A Spirit of Dialogue Brings Record Numbers of World Leaders to Davos for World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026

Geneva, Switzerland, 13 January 2026 – At a pivotal moment for global cooperation, the World Economic Forum will convene its 56th Annual Meeting from 19 to 23 January 2026 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, bringing together close to 3,000 cross-sector leaders from over 130 countries under the theme A Spirit of Dialogue. 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 – are expected to take part, alongside nearly 850 of the world’s top CEOs and chairpersons, and almost 100 leading unicorns and technology pioneers.

Amid the most complex geopolitical backdrop in decades – marked by rising fragmentation and rapid technological change – the need for an impartial platform that brings together diverse and sometimes diverging voices across industries, regions, and generations is urgent. Building on the Forum’s long-standing tradition of providing a trusted space for dialogue and public-private collaboration, the Annual Meeting 2026 will enable an open exchange of ideas and perspectives on the issues that matter most to people, economies and the planet, turning shared understanding into action.

“Dialogue is not a luxury in times of uncertainty; it is an urgent necessity,” said Børge Brende, President and CEO, World Economic Forum. “At a critical juncture for international cooperation – marked by profound geoeconomic and technological transformation – this year’s Annual Meeting will be one of our most consequential. With historic levels of participation, it will provide a space for an unparalleled mix of global leaders and innovators to work through and look beyond divisions, gain insight into a fast-shifting global landscape, and advance solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s biggest and most pressing challenges.”

“As the World Economic Forum enters its next chapter, this year’s Annual Meeting is bringing together a record number of global leaders from government, business, and non-governmental organizations at a moment when dialogue matters more than ever,” said Larry Fink, Interim Co-Chair, World Economic Forum. “Understanding different perspectives is essential to driving economic progress and ensuring prosperity is more broadly shared.”

“At a moment when cooperation matters more than ever, the Annual Meeting provides a unique space to turn dialogue into meaningful progress,” said André Hoffmann, Interim Co-Chair, World Economic Forum. “By bringing together leaders across regions and sectors, it creates the conditions to rebuild trust, align priorities and advance solutions that support long-term, sustainable growth for all, within planetary boundaries.”

Switzerland is the host country for the meeting. 400 government leaders are expected to attend this year, representing the highest level of government participation in the Annual Meeting’s history, including close to 65 heads of state and government, 55 ministers for economy and finance, 33 ministers for foreign affairs, 34 ministers for trade, commerce and industry, and 11 Governors of Central Banks. High-level government representation is expected from all key regions, including six G7 leaders and heads of state from countries central to dialogue on critical global situations – from Ukraine to Gaza and the broader Middle East, and beyond.

Top political leaders taking part include:

Donald Trump, President of the United States of America; Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada; Emmanuel Macron, President of France; Friedrich Merz, Federal Chancellor of Germany; Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; He Lifeng, Vice-Premier of the People’s Republic of China; Javier Milei, President of Argentina; Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia; Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain; Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation 2026; Vahagn Khachaturyan, President of the Republic of Armenia; Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Bart De Wever, Prime Minister of Belgium; Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia; Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Daniel Noboa Azín, President of Ecuador; Alexander Stubb, President of Finland; Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece; Micheál Martin, Taoiseach, Ireland; Aziz Akhannouch, Head of Government, Kingdom of Morocco; Daniel Francisco Chapo, President of Mozambique; Dick Schoof, Prime Minister of the Netherlands; Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan; Mohammed Mustafa, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority; Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland; Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar; Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia; Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of Singapore; Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel; Ahmad Al Sharaa, President of Syria; Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine.

Heads of international organizations taking part include:

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization; Ajay S. Banga, President of the World Bank Group; Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; Mark Rutte, Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization; Alexander De Croo, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme; Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union; Barham Salih, UN High Commissioner for Refugees; Jasem Al Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Around 1,700 business leaders, including close 850 of the world’s top CEOs and chairpersons from the World Economic Forum’s Members and Partners, will also participate, alongside almost 100 CEOs and chairpersons of Unicorn companies and Tech Pioneers who are transforming industries and shaping the future or technology worldwide.

Some of the top voices in technology and innovation taking part include:

Jensen Huang, NVIDIA; Satya Nadella, Microsoft; Dario Amodei, Anthropic; Andy Jassy, Amazon; Dina Powell McCormick, Meta; Demis Hassabis, Google DeepMind; YoshuaBengio, Université de Montréal; Alex Karp, Palantir Technologies; SarahFriar, OpenAI; YuvalHarari, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Mubadala; PeggyJohnson, Agility Robotics; Arthur Mensch, Mistral AI; BretTaylor, Sierra; PengXiao, G42; EricXing, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

“In an era where exponential technological innovation and geopolitical disruption are deeply intertwined, the need for constructive dialogue between policy-makers and industry is clear,” said Mirek Dušek, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. “Leaders will share views from across sectors to help build the understanding needed to balance short-term priorities and immediate challenges with long-term value creation.”

Close to 200 leaders from civil society and the social sector – including labour unions, non-governmental and faith-based organizations, as well as experts and heads of the world’s leading universities, research institutions and think tanks – will also participate in the meeting.

Heads of civil society organizations participating include:

David Miliband, President and CEO, International Rescue Committee; Sania Nishtar, CEO, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance; Luc Triangle, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation; Kirsten Schuijt, Secretary General, WWF International; Mohammad Al-Issa, Secretary General, Muslim World League; Comfort Ero, President and CEO, International Crisis Group; Pinchas Goldschmidt, Chief Rabbi and President, Conference of European Rabbis; Oleksandra Matviichuk, Nobel Peace Laureate and Chair, Ukraine Center for Civil Liberties; Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund; Amitabh Behar, Executive Director, Oxfam International; Aulani Wilhelm, President and Executive Director, Nia Tero.

A list of civil society organization representatives taking part can be found here.

The 2026 programme is centred around five pressing global challenges where public-private dialogue and cooperation, involving all stakeholders, are critical for collective progress:

1. How can we cooperate in a more contested world?

2. How can we unlock new sources of growth?

3. How can we better invest in people?

4. How can we deploy innovation at scale and responsibly?

5. How can we build prosperity within planetary boundaries?

“In a global economy shaped by technology, geoeconomics, and demographics, the defining challenge will be whether opportunity is broadly shared or if growth remains sluggish and uneven,” said Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. “The meeting will connect leaders to discuss how to unlock growth, jobs and economic transformation that translate into progress for communities everywhere.”

The meeting’s Arts and Culture Programme will further amplify the diversity of voices and perspectives needed to advance impact, while showcasing the power of art, influence, and culture to drive change and create unique space for dialogue.

Renowned artistic and cultural leaders in attendance include:

Marina Abramović, Jon Batiste, Thijs Biersteker, Sabrina Elba, Renaud Capuçon, Hiro Iwamoto, Suleika Jaouad, Sir David Beckham, Ahmad Joudeh, Yo-Yo Ma, Emi Kusano, Harvey Mason Jr, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Katie Piper, Ronen Tanchum, JR and will.i.am.

The Annual Meeting 2026 will be accessible to the wider public through the livestreaming of over 200 sessions. In addition, the Open Forum, now in its 23rd year, will host public panel discussions for the local community and participants from around the world, encouraging wider participation and open dialogue on key global issues.

Throughout January 2026, the Forum has or will be publishing new research to bridge insight and action at the Annual Meeting and beyond. These include the Global Cooperation Barometer 2026, the Global Risks Report 2026, the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 and the latest edition of the Chief Economists Outlook. A full list of new or upcoming Forum research can be found here.