TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – This year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting is scheduled to take place from January 19 to 23, 2026, continuing Davos’ long-standing role as a central platform for global dialogue and cooperation.
Held annually in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos, the WEF convenes delegates from government, business, and civil society for several days of high-level discussions on urgent global issues.
As global leaders turn their attention to pressing international challenges, here is everything you need to know about the World Economic Forum and why the Davos agenda remains relevant.
What Is the World Economic Forum?
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-profit organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, operating as both a think tank and a global event organizer.
Founded in 1971, the forum initially brought together business executives at its first summit in Davos, before gradually expanding its scope to include a wide range of global concerns.
Today, the WEF focuses on promoting cooperation between the public and private sectors, addressing challenges such as economic inequality, climate change, technological transformation, and global collaboration through dialogue and collective action.
Why Does the Davos Meeting Matter?
The Davos convening matters because it goes beyond formal speeches to create a unique space for direct engagement among global leaders. Each year, around 2,500 delegates and hundreds of additional participants gather in the Alpine town, making it one of the largest annual assemblies of global decision-makers.
According to McKinsey, meaningful exchanges often take place in informal settings beyond the official sessions, ranging from corridors, side meetings, hotel suites, and restaurants. Within the Alpine town, ideas are tested, partnerships are formed, and collaborative solutions to global challenges begin to take shape.
What Is the 2026 WEF Davos Agenda?
This year’s Davos meeting is held under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue,” reflecting the need for cooperation amid rising geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
The program is structured around five interconnected priorities, including cooperation in a contested world, the responsible deployment of innovation, unlocking new sources of growth, investing in people, and building prosperity within planetary boundaries, as per McKinsey and Al Jazeera.
With more than 200 sessions planned, discussions will span issues from geopolitics and artificial intelligence to climate change and workforce transformation.
Who Is Expected to Attend the 2026 WEF Summit?
The scale of this year’s World Economic Forum is demonstrated by the high-profile attendance of global policymakers. Nearly 3,000 participants from business, government, and international institutions are expected to attend, alongside activists, journalists, and observers from around the world.
Organizers report a record turnout of close to 400 senior political leaders, including more than 60 heads of state and government, as well as around 850 chairpersons and chief executives of leading global companies.
Here are some key attendees to expect:
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Donald Trump — U.S. President
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Marco Rubio — U.S. Secretary of State
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Scott Bessent — U.S. Treasury Secretary
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Steve Witkoff — U.S. Special Envoy
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Emmanuel Macron — President of France
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Ursula von der Leyen — President of the European Commission
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Ahmed al-Sharaa — President of Syria
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Mark Carney — Prime Minister of Canada
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Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani — Prime Minister of Qatar
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Felix Tshisekedi — President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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He Lifeng — Vice Premier of China
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy — President of Ukraine
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Jensen Huang — Chief Executive Officer, Nvidia
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Satya Nadella — Chief Executive Officer, Microsoft
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Demis Hassabis — Chief Executive Officer, Google DeepMind
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Arthur Mensch — Chief Executive Officer, Mistral AI
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Mark Rutte — Secretary-General, NATO
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Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala — Director-General, World Trade Organization
Read: WEF 2026 and Indonesia’s Path to Becoming a ‘Co-Creator’ of Global Solutions
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