Mumbai, Jan 19 : The World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 Annual Meeting, one of the most anticipated global gatherings, officially began on Monday, January 19, in Davos, Switzerland.
This year’s meeting is expected to be one of the largest in the forum’s history, with over 400 top political leaders, including nearly 65 heads of state and government six of whom are G7 leaders participating. Additionally, close to 850 CEOs and chairs from the world’s leading companies, along with almost 100 unicorn founders and technology pioneers, are attending to discuss global priorities and challenges.
The WEF 2026 agenda is organized around five key themes, emphasizing public-private dialogue and international cooperation amid geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty:
Cooperation in a more contested world
Unlocking new sources of growth
Investing in people
Deploying innovation at scale and responsibly
Building prosperity within planetary boundaries
Day 1 Highlights
The Annual Meeting opened with a high-profile concert featuring multi Grammy winning musician Jon Batiste, celebrated violinist Renaud Capucon, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
Following the opening, the first Open Forum session titled “Which 2050 Do We Want?” explored how today’s decisions on climate action, technology, social justice, and care systems will shape the future. The session featured prominent global figures including WEF Managing Director Alois Zwinggi, Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard, historian Adam Tooze, Distyl AI CEO Arjun Prakash, Global Shapers Zainab Azizi and Taylor Hawkins, and journalist Aruoture Oddiri.
The three day meeting aims to foster collaborative solutions to pressing global issues, while providing a platform for leaders across politics, business, and technology to chart a sustainable and inclusive future.