Monitoring reports on WEF in 2026
WEF: 4 takeaways from Davos 2026: New deals, a reckoning, dialogue and more questions than answers — 29 January 2026 (LINK)
— More than 60 heads of state and a record 400+ political leaders and 830 CEOs and Chairs came. As Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney put it in Davos this week: "We actively take on the world as it is, not wait around for the world we wish to be." It's clear there's a rupture between the US and Europe and it was a recurrent topic of conversation throughout the week. And the view from China? "Tariffs and trade wars have no winners," said Vice-Premier He Lifeng.
— Extreme weather events dropped from second down to fourth place in the Global Risks ranking this year — not because they are any less urgent a risk, but because geoeconomic fragmentation and societal polarization have become more pressing. Some developing countries are spending more on debt repayments than on healthcare and education.
— 40% of jobs globally are going to be impacted by AI over the next couple of years, Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF, said, either by being transformed or eliminated. In advanced economies the figure is 60%. The IMF itself is not immune to this trend, she said — it's gone from 200 translators to just 50.
— Away from the public programme, dialogue continued. High-stakes geopolitical negotiations, and bilateral discussions signalled significant shifts in global economic and security architecture.
WEF Annual Meeting Roundup — 23 January 2026 (LINK)
WEF: Live from Davos 2026: What to know on Day 5 — 23 January 2026 (LINK)
— Global Economic Outlook. Mental Health When Everything Shifts. Ideas on the Move: climate scientist Johan Rockstrom. Can we Protect Science? How High Can Unicorns Fly? Closing Remarks with Børge Brende
WEF Davos 2026: Special address by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: full transcript — 23 January 2026 (LINK)
— Zelenskyy spoke about Russian aggression against Ukraine, the international justice system and security guarantees for the post war scenario. The Ukrainian President mentioned the need for a European "coalition of action" and said "no security guarantees work without the US". He also called for a united armed forces for Europe and questioned NATO's readiness to respond to aggression.
AI sovereignty requires partnerships, not isolation, says World Economic Forum's AI chief — 23 January 2026 (LINK)
— Cathy Li, head of the Centre for AI Excellence, pointed to Europe as a model, praising the continent's cross-border AI partnerships among member states. Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of chip giant Nvidia, told the forum that AI is "exciting for Europe" because of its "incredibly strong manufacturing base" for building AI infrastructure. Huang described this as Europe's moment to "leapfrog" the software era, calling robotics a "once in a lifetime opportunity" for the continent.
— One of the other major challenges for AI — not just for Europe — will be energy. Data centres, which power AI systems, require massive amounts of electricity to operate. This infrastructure is so important that Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella declared in Davos that energy costs will be the major factor in deciding which country wins the AI race.
'Jobs, Jobs, Jobs': Davos leaders pitch AI as a workforce growth engine — 23 January 2026 (LINK)
Elon Musk makes joke about Trump's Board of Peace/Piece, saying he misinterpreted Trump's peace efforts as "piece" efforts. Prompts confused silence from Davos audience: "You know, a little piece of Greenland, a little piece of Venezuela", prompting the host to join him with a brief laugh — 23 January 2026 (LINK)
Macron's shades at Davos sent shares of a tiny Italian sunglasses company iVision Tech, owner of Maison Henry Jullien, soaring 65% this week — 23 January 2026 (LINK)
Trump unveils his vision to rebuild Gaza into a seaside metropolis — 22 January 2026 (LINK)
AP: Trump is rolling out his Board of Peace at Davos at a time when US leadership is being questioned — (LINK)
— Some 35 countries had agreed to sign on to the project, a senior administration official told reporters. Norway and Sweden have indicated that they won't participate, after France also said no. Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said "the time has not yet come to accept the invitation," according to the STA news agency, with the main concern being the board's mandate may be too broad and could undermine international order based on the U.N. Charter.
Zelensky publicly rebukes Europe, urges leaders to 'act now' in withering Davos address — 22 January 2026 (LINK)
— "President Trump is needed," said Zelensky, arguing that a cease-fire with Russia will rely on the support of the U.S. "No security guarantees work without the U.S."
