World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026

January 18, 2026

In an era marked by accelerating complexity, rising fragmentation and exponential innovation, the need for a trusted, impartial platform for dialogue has never been greater. From geopolitics to the economy and society, the imperative to broaden our perspectives, listen to one another and be challenged on our views could not be more important to rebuild trust and shape a better future.

In this pivotal context, the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum will build on its long-standing tradition of convening stakeholders from across geographies, industries and generations. It will bring together leaders from government, business, civil society, and the scientific and cultural domains, to enable real dialogue, problem solve around shared challenges and highlight innovations driving the future.

A key focus of the deliberations will be the paradigm shift in technology, from AI and quantum computing to next generation biotech and energy systems, reshaping how we live and work, while creating new engines of growth. To ensure these innovations contribute to resilient and equitable progress, leaders must actively expand access across emerging markets, invest in the skills of a rapidly changing workforce, and sustainable solutions.

Under the theme A Spirit of Dialogue the Meeting will:

  • Serve as an impartial platform for exchange of views and ideas at a time of geopolitical and societal shifts.
  • Engage a wide range of voices to broaden perspectives.
  • Connect the dots and catalyse problem solving across global challenges.
  • Remain decisively future-oriented, focusing on frontier innovation and actionable insight.


Official Website

The Environmental Agenda

WEF 2026 programme will be structured around five key global challenges where public-private dialogue and cooperation, involving all stakeholders, is necessary for progress, including How can we build prosperity within planetary boundaries?, which underscores that infrastructure, food systems, and natural ecosystems are all affected by climate change, reinforcing the need to further develop nature-based solutions as part of an integrated approach. Nature loss impacts 75% of the Earth’s land and poses significant economic risks, yet transitioning to nature- positive business models could unlock $10 trillion annually by 2030. The tradeoff between protecting the environment and pursuing economic growth is not inevitable, rather, resilient ecosystems enable long-term economic and social opportunity and stability. Investing in regenerative, circular and inclusive systems of production and consumption can ensure that growth remains within planetary boundaries.

Many sessions will be livestreamed; while sessions organized under the Open Forum format are accessible to everybody and free of charge, upon registration. Relevant sessions on the environmental agenda include:

19 January 2026

20 January 2026

21 January 2026

22 January 2026

23 January 2026

House of Switzerland Events

In 2026, Switzerland will once again be officially represented by a House of Switzerland during the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. For three days, the House of Switzerland will host a meeting space for official talks and informal exchanges between members of the Federal Council, the Swiss delegation and international guests and partners. With its thematic events and meetings, the House of Switzerland helps to promote Switzerland’s foreign policy interests and present Switzerland as an innovative and reliable country whose expertise makes a key contribution to overcoming global challenges.

Key events that will tackle environmental issues include:

  • Global pharmaceutical value chain in the new world order | Organized by the Canton Basel-Stadt | 20 January 2026 | 08:30 – 11:00 CET | Crystal Lounge | By invitation only
  • Redefining Energy Security | Organized by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), Swissmem, the Swiss Export Risk Insurance (SERV), and ETH Zurich | 21 January 2026 | 10:00-13:30 CET | Crystal Lounge | Fully booked
  • Building Resilient Infrastructure for a Changing World | Organized by Holcim with Swiss Re | 21 January 2026 | 14:00-16:00 CET | Nordside

Geneva Day @ House of Switzerland

“Geneva Day” will take place on 20 January 2026 from 15:00 to 16:15 CET under the theme “Making Multilateralism Work for Humanity in a New Era“.

As the international normative order falters and economic and social uncertainty grows, multilateralism is at a critical juncture. Competing narratives shake the foundations of the international rules-based order as conflict and tensions spread across and within societies. International Organizations must redefine their mandate, scope and working methods as they face unprecedented financial and political challenges. Geneva, as the main operational hub for the UN and with an unprecedented wealth of multistakeholder expertise to deliver on global public goods, is not immune to these challenges. At the same time, these developments open unparalleled opportunities as bold reform proposals such as UN80 are on the table. How to define global cooperation in this new era? How to draw on Geneva-based innovation and expertise for a more efficient multilateralism that addresses global risks with concrete solutions? How to make sure that if we are forced to do “less with less”, we will in any case “do it better”? This panel will take stock of these challenges and opportunities, while laying out leading visions and avenues for action for a “Multilateralism 2.0” that truly works for Humanity in this new era.


Register to Attend Geneva Day 2026

Other Events

WEF Giving to Amplify Earth Action Awards (GAEA)

Launched at the Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos, GAEA is the World Economic Forum’s platform to convene 4P – Public, Private and Philanthropic Partnerships – for climate and nature.

The 2026 GAEA Awards honor groundbreaking partnerships across five categories, which will be presented at the WEF’s annual Davos meeting in January 2026.

  • Bridging Evidence to ActionThe Lancet  Countdown on Health and Climate Change – A global collaboration of 300+ scientists from 100 institutions worldwide, the Lancet Countdown draws on world-leading science to track the evolving links between climate change and health. Its data informs COP negotiations and national health strategies, with 2400+ policy citations.
  • Enabling Innovation BreakthroughsPlastics Pact Network – Uniting 900+ organizations across 19 countries, this network is building a circular economy for plastics. Together, its national and regional Pacts have eliminated 33 billion single-use items, redesigned 850,000 tonnes of packaging, and improved livelihoods for waste workers worldwide
  • Unlocking Capital at ScaleSustainable Sovereign Debt Hub – Transforming the $92 trillion sovereign debt market by embedding climate and nature resilience into finance. Through tools and partnerships with governments and investors, it has enabled countries like Slovenia and Côte d’Ivoire to issue sustainability-linked bonds and debt-for-development swaps – building a fairer, resilient financial architecture for the future.
  • Moving Business for Climate ImpactCanopy Partnering with 1,000+ brands worth US $2.1 trillion in revenue, Canopy is transforming the paper, packaging and textile industries.  By scaling circular “Next Generation” materials made from agricultural and textile waste, it has protected 16.6 million hectares of forests and catalyzed US $78 billion in investment potential – proof that business collaboration can drive systemic change.
  • Empowering Voices to Shape Action: Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) – In Gujarat, India, SEWA through its Building Cleaner Skies Campaign is enabling thousands of low-income women salt-farmers to lead a clean energy transition. By transitioning to clean, green solar pumps, undergoing training on Solar PV and by designing and forging innovative financial partnerships, poor grassroots women have become solar engineers and entrepreneurs, cutting 18900+ tonnes of CO2 annually and raising incomes by up to 500%

Links

 

Search

RECENT PRESS RELEASES