it must radically change its perspectives, rules and proceedings. It should put concerns such as debt cancellation, fair trade, democratic control of international institutions, stopping the abuse of human rights and discrimination against women, preventing the privatization of life forms and public goods, and changing unsustainable consumption patterns at the cetre stage of its agenda. Participation at the WEF must be expanded to include a fair balance of all social sectors, particularly the groups who have so far been marginalized by the globalization processes. The interested media should be free to attend all meetings of the Forum, and the practice of secret meetings should be discontinued. To borrow the Forum's 2000 motto, such an approach would indeed constitute a "new beginning" for Davos.

Henceforth, NGOs will be present in Davos in order to monitor the discussions of the World Economic Forum. We will press for new perspectives and more democratic space at the Forum so that the social groups who pay the price for the globalization process can speak up. The public eye is on Davos.

This statement has been endorsed by 150 NGOs from all over the world.

Argentina

	FOCO Foro de Consulta a la Sociedad Civil Sobre el Ajuste Estructural
	IDEMI Instituto Para el Desarrollo de la Micro y Pequeña Empresa

Australia

	AID/WATCH
	Australian Council for Overseas Aid (ACFOA)
	Economic Reform Australia (ERA)
	Pacific BioWeb
	People's Movement
	SAGFIN (South Australian Genetic Food Information Network)
	The Australian Greens
	The Uniting Ministry with the Ageing, Uniting Church
	Urban Ecology Australia Inc.

Austria

	Center for Encounters and Active Non-violence
	PLAGE, the Salzburg Regional Coalition Against Nuclear Dangers
	Salzburg Forum against MAI/ WTO
	SOL (solidarity, ecology and lifestyle)
	Weltladen Lienz und Verein Trikont

Belgium

	Fern
	Friends of the Earth Europe
	NCOS (National Centre for Development Cooperation)
	Oxfam-Wereldwinkels

Brazil

	PACS (Instituto de Politicas Alternativas para o Cone Sul)

Cameroon

	Centre pour l'Environnement et le Développement (CED)

Canada

	Council of Canadians Vancouver Chapter
	Halifax InitiativeRAFI Rural Advancement Fund International
	WPIRG-WTO working group

Chile

	ALIANZA CHILENA (Alianza Chilena por un Comercio Justo y responsable)
	CODEPU (Corporación de Promoción y Defensa de los Derechos del Pueblo)
	RAÍCES, Santiago

Colombia

	Centro de Debate y Acción Ambiental

Costa Rica

	ALOP (Asociación Latinoamericana de Organizaciones de Promoción

Cyprus

	ARC

Czech Rep

	Hnuti DUHA/Friends of Earth

Ecuador

	Cepam Guayaquil,

Finland

	Friends of the Earth

France

	Ecoropa

Germany

	GERMANWATCH
	IMBAS Initiative für die Menschenrechte aller BürgerInnen der ASEAN-Staaten
	Institute of Interdisciplinary Study and Research, Trier
	Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU) e.V.
	Urgewald
	WEED - World Economy, Ecology & Development Association

Ghana

	The Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC)

Great Britain

	Centre for Food Policy, Great Britain
	Friends of Bosavi
	Friends of the Earth England Wales and Northen Ireland
	New Economics Foundation
	PARTIZANS, London
	People & Planet
	The Corner House
	The Gaia Trust , Anderby, Skegness
	World Development Movement

Guatemala

	Tropico Verde

India

	Insaaf International
	International Group for Grassroots Initiatives
	Jai Sen
	Kalpavriksh - Environmental Action Group
	WOMEN'S CENTRE, Bombay

Indonesia

	INFID - International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development
	PAN

Italy

	Comitato Cile 98
	Cooperativa Roba dell'Altro Mondo
	Diritto in Lutto
	Donne in Nero di Bologna

- elio Basso International Foundation für the Rights and Liberation of People

	Reform the World Bank Campaign,
	Rete di Lilliput

Jamaica

	Women's Media Watch

Japan

	APEC Monitor NGO Network
	Friends of the Earth
	Global Village
	Japan CHT Committee

Kenya

	ECOTERRA Intl.

Latvia

	Green Liberty - Riga

Lithuania

	Lithuanian Green Movement

Malta

	Moviment ghall-Ambjent FoE

Mexico

	Alcadeco, A. C.,
	Red de Informacion Rural

Netherlands

	Both ENDS

Pakistan

	Development VISIONS

Peru

	Indigenous Peoples´Biodiversity Network (International)
	Instituto Bartolomer de las Casas RIMAC
	Kechua-Aymara Association for Sustainable Livelihoods, ANDES

Senegal

	Interface Trading

Slovakia

	Center for Environmental Public Advocacy
	Friends of the Earth
	Society of friends of the Earth

South Africa

	Environmental Monitoring Group

Sweden

	Fältbiologerna
	The Nordic-Latinamerican Association
	The Trees and People Forum

Switzerland

	Berne Declaration
	Blauen-Institut
	Bruno Manser Fonds
	CO-OPERAID
	Espace Femmes Internation (EFI)
	GSoA
	Incomindios
	Oekumenisches Forume EINE WELT Ost-Schweiz
	Ökumenische Gemeinde Halden
	Ökumenische Kommission für Gerechtigkeit, Frieden und Bewahrung der Schöpfung
	Pro Natura - Friends of the Earth
	RSE, Réseau pour la responsabilité sociale dans l'économie
	sci Service Civile International
	SDS Sustainable Development Services
	Swiss Coalition of Development Organizations
	Theologischen Bewegung für Solidarität und Befreiung

Thailand

	Focus on the Global South

Uruguay

	ITeM Instituto del Tercer Mundo

USA

	50 Years Is Enough Network
	American Lands Alliance
	Anarchist Action of Rochester
	Campaign for Labor Rights
	Center of Concern
	Cumberland Countians for Peace & Justice
	Earth Justice Ministries
	Environmental Defense Fund
	Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy, Oakland,
	Globalization Challenge Initiative
	Grassroots International
	Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee
	Humanitarian Law Project
	Institute for Policy Studies
	International Rivers Network
	Left Business Observer
	Lowell Center for Sustainable Production
	Medical Mission Sisters' Alliance for Justice
	MoKan Alliance for Democracy
	Network for Environmental and Economic Responsibility, United Church of Christ
	Nicaragua Network, Washington
	Organic Consumers Association
	Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch
	Rainforest Action Network
	Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs
	Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project
	Southern Neighborhoods Network
	The Development GAP
	The Institute for Labor Studies
	U.S. Catholic Mission Association
	United Church of Christ, Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility
	United for a Fair Economy Boston
	Washington Biotechnology Action Council
	Women, Food and Agriculture Network
	World Economy Project, Preamble Center
	WQM
	Asia Indigenous Women's Network
	Friends of the Earth Middle East
	Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples' international Centre for Policy Research and Education)
	The Alliance for Democracy
	George J. Aditjondro, M.S. (Cornell), Ph.D. (Cornell)
	Bill Blaikie, MP, International Trade Critic - New Democratic Party of Canada
	Bradley, Janina
	Anna Galliolo e Ercole Ongaro
	Ester Aída S. de Jaraz
	Lee Rhiannon, Greens member of the NSW Legislative Council
	Peter Dale Scott, Author, Professor of English Emeritus