What was planned 

Last Friday was the closing day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2025 - the main center for debates on the world economy – held in Davos, Switzerland, between 20-24 January.

The WEF's mission "bring together government, businesses and civil society to improve the state of the world" was reinforced this year, with around 3,000 attendees from over 130 countries, between them over 50 heads of state and government and hundreds of top governmental leaders, discussing around the theme "Collaboration for the Intelligent Age".

The inspiration for this central theme came from the findings of the Global Risks Perception Survey 2024-2025 (GRPS), a report published by the WEF. This Report presents the ten most severe global risks (“event or condition that, if it occurs, would negatively impact a significant proportion of global GDP, population or natural resources”, p. 5) in the short term (2 years) and in the long term (10 years) as shown in the image below:

To explore the central theme, the program was structured around five interconnected topics:

Rebuilding trust: How can stakeholders find new ways to collaborate on solutions both internationally and within societies?

• Reimagining growth: How can we identify the new sources of growth in this new global economy?
• Investing in people: How can the public and private sectors invest in human capital development and good jobs that contribute to the development of a modern and resilient society?
• Safeguarding the Planet: How can we catalyze energy, climate, and nature action through innovative partnerships, increased financing, and the deployment of frontier technologies?
• Industries in the Intelligent Age: How can business leaders strike a balance between the short-term goals and long-term imperatives in the transformation of their industries?

In anticipation of the meeting, three other major reports were released:

• Global Cooperation Barometer 2025 (2nd edition), which "finds that overall levels of cooperation have stagnated, but pockets of cooperation still exist";
• The Future of Jobs Report 2025, which highlights the urgent need for global workforce reskilling, with 170 million new jobs expected by 2030, but also the displacement of more than 92 million;
• Global Cybersecurity Outlook Report 2025, which found that the growing complexity of cyberspace is exacerbating cyber inequality and widening disparities between large and small organizations, developed and emerging economies, and across various sectors.

What Happened 

Considering the conflicts in the Middle East and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, geopolitics was a topic that stood out in this year's forum. There were contrasting analyses about the economy's direction, with favorable analyses regarding the American economy and less optimistic regarding the European one. Some leaders, however, emphasized the European Union's values as a strength for the bloc.

Given scientists' confirmation that 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded on the planet, and all the recent extreme weather events that have occurred, the climate issue has also been highlighted. Greenhouse gas emissions and security energy vs. energy transition were discussed. Leaders rejected the dichotomy between these priorities, stating that both can be pursued in parallel.

Tariffs, debt, and inflation were keywords in discussions about economic growth and finance. Topics include: the status of the US dollar as the world's leading currency and expectations for its future; the role of cryptocurrencies in reshaping the financial system; and complacency with debt and inflation levels.

According to The Future of Jobs Report 2025, 39% of our existing skill sets will be transformed or become outdated in the next five years. In this context, discussions highlighted the need to close the gender gap across health, politics, and economics; about young people's inclusion into the job market; and to prepare workers to interact with AI.

Finally, as the central theme of the forum was the "Intelligent Age", electric vehicles, cybersecurity, smart factories, and the implications of AI for governments and national security were the focus of some sessions. Discussions focused on the infrastructure required to support increasingly complex AI models.

The first day of the forum also coincided with the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. His recent policies sparked reflections on how his return to power could influence trade, technology, and the geopolitical landscape.

In his speech, the forum's founder, Klaus Schwab emphasized: "By embracing constructive optimism, we can shape the intelligent age as an era where every human being can realize its full potential".

Conclusion

The World Economic Forum 2025 reaffirmed the need for global collaboration and the use of innovation and cooperation to build a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future. After so many valuable insights and reflections, it is up to governments, business leaders, and civil society to translate them into concrete actions to shape a better world.

Have a great and impactful week!

Adriana Zani

Researcher
Center for Responsible Business & Leadership