WEF: Live from Davos 2026: What to know on Day 4 — 22 January 2026 (LINK)
— Elon Musk on space, robots, energy and optimism. Music and conversation with Yo-Yo Ma. Lessons from Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. IMF: Want growth? Prepare for dilemmas. How can we prevent wildfires? Board of Peace announcement and Gaza reconstruction plan. The WTO is 'far from dead'. Special Address by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine. "The hardest advances in robotics are behind us". Here's what's next. Special Address by Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia. What's next for Venezuela? Davos Kick-off for FIFA World Cup 2026. Parenting in the digital age. Defying cognitive atrophy. What's next for the US economy — and American workers? Dilemmas around Ethics in AI. "Change in mindset" needed to end plastic pollution. Where are we on stablecoins? Ideas on the Move: Sabrina Dhowre Elba, UN Goodwill Ambassador for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). "The burden of disease is too high": How to prevent NCDs. Open Forum: Beyond Earth — The Next Space Race. Friedrich Merz, Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany: 'Our fate is in our hands — it's our responsibility to shape it'. Conversation with Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel. Conversation with Gavin Newsom, Governor of California.
'I'm very stupid': SF tech founder handcuffed and detained 13 hours in Davos for bomb-lookalike device — 22 January 2026 (LINK)
WEF: Full transcript of a special address by Trump: "This transcript was produced using AI and subsequently edited for style and clarity. The edits do not alter the substance of the speaker's remarks" — 21 January 2026 (LINK)
CNN: Trump's antagonistic speech in Davos — 5 takeaways — (LINK)
— Trump complained relentlessly about the United States being taken advantage of by Europe, and wondered incredulously why his attempt to take control of Greenland was being met with resistance. He castigated European leaders for making their continent unrecognizable through what he cast as uncontrolled migration and radical economic policies. And he speculated aloud about NATO's willingness to come to the defense of the United States, without mentioning that the one time the alliance invoked its collective defense treaty was at the request of the Americans after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
— Hours after his speech, there was potential better news for Europe. Trump announced he'd reached a "framework of a future deal" on Greenland following a meeting with the NATO secretary general, and that the tariffs he'd threatened to impose next month were off.
Rolling Stone: Trump in Davos: 'Sometimes You Need a Dictator'. The president delivered an erratic address to the World Economic Forum, pushing for the U.S. to take control of Greenland which he referred to as "Iceland" multiple times — 22 January 2026 (LINK)
CNN: Trump says rare earths are part of his Greenland deal. It's 'completely bonkers' — (LINK)
Stocks rebound from big sell-off after Trump rules out military action on Greenland: Live updates (LINK) 21 January 2026
WEF: Davos 2026: What to know on Day 3 (LINK) 21 January 2026
— Special Address by Donald J. Trump: In lengthy remarks that ranged from Greenland to Minnesota and back again, President Trump touched on a wide range of issues including trade and tariffs, regional security, AI development, nuclear power, housing affordability, migration, and pandemics. The queue for US President Donald Trump's special address started forming before 1pm for his scheduled 2:30pm appearance.
— Coming soon: Breakthroughs in Women’s Health
— deas on the Move — Ray Dalio
— Closing the Humanitarian Aid Gap
— Special Address by Javier Milei, President of Argentina
— Discussion between David Sacks, the White House AI and crypto czar, and Marc Benioff, CEO and Co-Founder of Salesforce
— Is Everyone Falling Behind? Widening education and mental-health crises among men collide with entrenched workplace barriers facing women
— Markets, AI and trade with Jamie Dimon
— Conversation with Mohammad Mustafa, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
— AI: work tool or co-worker?
Fact-checking Trump's Davos speech: number of false assertions — 22 January 2026 (LINK)
— He said that after World War Two "we gave Greenland back to Denmark," adding: "How stupid were we to do that?" But it was not America's to give back.
