LONDON: The World Economic Forum Friday said it has appointed former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as an unpaid adviser. The Geneva-based organization said Brown will chair a new policy and initiatives coordination board bringing together heads of international organizations and government representatives. Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, praised Brown's “wealth of knowledge and experience,” saying his valuable insight into the global agenda will complement and inform the organization's initiatives. “His counsel will help ensure that the Forum remains rigorous and focused — true to its commitment to improve the state of the world,” Schwab added. The announcement followed speculation Brown, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, could head the International Monetary Fund — an idea Britain's current Prime Minister David Cameron all but ruled out earlier this week. Cameron Tuesday said Brown “might not be the most appropriate person” to replace Dominique Strauss-Khan, because of Brown's views on what needs to be done to sort out Britain's public finances. He said that during Brown's premiership, Britain's borrowings mushroomed in the wake of the financial crisis and the ensuing recession. Cameron suggested the IMF should look to emerging economies in India, China or South Asia for a candidate, instead of a “washed up politician.” The existing convention is that the European Union proposes the IMF's managing director, which effectively hands Cameron a veto on the process. Meanwhile, the US proposes the president of the IMF's sister organization, the World Bank.
