Shakira urges nurturing of future leaders

Colombian singer Shakira receives a Crystal Award from Hilde Schwab, wife of WEF founder Klaus Schwab, during the forum in Davos on Monday. [Photo/Agencies]

Music star Shakira urged world and business leaders at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum on Monday to support efforts to feed, educate and care for underprivileged children.

"Today's babies will drive tomorrow's business. Their capacity to contribute will shape tomorrow's societies, will solve tomorrow's problems," the Colombian recording star, who is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador devoted to early childhood development, said in an impassioned speech.

Shakira, who was given a Crystal Award in Davos for her humanitarian work, is the founder of the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which works to provide underprivileged children in Colombia with access to quality education.

"In this room there are some of the most powerful people in the world, and definitely I'm convinced you know what it means to be ahead of the curve," she said.

"We need to apply the brains and strategies of business and the assets and human resources and talents of your companies to do social good and to solve social problems."

The forum also gave awards to violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, who runs a foundation providing scholarships for young musicians, and actor Forest Whitaker, who has worked as a global advocate for peace, focusing on empowering youth as leaders and entrepreneurs in communities touched by violence and poverty.

For 51 weeks of the year, the Swiss town of Davos is much like other Alpine ski resorts－fairly low profile. But around the annual forum, it turns into something more akin to a fortress.

Checkpoints, roadblocks, airspace restrictions and armed forces are put in place to provide security for the visiting business and political leaders.

Swiss authorities said the extra security cost for this year's gathering, which officially began on Tuesday, is around 9 million Swiss francs ($9 million) as of late November. That's split between various parties, including the central government and the WEF itself.

The cost of deploying troops at this event is said to be similar to that of regular training for battalions. In previous years, it has cost an average 28 million Swiss francs per meeting.

The Federal Council, Switzerland's executive branch, considers the WEF "an exceptional event", providing "a unique opportunity" to bolster relations with leading figures.

Agencies