Trump says China doesn't use wind power — but the world's largest wind farm is there: in 2025, China hit a new milestone in its energy transition, with wind and solar power together generating more than a quarter (26 per cent) of the country's electricity in April. This surpassed the previous record of 23.7 per cent set a month earlier in March 2025 — 22 January 2026 (LINK)
Business Insider: I was in the room for Trump's Davos speech. The crowd was eerily silent until he mentioned Greenland. — 22 January 2026 (LINK)
— I was sitting among the 1,000 or so people in the Davos hall, some of whom were standing in packed aisles. If Trump wanted a raucous applause for his laundry list of accomplishments that he sees as crowning achievements over his first year, he didn't get it [...] — without the applause he is more used to on home soil. The only noise from the audience here was muted, nervous laughter. The biggest laughter came when Trump brought up French President Emmanuel Macron wearing aviator sunglasses at Davos a day earlier: "Those beautiful sunglasses. What the hell happened?" After Greenland, Trump abruptly pivoted to his greatest hits: "rigged elections" and the "crooked media." That left the crowd more confused. Some started looking at their phones. When Trump criticized the fiery Tuesday address of Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, he delivered perhaps his boldest line: That Canada only exists because of US defense. "Oh wow," someone behind me blurted out. A minute later, a few people started heading for the exits. Later, when Trump started attacking the country [they were in] in, Switzerland, more people streamed out. After Trump said [the Swiss President] "rubbed me the wrong way," there were audible gasps. More audience members left or looked at their phones. At the end, [after he returned to his script] there was applause, with about a third of the audience giving a standing ovation.
Buzzfeed: 12 really, really awkward moments from Donald Trump's Davos speech. George Conway: "Today is the most humiliating day in the history of the United States. At least until tomorrow." — 22 January 2026 (LINK)
— He told people in Switzerland (a mainly German-speaking country) that they would all "be speaking German" if the US hadn't been there during World War II.
— He said that the people in "Iceland" called him "daddy."
Heckler who booed Howard Lutnick during Davos event revealed to be Al Gore — 21 January 2026 (LINK)
— Lutnick was speaking at an invite-only VIP dinner event hosted by billionaire BlackRock boss Larry Fink when a heckler, now identified as climate change advocate and former Vice President Al Gore, started booing the former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO. Gore's reaction came after Lutnick attacked Europe in his remarks, prompting European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde to reportedly walk out of the event.
Elon Musk a surprise addition to the Davos schedule for 22 January — 22 January 2026 (LINK)
MIT Dispatch from Davos: hot air, big egos and cold flexes — 22 January 2026 (LINK)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a forceful speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on the "new world order" and how middle powers like Canada can benefit by working together: full transcript (LINK) 20 January 2026
Kyiv Independent: Zelensky cancels trip to Davos following another mass Russian attack — 'I choose Ukraine' (LINK) 20 January 2026
WEF: Over 60 heads of state are gathering at Davos 2026. Here's what they're saying (LINK) 20 January 2026
WEF: Davos 2026: What to know on Day 2 (LINK) 20 January 2026
— Ideas on the Move - with Gita Gopinath
— New growth prospects
— Closing the AI diffusion divide
— Yuval Noah Harari: 'More intelligence doesn’t mean less delusion'
— Building a business case for nature
New WEF leader BlackRock's Larry Fink says Davos feels 'out of step' to many (LINK) 19 January 2026
— "For many people, this meeting feels out of step with the moment: elites in an age of populism, an established institution in an era of deep institutional distrust," he said. "If WEF is going to be useful going forward, it has to regain that trust." He hinted that the forum, which holds occasional offshoots in China and the Middle East, will add new events "in the places where the modern world is actually built," naming Detroit, Dublin, Jakarta, and Buenos Aires.
WEF: Davos 2026: What to know on Day 1 (LINK) 19 January 2026
— a new series of on-the-move video interviews today, catching up with Davos participants as they travel between panel sessions. First up: social media creators Marina Mogilko, better known as Silicon Valley Girl, and Max Klymenko from the Career Ladder.
