The World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 Annual Meeting, the world’s most-talked-about gathering, is all set to kick off on Monday, January 19 in Davos, Switzerland.
Over the next three days, the WEF 2026 will see 400 top political leaders, including close to 65 heads of state and government – with six G7 leaders expected – nearly 850 of the world’s top CEOs and chairs, and almost 100 leading unicorns and technology pioneers convening in Davos to engage in forward-looking discussions to address global issues and set priorities.
The 2026 edition marks one of the highest-level gatherings in the Annual Meeting’s history, underscoring the growing need for global cooperation amid geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty.
The WEF programme this year is structured around five key global challenges, with a strong focus on “public-private dialogue and cooperation”.
The five themes are – How can we cooperate in a more contested world?; How can we unlock new sources of growth?; How can we better invest in people?; How can we deploy innovation at scale and responsibly?; and How can we build prosperity within planetary boundaries?
WEF 2026 Annual Meeting Day 1
The Day 1 of the WEF 2026 Annual Meeting will kick-start with a high-profile opening concert on January 19, featuring multi-Grammy award-winning artist Jon Batiste, renowned violinist Renaud Capucon and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
Open Forum session titled ‘Which 2050 Do We Want?’
After the opening ceremony, an Open Forum session titled ‘Which 2050 Do We Want?’ will be held on Day 1.
The session will focus on how present-day decisions on climate action, technology, social justice and social care are shaping the future.
The session will feature prominent personalities including, Alois Zwinggi, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, Agnes Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Adam Tooze, Director of the European Institute at Columbia University, Arjun Prakash, Co-Founder and CEO of Distyl AI, along with Global Shapers Zainab Azizi and Taylor Hawkins, and journalist Aruoture Oddiri.