Davos forum opens to debate on economic recovery

The forum is bringing in some 2,500 people - ranging from Jordan's King Abdullah to Canadian author Margaret Atwood - to discuss and debate a host of issues facing the planet.

They range from how to keep a nascent economic recovery on track to streamlining humanitarian and disaster aid in the aftermath of the brutal Haiti earthquake.

The annual gathering, now its 40th year, has long been a beacon for talks and debates and draws a who's who of the world's public figures.