WEF-26 at Davos, a gathering of global elites, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Heads of International Organizations, CEOs, Business Magnets etc was held, as usual, with much fanfare and great expectations, amid growing tensions and trade wars but perhaps with less achievement and concrete results, except it brought together close to 3,000 cross-sector leaders from over 130 countries.
Marking record levels of governmental participation, 400 top political leaders – including close to 65 heads of state and government and six of the G7’s leaders alongside nearly 850 of the world’s top CEOs and chairpersons and almost 100 leading unicorns and technology pioneers. The event was enriched by contributions from civil society, labour representatives, faith-based organizations, cultural luminaries and social entrepreneurs as well as academics, experts and think tanks who provided detailed analysis and research-based insight. Youth leaders from the Forum’s Global Shapers community, innovators and technology pioneers who enriched participants with forward-looking ideas and live experience of change.
Across sessions on geopolitics and growth, WEF explored how cooperation can be renewed amid contested norms, strained alliances and eroding trust and how new models of collaboration can unlock opportunity even as long-held assumptions about security, sovereignty and global integration are upended. From navigating geopolitical risks and economic uncertainty to harnessing innovation, discussions focused on practical, solutions-oriented pathways that support resilience, competitiveness and inclusive growth, including the responsible deployment of transformative technologies such as generative AI.
Equally central was the human dimensions of transformation. As industries evolve and technologies reshape work, Davos spotlighted how governments and businesses can better invest in people, build resilient workforces, support skills transitions and improving well-being in an era of profound change. At the same time, leaders examined how prosperity can be rebuilt within planetary boundaries, advancing secure energy, nature and water systems at pivotal moment for global cooperation. Media participation and the live broadcasting of more than 200 sessions helped make the discussions transparent and accessible, allowing wider audiences to follow, question and engage with the issues being explored. Around 1,700 business leaders, including close to 850 of the world’s top CEOs and chairpersons from the World Economic Forum’s Members and Partners, also participated. The World Economic Forum brought the Annual Meeting 2026 to global audience through extensive digital and social media coverage from live updates to live-streamed sessions and in-depth interviews for thought-provoking audiences, analysts, thinkers and leaders about the biggest challenges, facing the world. The Annual Meeting, served as a “testament to the fact that leaders are committed to reduce the global tensions as geopolitics took centre stage.
“This is the 1918, 1945 or 1989 (referring to Great Wars and Economic turmoil) moment of our generation,” said President of Finland Alexander Stubb. “It is a moment when the world order, balance and dynamics are changing and one of the catalysts for the change was Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which fuelled power competition between the US, China and the Global South. That sense of structural change was echoed by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who noted that “the growing competition between the US and China threatens to drag Europe into a confrontation or force it to pick sides.” The comment reflected a wider consensus that geopolitics is no longer confined to specific crises but is reshaping global decision-making across domains.
The Annual Meeting came at a moment of heightened global conflict—61 active armed conflicts were recorded worldwide in 2024, the highest since the Second World War—amidst elevated global uncertainty. Yet the meeting underscored how dialogue can actively shape the geopolitical context. High-level interventions throughout the week did not merely describe geopolitical change but also framed new strategic pathways forward. This was most clearly articulated by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who stated that the world is “in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reinforced this message by highlighting efforts to expand Europe’s economic partnerships. “Europe wants to do business with the growth centres of today and the economic powerhouses of this century, from Latin America to the Indo-Pacific and far beyond,” von der Leyen stated. “Europe will always choose the world and the world is ready to choose Europe.” Her remarks reflected a fundamental shift in how global power is organized and exercised. Throughout the Annual Meeting, discussions repeatedly returned to how cooperation is adapting in a more fragmented and competitive world rather than disappearing, evolving through more flexible and bilateral arrangements that allow countries to align where interests overlap.
Discussions on US-China relations, at times referred to as the so-called G2 relationship, also took place at the Annual Meeting just months ahead of US President Donald Trump’s expected visit to China in April. The timing framed debates around whether the world’s two largest powers can manage an increasingly competitive relationship. As Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd stated, “the core challenge is whether a bilateral management mechanism is possible.”
Discussions highlighted how the global power balance has shifted, giving rise to a new relationship characterized by a carefully managed atmosphere of competition, in which cooperation on commercial and economic issues can still advance. Geopolitics and technology converged repeatedly in Davos, with artificial intelligence emerging as a central strategic frontier. Focus was more on global politics than economics and naturally so because of rising political tensions and irritants. Ongoing wars and threats of global political uncertainty coupled with fragmented present World Order, pose a colossal challenge which demands attention.
—The writer is Former Civil Servant and Consultant (ILO) & International Organisation for Migration and author of seven books.
