Emphasising that globalisation has been more of a blessing than a curse, Swiss President Johann N Schneider-Ammann has said that without industrial revolutions many people would have been deprived of social benefits and a more affluent life.
While 2015 brought us endless flows of refugees, murderous terrorism and economic crisis, it would be a fatal mistake to react to this backdrop with resignation instead of resolve, he said.
"Because if we look at the bigger picture, we also see well-functioning democracies, well-performing industries, blossoming new markets and growth," he said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) here.
According to him, openness and restrictions are not absolutes. While cultures continue to blend, a clear counter-trend of fundamentalism and hate can also be seen, he added.
"As history has shown us, globalisation has been much more of a blessing than a curse... Without global economic growth, we could never have coped with the world's rising population," Schneider-Ammann said.
According to him, without the earlier industrial revolutions, many people would still be deprived of vital social benefits, access to education and a more affluent life.
"... What we have today is a scepticism that is holding back free trade. A retreat into protectionism. And a failure to see that, in the longer term, open markets are the only way to raise per capita income," Schneider-Ammann said.
Noting that many people are fearful right now of wage pressures and inequality, he said others expect to see new jobs and industries emerge.
"Changes are not optional. They will happen, whether we like it or not. The working world is becoming more and more digitised.
"This calls for new and different skills. And it's up to us to provide them. The distinction between an engineer and a programmer is growing fuzzier by the day. The workbench is turning into a computer station," he added.
