The meeting welcomed a record 400 top political leaders, including nearly 65 heads of state and government, with a majority of G7 leaders present in Davos. Some 200 sessions and workshops took place, serving as an impartial platform for the exchange of views and ideas and enabling the engagement of a wide range of voices. With a decisively future-oriented approach, the meeting focused on frontier innovation and actionable insights. The WEF dominated by the European business honchos talked of creating the right conditions that enable the businessmen to move forward.

“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.”

“We believe economic progress should be shared,” said Larry Fink, Interim Co-Chair, World Economic Forum, and CEO, BlackRock. “We believe prosperity should reach further than it has, and we believe institutions like the World Economic Forum still matter in making that happen.” “This year, Davos has reached a new level. Not only was it the intended platform for dialogue, but it also marked turning points and drove decisions,” said André Hoffmann, Interim Co-Chair, World Economic Forum, and Vice-Chairman, Roche Holding.

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 of which 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 meeting brought participants together to spur dialogue, advance cooperation and rebuild trust on the most contested issues of the day and 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 that it 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, a Forum report highlighted the need for companies to build geopolitical foresight, or “muscles”, directly into their operating models.

Experts assessed the direction of US–China relations in the wake of the November trade deal, weighing its implications for global economic stability and geopolitical competition between the world’s two largest economies. Another session identified urgent measures to bolster financial-sector resilience in the West Bank and Gaza amid economic pressures. Religious leaders examined how interfaith engagement could contribute to stabilisation efforts in Gaza and inform peacebuilding approaches in other conflict-affected contexts, in line with the Gaza Peace Plan.

“[We need] dialogue with our friends and partners and also, if necessary, with our adversaries,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. “The world has changed permanently and we need to change with it too,” she said. “The right approach should be, and can only be, to find solutions together through dialogue and steer economic globalization in the correct direction,” said He Lifeng, Vice-Premier of the People’s Republic of China. “Society, science, economics and politics must work together hand in hand, in a spirit of partnership,” said Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation 2026.

“Geoeconomics is the new geopolitics. In this new era, we need much more dialogue, imagination and entrepreneurship to regain forward momentum,” said MirekDušek, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. “At a time of increased fragmentation, dialogue has become a strategic capability. It is what allows trust, cooperation and progress to survive in a more contested world,” said Maroun Kairouz, Managing Director, World Economic Forum.

“The only way to achieve peace, stability and development in a sustainable fashion requires international dialogue and cooperation,” said Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt. “We can shape the future,” said Friedrich Merz, Federal Chancellor of Germany. “To succeed, we must face harsh realities and chart our course with clear-eyed realism,” he said.

The Forum’s latest Chief Economists’ Outlook offered a real-time snapshot of the global economic sentiment for the year ahead, noting the economy’s relative resilience amid turbulence and guiding leaders through uncertainty around asset valuations, sovereign debt crises, and the economy-wide roll-out of artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, 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 were core to public and private sector growth plans. Technology leaders outlined rapid advances, while discussions focused on widening access so people and businesses in both 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, emphasizing the mutual benefits of international trade.

“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, JPMorgan Chase. “Despite all the uncertainties that we talk about, trade has been largely resilient,” said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organization.

Against a challenging economic and social backdrop and through rapid technological advancement, improving the resilience of workforces is vital. This suggests a focus on improving and increasing reskilling, upskilling, job creation and workforce preparedness. Widening access to credit should be prioritized, leaders said, to encourage entrepreneurship.

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. In parallel, India launched a new national Skills Accelerator, aiming to rapidly scale industry-aligned training and improve employability for millions of workers. Leading technology companies pledged to collectively support 20 million workers by 2030 through the World Economic Forum’s Communications and Technology Industry Community Pledge.

Leaders also emphasized the importance of ensuring education stays relevant for the jobs of the future, including encouraging vocational professions, pointing to the growing opportunity they represent as technology advances. A new initiative, SmartStart USA, was launched to prepare 1 million young people for future-ready manufacturing and supply chain jobs by 2035.

The report Transforming Capital for the Next Era: Gender Parity and the Expansion of the Investable Frontier shows how converting rising female wealth ownership into allocator power can expand deal flow, broaden the range of businesses that scale and support more resilient market performance. The Forum also launched the Women's Health Investment Outlook, which called for stronger evidence and transparency to unlock investment in women’s health, offering an opportunity to improve the quality of life for women worldwide. (IPA Service)