— Data and insights on Day 1 of Davos 2026: AI paradoxes, Investing in Blue Foods: Innovation and Partnerships for Impact
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt on finding happiness in an AI age.
— Opening Concert sets the tone for Davos 2026
— Davos 2026 Monday morning media scan
AP: What to know about the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos (LINK) 19 January 2026
The big names who aren't going to Davos: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Danish government representatives, Brazil's President Lula da Silva, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and founder Klaus Schwab. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italy's leader Giorgia Meloni are not on the WEF list, although both are reported to be attending. Many of these are still sending high-level delegations. Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK, is expected to attend the event this year after criticising "people deciding our futures in Swiss ski resorts" (LINK) 18 January 2026
Politico.eu: At Davos 2026, WEF is no longer so woke: "a turning point for a forum once synonymous with liberal globalism" (LINK) 19 January 2026
— "This year's World Economic Forum, which starts Monday, underscores a sharp shift for an event long caricatured as a 'woke' talking shop: Climate and diversity have slipped down the agenda, AI and growth are ascendant, and the United States — led by Trump and his inner circle — is set to dominate the stage. That shift coincided with a months-long campaign to land the U.S. president and reassert Davos' relevance after years of drift."
US President Donald Trump's policies helped boost billionaire wealth 16.2 percent to $18.3 trillion in the first year of his second term, leading to 'dangerous' political risks, Oxfam warns as Davos forum opens (LINK) 19 January 2026
WEF: Donald Trump set to dominate Davos 2026 whose theme is A Spirit of Dialogue, starting 19 January (LINK) 16 January 2026
— Donald Trump will be joined by more than 60 heads of state and government, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Argentinian President Javier Milei, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, China's Vice Premier He Lifeng, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa. Trump is leading the largest US delegation ever to Davos, comprising five cabinet secretaries and other senior officials. Top tech leaders such as Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Google's AI chief Demis Hassabis will be at the event.
— Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kyiv's G7 allies — including leaders from Germany, Italy, France, the UK, Canada and the European Commission president — on the sidelines of the main event to seek US backing for security guarantees for Ukraine after a possible peace agreement with Russia, the Financial Times reported.
— The strong US presence would be complemented by the first-ever "USA House" — a venue housed in a small church on the town's main Promenade street, where US officials will host events and network with investors.
— This year's meeting would be the first without WEF founder Klaus Schwab at the helm. The German-born economist resigned in April 2025, amid allegations that he and his wife used WEF funds for personal use. An independent inquiry, however, found no criminal misconduct, only minor irregularities. Schwab has been succeeded by interim co-chairs Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, and Andre Hoffmann, vice chair of Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche Holdings.
Gavin Newsom is heading to Davos with plans to call out Trump — (LINK)
— Trump is scheduled to speak at Davos on January 21. Newsom is scheduled to speak on January 22. The governor's office said he plans to challenge CEOs and institutions that it says have been complicit in Trump's efforts to erode democracy. He also plans to make the case for "democratic capitalism" as opposed to "crony capitalism."
WEF Global Risks Report 2026: geopolitical and economic risks rise in new age of competition (LINK)
— Half of those surveyed anticipate a turbulent or stormy world over the next two years, up 14 percentage points from last year. A further 40% expect the two-year outlook to be unsettled at the very least, while 9% expect stability and 1% predict calm. When it comes to the outlook for the next 10 years, 57% expect a turbulent or stormy world, 32% expect things to be unsettled, 10% predict stability and 1% anticipate calm.
The WEF Global Cooperation Barometer 2026 — Third Edition: The overall level of global collaboration has held steady in the face of sustained pressure but its shape is changing as geopolitical tensions, conflict and fragmentation strain traditional multilateral approaches. Cooperation is advancing where it is targeted, interest-based and regional, offering a picture of what collaborative approaches can look like in a new geopolitical context (LINK) 8 January 2026
WEF in 2025
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