 We're living in a time that we have to make our position very, very clear where we're standing. Do we move with the darkness or do we stand and support the light? It's a very important time because I think the world feels creaky and unstable and a lot of people uncomfortable. There's no doubt that the social contracts broke and if we don't make different choices for the future it will simply mean that democracy becomes collateral damage as well. Generational factors are an important issue. Now there's much more focus on rapid answers than thoughtful analysis. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is displacing jobs, it's creating new jobs and our education systems are underprepared for being able to deal with these shifts. Never since the Second World War did we have so many people in need of humanitarian assistance. A respect for the rights of all is the only method by which we can secure a peaceful future for our children. In current wars we can give countries certain confidence, certain power but don't forget we need to give back something too. Diversity is everything. Acceptance of that diversity is what strengthens a country, a society and therefore the world at large. If politics is about power, culture is really about creating trust. We have an old women's orchestra of Afghanistan which sends a very strong message to the community. Nothing is impossible. The fractures that we see are really the system within which the economy functions. What we need to move towards is a circular economy. These are the kind of solutions which are going to have profound societal impact in people's livelihoods. Science is a template for cooperation in a fractured world. We are actually using renewable energy to provide access to energy to remote communities who have never had access before. That is the power of technology. This is the first time in history that we are all connected enough to understand who has opportunity and who does not. We need to absolutely say leaders from all walks of life commit to renegotiating global solutions. We know that it can happen. We just want to see action. The opportunity still exists to rediscover a political cohesion and co-evolution in the world today. Dear President of the Swiss Confederation, Prime Minister of India, the Honorable Narendra Modi, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Heads of States and Government, Excellencies, Dear Co-Chairs, Dear Members and Friends of the World Economic Forum. It's a great pleasure to welcome you all for the 48th annual meeting. Over the next four days, in multiple sessions, we will analyze the big challenges we all face. And we will try to find solutions and join, hopefully, in common action to address the deficiencies of our global system. We will do so under the theme of creating a shared future in a fractured world. There is no doubt that we are living in a complex, interconnected, fast-moving world. We all depend on each other. We are here in this room, and we have a special responsibility to demonstrate that only through joint efforts we can improve the state of the world. In our dialogue and in our interactions, we have to be responsive to the voices of a fractured world. Sustained economic development can only be possible if we have social inclusion. I wish you a collaborative, a comprehensive, a constructive, and an impactful stay here in the Snowy Davos. It's now my pleasure to introduce to you the President of the Swiss Confederation and Federal Counselor of the Home Affairs of Switzerland, Alain Berset. For the last 48 years, Switzerland has been the home of the World Economic Forum. The collaboration between the Forum and the federal, continental, and communal governments has been outstanding. And as the annual meeting has grown over decades, the Swiss government at all levels has been a true partner, along the way, always ensuring excellent support, security, and above all, hospitality for all participants. And I should add this here, and thanks for the very fast snow removing in Davos. I would like to use this opportunity to thank you, Mr. President, the government, the parliament, and especially the people of the Contente de Grise, and of course, of our host city Davos-Closters. Mr. President, the floor is yours. Please welcome the President of the Swiss Confederation. Thank you, my dear Professor Schwab, Prime Minister, your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Switzerland, to Davos, for the 2018 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. For Switzerland, the host country for the Forum, it is a pleasure and an honour to be able to welcome you. We are here and ready to think together about the future of our societies and reflect together about the trends and actions that bring change and prosperity. Looking back over the last few years, it's immediately clear just how pertinent the theme for this year's meeting is, calling on us to create a shared future in a fractured world. Whereas 2016 was a year of disruption, surprises, confounded certainties and unexpected changes. Well, 2017 was somewhat karma. So what will happen in 2018? This year, will we perhaps reach the paradoxical conclusion that disruption has emerged not from societies' extremes, but from its centre, while social and economic progress is also coming from the majority and reaching most people. If we are to continue walking this path of progress, 2018 has to be the year where we reaffirm the importance of international collaboration and multilateralism. Our shared responsibility has to return to its rightful place at the very top of our priorities. Ladies and gentlemen, we face multiple challenges. We are seeing the emergence of geopolitical fractures and instability in many regions of the world. We are seeing protracted armed conflicts that destabilise entire economies and societies, leading to mass displacements and