FACTBOX-Details on World Economic Forum meeting in Davos

Jan 26 (Reuters) - The world's business and political elite will hold its annual meeting in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos this week in the shadow of the global financial crisis.

Here are some key facts on the World Economic Forum:

* SOME FACTS ABOUT THE 2009 MEETING:

-- Over 2,500 participants from 96 countries will gather in Davos. Over 55 percent are business chiefs, drawn principally from the Forum's Members and the 1,000 foremost companies from around the world and across economic sectors.

-- Also attending are around 250 public figures, including 41 heads of state or government, 60 ministers, 30 heads or senior officials of international organizations and 10 ambassadors.

-- Fifty heads or representatives of non-governmental organizations will also attend, as well as 225 media leaders, 215 figures from academic institutions and think tanks, 10 religious leaders of different faiths and 10 trade unionists.

* AIMS:

-- The World Economic Forum, founded in 1971 is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

* A SHORT TIMELINE OF ACHIEVEMENTS AT DAVOS:

1979 - The Forum becomes the first non-governmental institution to initiate a partnership with China's economic development commissions.

1988 - Prime Ministers Andreas Papandreou of Greece and Turgut Ozal of Turkey embark on a peace initiative, setting up a crisis "hot-line" and vowing to avoid war.

1994 - Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat talk late into the night over the delayed Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Jericho and one aide talked of "an atmosphere of compromise".

1999 - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan announces the "Global Compact," to give "a human face to the global market" at the Forum's annual meeting.

-- Annan called on business leaders to set global labour, human rights and environmental standards and said, "We have to choose between a global market driven only by calculations of short-term profit, and one which has a human face."