STORY: The global elites are heading for Switzerland again.

After years of health-crisis disruption, the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is back in its traditional snowy January slot.

And a record number of attendees are expected.

That should include 52 heads of state or government, 19 central bank governors, and over 600 CEOs.

A high-level Chinese presence is expected, but the Russian delegation will be notable by its absence.

That’s no surprise, with the conflict in Ukraine among the top items on the agenda.

Also on the week’s to-do list: how to avoid a global recession in 2023, and how to stop an energy crunch derailing efforts to tackle climate change.

Critics remain skeptical, however.

They say Davos is just a talking shop, and probably does more to stoke global warming, given how so many delegates fly in on private jets.

Forum founder Klaus Schwab disagrees.

He says the event brings together decision-makers with the power to effect real change at a difficult time:

“Here we are, at the beginning of the year, new year, looking ahead to our future characterised by unprecedented multiple crises. And even worse: those economic, environmental, social and geo-political crises are converting and conflicting, creating an extremely versatile and uncertain future. Therefore, it’s no surprise that generally, we are all stuck in a crisis mindset.”

This year's official theme for the event is “cooperation in a fragmented world”.

The Davos forum runs from Monday (January 16) until Friday (January 20).