sowing the seeds of terrorism. And then there is also climate change, which is a major concern and inequalities at the global level. We know what we need to do to reduce these uncertainties and to guarantee the safety and wellbeing of our populations. We need political well at all levels. There needs to be strong involvement from the international institutions on security, peace and human rights. There needs to be a partnership between national and international institutions. And there also needs to be strong engagement from the financial institutions. However, in many parts of the world things seem to be moving in the opposite direction, looking inwards rather than outwards, a return of nationalism, towards a narrowing of the political outlook together with mistrust of multilateralism and suspicion of free trade. These trends continue to widen existing fractures rather than narrow them. I, however, firmly believe that we need to promote international cooperation in order to promote political stability, good governance and economic development. Because if widespread mistrust and resentment continues to spread, it will be the poorest and the weakest who will be the first victims. Naturally, that necessitates political support at the national level. There can, ladies and gentlemen, be no international cooperation without states willing to cooperate. And to achieve this we need solid roots, we need strong ownership at the national level. And we also need to have shared confidence in collective action. Anyone who's scared of cooperation withdraws from the world. Our population's confidence in a state which creates structures and protects its citizens is essential to guarantee openness, dialogue and cooperation. Ladies and gentlemen, without strong support at home, foreign policy risks to remain empty wards. And the strong growth of the global economy feeds the illusion that nationalists and protectionist movements were just a passing phase. But they are not. Economic good news stories must not blind us. We need to tackle far-reaching structural problems. And the lesson of the last two years is clear and still applies. The mainstream of society must see society as being fair, otherwise it will use its veto. And there is only one solution to remove the underlying causes of that unease, resentment and anger. To have a policy of social inclusion, ranging from educational opportunities for everybody to a social state that mobilizes people's talents to a fiscal policy that allows us to invest in social cohesion. Our continued openness to the world and the will to cooperate internationally can only be guaranteed if people do not feel powerless. Our societies can only function if people feel that they can control developments like globalization or immigration. The US political theorist John Ikenberry reminds us of the formula for success in the post-war years. I quote, Sustained domestic support for openness, post-war leaders knew, would be possible only if countries also established social protections and regulations that safeguarded economic stability. The Atlantic Charter announced by Roosevelt and Winston Churchill in 1941 and the Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944, where early efforts to articulate a vision of economic openness and social stability end quote. Are things really so different today? I don't believe so. Most people have no objection to openness and exchange as long as they feel secure. And they can only feel secure if they have economic opportunities. Ladies and gentlemen, what does the country need to remain competitive over a long period of time? Stability and functioning institutions, good infrastructure, an educational system that produces innovative minds, and above all, equal opportunities. Equal opportunities which allow men and women to exploit their potential for the benefit of society. Actually, it is clear that the better the educational and live opportunities people have, the greater our country's innovative strengths. And the better women's position in the labor markets, the stronger the economy is. Over the past decades, the welfare states and the markets economy have often been played off against each other. The game was wrong, as well as the assumptions. After all, uncertainty and social injustice do not lead to economic prosperity. Fear is not productive. Fear does not drive innovation. The opposite is true. Security in society gives us the freedom to try out new ideas. Economic security gives us the courage to bring out the best in ourselves. And societies in which income is fairly distributed and in which there is equal access to health systems also generate more trust among the members. And this is essential for our country to attract business because no one invests without trust. Ladies and gentlemen, is this an argument in favor of the primacy of politics? No, it is not. We need a balance between politics and economics. Just as we need a balance between competitiveness on the one hand and social solidarity and fair educational opportunities on the other. It is not the primacy of politics that we need. It is the primacy of the political. We need to recognize that political considerations form the basis of our society and form the basis of our value system. Not only the material aspects of people's lives, but also the attitudes, feelings and expectations. This includes the rule of law, human rights and democracy, and not least our sense of responsibility for the world's problems. Only if we base our actions on the primacy of the political can we oppose to the attitude of resistance, frustration and mistrust. Only thus, by strengthening political legitimacy domestically, can we strengthen international relations and cooperation. Let us make 2018 a year in which we overcome the phase of hand-wringing and self-criticism in which each of us works to promote social inclusion.