Shakira and US Vice President Joe Biden get Davos 2017 under way.

Davos has been busy tonight with meetings, nobnobbing, some exclusive private dinner, and plenty of armed police to deter anyone from sneaking around where they shouldn’t.

But before that all started, WEF’s founder, Klaus Schwab, told delegates that they need to up their game and deliver responsive and responsible leadership (the theme of this year’s Forum).

Schwab said:

“Responsive means that we listen to and interact with those who have entrusted us with leadership.

It is always important to prioritize the public social good over our own interests. We must emphasize humanization over robotization.”

Schwab is hoping that this week’s meeting will find ways to reform capitalism and boost growth, adding:

“Sometimes it seems that the world is overwhelmed by pessimism and cynicism. But we have to look in a confident way into the future.”

Full marks for optimism, after a year that has demolished the Davos world view. We’ll find out this week if WEF can rise to the challenge….