Nearly 3,000 high-level participants from business, government and beyond, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, plus untold numbers of activists, journalists and outdoors observers are converging within the Swiss town of Davos for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting.
Here’s a have a look at the newest edition of the elite affair within the Alpine snows:
The forum is a think tank and event organizer based in Geneva whose predominant event — the annual meeting — debuted in 1971 in Davos, a ski-resort town of about 10,000 people at a height of about 1,500 meters (nearly 5,000 feet) within the Alps of eastern Switzerland.
The primary edition, hosted by forum founder Klaus Schwab, featured a gathering of business executives.
Since then, the meeting has swelled right into a catch-all conference on issues as diverse as economic disparity, climate change, technology, and global cooperation — in addition to competition and conflict.
Greater than 200 sessions will tackle a big selection of issues.
Organizers says a record of nearly 400 top political leaders, including greater than 60 heads of state and government, and nearly 850 chairs and chief executives of lots of the world’s leading firms.
Headlining the lineup is U.S. President Donald Trump, who’s set to deliver a speech on Wednesday, and a number of other Cabinet ministers and top advisers including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
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President Emmanuel Macron of France, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President Ahmad al-Sharaa of Syria, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, President Felix Tshisekedi of Congo, Vice Premier He Lifeng of China, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine are among the many who’s-who of top attendees.
Organizers say 55 ministers for economy and finance, 33 ministers for foreign affairs, 34 ministers for trade, commerce and industry, and 11 central bank governors are also expected.
Tech titans scheduled to be available include Jensen Huang of Nvidia. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind, and Arthur Mensch of France’s Mistral AI.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are amongst scores of top officials from international institutions.
What’s different this yr?
The geopolitical context has develop into incredibly complex this yr: Trump’s pronouncements and policies on subjects as diverse as Venezuela, Greenland and Iran — not to say his aggressive tariff policies — have upended the world order and raised questions on America’s role on this planet.
The arrival of AI — its promise and perils — has also develop into a hot topic. Business executives will examine learn how to apply it to spice up efficiency and profits; labor leaders and advocacy groups will warn of its threat to jobs and livelihoods, and policymakers will look to navigate one of the best ways forward between regulation and right to innovate.
Davos conference organizers at all times trot out buzzwords for the meeting, and this yr’s is “A Spirit of Dialogue” — around five themes of cooperation, growth, investment in people, innovation and constructing prosperity.
Critics say Davos is just too much talk and never enough motion to rectify gaping inequality on this planet and address troubles like climate change.
© 2026 The Canadian Press