GENEVA, January 16. /TASS/. This year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos is happening amid a time, difficult like no other, because the world is facing a multitude of crises at the same time, WEF Executive Director Klaus Schwab said Monday, calling the participants to solve the problems connected to the "approach to the future" creatively and with a positive mood.

Schwab wished the representatives of over 100 states that arrived at the forum a "nice and productive" stay in Davos.

"We could not have met at a more difficult time - right now, we face so many crises simultaneously," he said. The Executive Direction underscored that, in order to "master the future," it is necessary to have a "platform that would involve all stakeholders of a global community," including governments, business, the public and the youth.

"I believe that this is the first step towards responding to all these challenges," Schwab said. "But it is even more important to approach the future with a positive mood that reflects the human creativity and ingenuity," he concluded.

Schwab’s speech was followed by a traditional annual ceremony of awarding prominent culture and art figures.