The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting opened on 19th January, 2026, in the Swiss resort town of Davos, drawing an influential mix of political leaders, business executives, academics and civil society figures for five days of discussions on the world’s most pressing challenges. This year’s gathering unfolded at a moment of pronounced global strain, marked by geopolitical tension, economic fragmentation and widespread social unease.
Founded as a modest meeting of business leaders in 1971, the Davos forum has evolved into one of the most prominent platforms for shaping global debate. Organised by the World Economic Forum, a Geneva-based think tank and convening body, the event now spans a broad agenda that includes economic inequality, climate change, technological transformation and the future of international cooperation. Its ambition has expanded alongside the complexity of the world it seeks to influence.
The 2026 edition opened against a backdrop of uncertainty, yet the prevailing mood was not one of resignation. Instead, speakers repeatedly returned to the idea that cooperation, while more difficult than in previous decades, remains essential. The emphasis was on adaptation rather than retreat, and on finding new ways to work together in a world where old assumptions about globalisation no longer hold.
Setting the tone early on, WEF President Børge Brende offered a metaphor that echoed through subsequent sessions. He observed that countries and companies were now “finding the way like water” as they attempted to advance shared goals in an unpredictable environment. The image suggested flexibility rather than force: an acceptance that progress may require flowing around obstacles, reshaping pathways and forging pragmatic connections where rigid frameworks have broken down. Swiss President Guy Parmelin reinforced this message in his remarks, stressing the need for closer alignment between society, science, economics and politics. He warned that when major challenges are addressed in isolation, solutions are inevitably incomplete. From strengthening economic resilience to rebuilding social cohesion, Parmelin argued that integrated thinking and long-term commitment are essential if countries are to navigate overlapping crises.
China’s contribution to the debate came from Vice Premier He Lifeng, who focused on the future of economic globalisation. While acknowledging its flaws, he firmly rejected calls for withdrawal into protectionism or self-imposed isolation. Instead, he argued that dialogue and collective problem-solving were the only viable means of steering globalisation towards a more balanced and inclusive model. His remarks reflected Beijing’s stated aim of expanding domestic demand while further opening its markets, particularly in the services sector, and amounted to a clear criticism of trade wars and zero-sum approaches to economic policy.
European perspectives were also prominent, particularly in discussions on how strained international relationships might be stabilised. In a candid exchange on the sidelines of the forum, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde offered a pointed assessment of what meaningful cooperation between China and Europe now requires. “There is no love. There are only proofs of love,” she said, underscoring the gap between rhetorical commitment and practical action. For Lagarde, genuine partnership depends on creating a stable and sustainable economic relationship grounded in a level playing field. That, she argued, means confronting sensitive issues such as pricing practices, subsidies, grants and structural imbalances directly, rather than avoiding them. As the meeting progressed, it became clear that Davos 2026 was not about nostalgia for a simpler era of globalisation. Few speakers suggested that the world could simply return to the conditions that prevailed before recent shocks. Instead, the forum offered a more sober assessment of what cooperation now entails: patience, transparency and a willingness to share responsibility even when interests diverge.
If the global economy is indeed “finding the way like water”, as Brende suggested, its ultimate direction will depend on whether the world’s major players are prepared to demonstrate their commitment through concrete decisions. Davos may not have delivered easy answers, but it sharpened the central question of the moment: whether cooperation, adapted to new realities, can still provide a path forward in an increasingly fractured world.
