Davos is a study in contradictions. For a few days at the end of January each year, this tiny Swiss ski resort nestled several hours from any large airport plays host to world leaders, top bankers and a posse of stars from the realms of science and entertainment.

In the eyes of critics, this summit is a stuffy club for the global elite. Yet it concerns itself with some of the main issues affecting the world’s poor – food and water security, as well as youth unemployment.

The Davos World Economic Forum schedules an eclectic array of debates many months ahead of time, on everything from economics and business to fine art. Yet it often seems to be up to the minute on issues. Take last year. Just when you thought the biggest annual collection of important people was going to miss the biggest breaking story at the time – the start of the Arab spring – the new leadership of Tunisia turned up, spreading their message and helping to rally global support for democratic change in the Middle East.