The 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum convened nearly 3 000 leaders from government, business, civil society and academia under the theme A Spirit of Dialogue, against the backdrop of the most complex geopolitical context in decades. The meeting provided a platform for open exchange among leaders and they worked to find areas of agreement on some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from peace and security to technology, growth, people and the planet.
The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting is held in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland; this year it took place from 19 to 23 January.
The meeting welcomed a record 400 top political leaders, including nearly 65 heads of state and government, and most G7 leaders. Some 200 sessions and workshops provided space for the exchange of views and ideas, engaging a wide range of voices. With a future-oriented approach, the meeting focused on frontier innovations and actionable insights.
“This is a moment of uncertainty, but also possibility; not a moment to retreat, but a moment to engage,” said Børge Brende, President and CEO, World Economic Forum. “The World Economic Forum is not about responding to current events. It is about creating the right conditions that enable us to move forward.”
Reflecting on the meeting, Larry Fink, Interim Co-Chair, World Economic Forum, and CEO, BlackRock, said: “We believe economic progress should be shared, prosperity should reach further than it has, and institutions like the World Economic Forum still matter in making that happen.”
André Hoffmann, Interim Co-Chair, World Economic Forum, and Vice-Chairman, Roche Holding, said: “This year, Davos has reached a new level. Not only was it the intended platform for dialogue, it also marked turning points and drove decisions.”
Cooperating in a more contested world
At a time of geopolitical and societal shifts, with geoeconomic confrontation emerging as the top global risk for 2026, long-held assumptions about security and sovereignty are being challenged. All these factors point to the need for new mechanisms for collaboration. Building on its 56-year track record and unique legacy in connecting leaders to move the world forward together, the annual meeting brought participants together to spur dialogue, advance cooperation and rebuild trust on the most contested issues of the day – and the protracted crises that garner less attention.
The fundamental importance of trust in preserving and deepening cooperation was a consistent theme throughout the week’s conversations. Leaders warned of the dangers of declining trust, both in institutions and in global politics, saying this erodes the ability to respond to shared challenges, from inequality and conflict to the climate crisis. Participants highlighted that, despite some challenging headwinds, fresh bright spots of regional cooperation continue to emerge, echoing the findings of the Global Cooperation Barometer 2026. They reiterated that effective communication and dialogue remain the only true way to rebuild trust at global, regional and local levels.
Finding that the volatile and uncertain landscape has profound implications for how industry should approach business strategy, another forum report highlighted the need for companies to build geopolitical foresight, or ‘muscle’, that is, the capability to sense, plan and respond systematically to geopolitical dynamics, directly into their operating models.
Unlocking new sources of growth
The forum’s latest Chief Economists’ Outlook offers a real-time snapshot of the global economic sentiment for the year ahead, noting the global economy’s relative resilience amid turbulence and guiding leaders through uncertainty around asset valuations, sovereign debt crises, and the economy-wide rollout of artificial intelligence (AI).
Also at the annual meeting, the Leaders for European Growth and Competitiveness community gathered to align on concrete actions to overcome fragmentation, deepen market integration and scale investment. Informal dialogue with the European Commission president explored strategies for maintaining economic security and growth amid geopolitical pressures.
AI and the infrastructure that delivers it are seen as core to public and private sector growth plans. Technology leaders outlined rapid advances, and discussions focused on widening access so people and businesses in advanced and developing economies share in growth.
Five Nobel laureates in economics presented their latest research and insights on the global economy. Leaders also cautioned against deepening fractures in the global trade system, particularly between some of the world’s largest economies, emphasising the mutual benefits of international trade.
Complementing the annual meeting, a series of regional events each year further foster dialogue, trust and multistakeholder collaboration, advancing global priorities through region-specific action. Over the next 18 months, the forum will host new events with the governments of Türkiye, Egypt and Panama, among others. The Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 22 and 23 April 2026. In collaboration with the Government of South Africa, the World Economic Forum also announced a high-level event in spring 2027, providing a platform for dialogue in Africa and reinforcing the central role of emerging and developing economies in global solution-building.
“Understanding how the world works, having appreciation for other cultures, understanding connections and being able to appreciate the ways we connect, whether it’s through technology, trade, investment, culture can enrich our lives and help solve problems,” said Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada.
“The development of AI, the gain of productivity that we hope for, is difficult to reconcile with fragmentation in terms of standards, licensing and access,” said Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank. “I would contend that this can only be remedied by a degree of cooperation,” she said.
“As growth and innovation happen, some firms, jobs and tasks decline as new ones emerge, a process known as creative destruction,” said Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. “This is a leadership moment to ensure that societies are prepared for navigating these transformations,” she said.
“I think what government should be focused more on is policy conducive to growth,” said Jamie Dimon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, JPMorganChase.
“Despite all the uncertainties that we talk about, trade has been largely resilient,” said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organisation.
Investing in people
Further sessions at the World economic Forum’s Annual Meeting focused specifically on investing in people, increasing reskilling and upskilling, aligning education with technological change and vocational professions, preparing for the impact of AI and improving the resilience of the workforce. Widening access to credit to encourage entrepreneurship was also flagged as a priority.
The forum announced major global commitments to its Reskilling Revolution initiative, which is now on track to reach more than 850 million people worldwide, nearing its target of equipping one billion people with better access to skills, education and economic opportunities.
Deploying innovation at scale and responsibly
Recognising that AI and emerging technologies are fundamentally transforming every industry sector and the global labour market, driving profound changes in skills requirements and entire professions across advanced and emerging economies, CEOs across regions highlighted practical strategies for deploying AI on complex, mission-critical tasks and driving long-term transformation, redesigning capabilities, decision-making and operating models to unlock AI’s enterprise value.
The forum welcomed five new centres in the United Kingdom, France, the United Arab Emirates and India to be part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network, strengthening global collaboration on AI, energy systems, agriculture innovation and cybersecurity.
The forum also welcomed 23 new industrial sites to its Global Lighthouse Network, demonstrating how advanced technologies can improve productivity, resilience, sustainability, talent and customer-centricity at scale
Building prosperity within planetary boundaries
Looking at the accelerating growth in renewable energy worldwide, emphasising the need …. need and opportunity of cooperating to maximise the positive impact and scale of these innovations. Participants also spoke of the urgency of the climate crisis to avoid surpassing climate tipping points that could be difficult or impossible, to reverse.
A coalition of major manufacturers launched a unified pledge to harmonise sustainability data requests and simplify environmental reporting for their small and medium-sized enterprise suppliers, enabling them to achieve competitiveness and economic growth through decarbonisation.
Water affects every sector, economy and person – and starting with the annual meeting, 2026 will be an important year for freshwater and ocean ecosystems with new forum initiatives launched and insights released to support countries and regions in the lead-up to the UN Water Conference and Ocean Impact Summit this year.
“There is an increased understanding of the role that biodiversity, and nature more generally, play in business decisions and supply chains,” said Kirsten Schuijt, Director-General, WWF International.
Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director, World Economic Forum, said: “We are seeing global progress on nature and climate wherever ambition is woven into national priorities, and delivered through open, adaptive collaboration.”
For more information visit: www.weforum.org