More than 2,000 global leaders will gather in Davos, Switzerland, during the week of January 19, 2026, for the World Economic Forum’s 56th Annual Meeting. The upcoming summit, themed “A Spirit of Dialogue,” aims to foster collaboration across industries and geographies to navigate a period of significant structural change.
World Economic Forum President and CEO Børge Brende stated that preliminary discussions held throughout 2025 will guide the 2026 agenda. These prior meetings addressed critical issues ranging from cybersecurity to food innovation.
Economic headwinds and green markets
Global economic uncertainty remains a primary concern for the summit's participants. A September 2025 report from the WEF’s Chief Economists’ Outlook revealed that 72% of surveyed economists expect the global economy to weaken in the coming year.
Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director of the WEF, noted that the new economic environment is being shaped by disruptions in trade, technology, and resources. She called on leaders to adapt quickly to build future resilience.
Despite these risks, the transition to a low-carbon economy presents new commercial opportunities. Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director and Nature and Climate Lead at the WEF, reported that green markets have quadrupled in size over recent years.
Buckup noted that companies face increasing pressure from climate-related regulations and the necessity of building supply chain resilience against extreme weather. He also highlighted the economic potential of social equity, citing data from the World Bank suggesting that full gender parity in the workforce could increase global GDP by 20%.
However, implementation hurdles persist. Buckup added that political instability, geopolitical tensions, and financing gaps continue to complicate the execution of global green strategies.
