The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) opened on Monday in the Swiss resort city of Davos, a five-day event attended by global figures from politics, business, academia and civil society.
The annual forum, which seeks to shape the global agenda, comes at a time of great global upheaval.
US President Donald Trump will attend the annual event along with other world leaders. His presence comes amid strained US relations with its European allies over his threat to annex Denmark’s semi-autonomous region of Greenland.
Here’s more about WEF and what to expect at the meeting.
What is WEF?
WEF is a think tank and event organizer based in the Swiss city of Geneva. The first summit in Davos in 1971 was a gathering of business executives. However, over the years, its scope has expanded to discuss issues as diverse as economic inequality, climate change, technology and global cooperation.
Where is the WEF Summit in 2026?
The summit is at the conference center in Davos, an Alpine town in Switzerland, famous for its ski resort and home to about 10,000 people.
Davos, at an altitude of about 1,500 meters (nearly 5,000 ft), is located in the canton of Graubünden in the Eastern Alps of Switzerland.
It has been the site of the WEF summit every January since 1971.
When is the summit in Davos?
The main session began on Monday, January 19 and the annual meeting will end on January 23.
Sessions start daily at 9am (08:00 GMT).
Who is expected to attend and who is not?
Around 3,000 high-level participants from business, government and beyond are expected to attend, as well as numerous activists, journalists and outside observers.
Organizers say around 400 top political leaders, including more than 60 heads of state and government, and around 850 chairmen and CEOs of many of the world’s leading companies are participating.
Headlining the lineup is Trump, who is scheduled to deliver a speech on Wednesday, and several cabinet ministers and top advisers, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Bloomberg News reports that Trump wants to hold a meeting of his ‘Board of Peace’ on Gaza at the annual convention.
French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, Chinese Vice Premier He Volensky and Ukrainian President He Volensky were present. WEF Summit.
Organizers say 55 economy and finance ministers, 33 foreign ministers, 34 trade, commerce and industry ministers and 11 central bank governors are also expected.
Tech titans include Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis and France’s Mistral AI’s Arthur Mensch.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and World Trade Organization Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are among several high-ranking officials in international organizations.
Who is not present?
Iran’s foreign minister will not attend the summit, organizers said Monday, saying it would not be “appropriate” following the recent deadly crackdown on protesters in Iran. Abbas Arghchi Was going to speak on Tuesday.
“Iran’s foreign minister will not attend Davos,” WEF said on X.
“Although he was invited last fall, the tragic loss of civilians in Iran over the past few weeks means that the Iranian government is not eligible to be represented in Davos this year,” it said.
Israel, accused of genocide in Gaza, has also been invited. President Isaac Herzog will represent Israel at the event.
Mozambican President Daniel Chapo has canceled his trip to Davos and will not attend the meeting due to the massive flooding in his country. He said on social media late Sunday that “the absolute priority at this point is to save lives”.
What’s on the agenda?
This year’s theme is “A Spirit of Dialogue”. More than 200 sessions will address a wide range of issues from geopolitics and artificial intelligence to climate change.
Trump is expected to meet with world business leaders on Wednesday, Reuters news agency reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Business leaders, including CEOs from financial services, crypto and consulting, have been invited to a reception after Trump addresses the WEF’s annual meeting, sources told Reuters on Monday. The agenda was unclear.
What’s different this year?
The geopolitical context has become incredibly complex this year: Trump’s announcements and policies on issues as diverse as Venezuela, Greenland and Iran – not to mention his aggressive tariff policies – have upset the global order and raised questions about America’s role in the world.
EU leaders have called Trump’s threat to slap new tariffs on the Greenland takeover “blackmail”.
The advent of AI – its promise and dangers – has also become a hot topic. Business executives will examine how to apply them to increase efficiency and profitability; Labor leaders and advocacy groups will warn of threats to jobs and livelihoods, and policymakers will navigate the fine line between regulation and the right to innovate.
The organizers of the Davos conference always coin a watchword for the meeting, and this year it is “A Spirit of Dialogue” – the five themes of cooperation, growth, investment in people, innovation and prosperity.
Critics say Davos is too much talk and not enough action to improve world inequality and tackle problems like climate change.