World Economic Forum chief Borge Brende resigns over Epstein ties

• Borge Brende, the president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, announced his resignation on February 26,

• The resignation came weeks after the forum launched an independent investigation into his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

• Brende became president of the WEF in 2017.

• Earlier, he was the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Minister of Climate and the Environment. 

• He served as Deputy Chairman of the Norwegian Conservative Party as well as MP. 

• He was also full-time city counsellor in his hometown of Trondheim. 

• He was chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and Secretary-General of the Norwegian Red Cross. 

• WEF announced that Alois Zwinggi will serve as interim president and CEO.

• Brende’s decision to quit follows a series of revelations relating to Epstein.

• The revelations have roiled business and political elites, and even the British royal family.

Who was Jeffrey Epstein?

• Jeffrey Epstein was born in 1953 and, prior to his arrest, worked at various jobs in the financial industry and ultimately developed considerable wealth.

• Epstein, who died by suicide at age 66 in August 2019 in a New York jail cell, moved in circles that included national and international politicians, celebrities and business figures. 

• He faced criminal investigations in the United States over allegations that he operated a system to recruit and sexually exploit young girls — many of them minors and in vulnerable circumstances.

• His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and other offences, and sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison.

• In January, the US Department of Justice opted to publicize a large section of the documents related to their investigation of Epstein, called the Epstein Files. 

• Millions of Epstein-related documents include the names of the world’s rich and powerful.

• A few days ago, former British royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested over his links to Epstein.

What is the World Economic Forum (WEF)?

• The World Economic Forum is the international organisation for public-private cooperation. It engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

• It was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. 

• It is independent, impartial and not tied to any special interests. 

• The Forum strives in all its efforts to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while upholding the highest standards of governance. Moral and intellectual integrity is at the heart of everything it does.

• The Forum produces over 150 reports each year on topics ranging from competitiveness to gender equality. 

The flagship publications include:

i) The Global Competitiveness Report

ii) The Gender Gap Report

iii) The Global Risks Report

iv) The Global Information Technology Report

v) The Financial Development Report

vi) The Global Enabling Trade Report

vii) Social Mobility Index

viii) Energy Transition Index

ix) The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report

• The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is held every January in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, bringing together more than 3,000 business, government and civil society leaders from over 130 countries.