Our Organization

This section provides an overview of key areas of the organization and significant highlights from 2024-2025. Additionally, it offers insights into the Forum’s talent, offices and affiliated organizations, such as the Forum of Young Global Leaders, the Global Shapers Community and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

The centre seeks to unite global manufacturing and supply chain ecosystem leaders to share best practices, ignite innovation and scale the impact of their efforts. In doing so, it plays an integral role in driving the responsible transformation of industry.

To achieve this, it brings together more than 250 partners from business, government, academia and civil society. Through flagship initiatives such as the Global Lighthouse Network and a growing portfolio of collaborative projects, it champions key issues including cutting-edge technology, environmental stewardship and workforce transformation.

It operates across four key areas: resilient value chains, technology and innovation, people-centric transformation, and sustainable systems. The centre works to future-proof global value chains by supporting the development of new industrial strategies that build resilience and promote growth in manufacturing and supply chains. It aims to accelerate the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies at scale through initiatives such as the Global Lighthouse Network, The Next Frontier of Operations and the Lighthouse Operating System.

The centre continues to promote emerging practices and tools that enhance diversity, inclusion, workforce development and the attractiveness of industry careers. Key initiatives include Frontline Talent of the Future and the New Generation of Industry Leaders. It also identifies innovative solutions to enable circularity and accelerate the transition to net zero across industry. Major efforts in this area include the Industry Net Zero Accelerator, Circular Transformation of Industries and the SME Sustainability Accelerator.

With these programmes as the foundation of its work, the centre achieved success in three priority areas during the reporting period: strengthening its global presence, expanding its influential leader community and the Global Lighthouse Network into a globally impactful platform, and advancing sustainable, resilient, people-centric industrial transformation in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

Among the highlights was the continued growth of the Global Lighthouse Network, with 36 new lighthouses added, bringing the total number of best-in-class production sites and value chains to 189. The network’s criteria expanded to include talent and customer centricity, creating a more comprehensive benchmark for excellence in advanced manufacturing.

To address barriers to industrial decarbonization, the centre unveiled a framework of eight opportunities for public-private cooperation. In response to industry leaders’ shift towards regionalization, it also launched the Beyond Cost: Country Readiness for the Future of Manufacturing and Supply Chains report, including a Global Readiness Index that outlines seven readiness factors to guide manufacturers’ value chain decisions on their production footprint and inform government industrial policy agendas.

The New Generation of Industry Leaders initiative entered its second year, with the latest cohort convening in Boston and Geneva. Following a policy roundtable in Washington, D.C., a new Industry 4.0 career path initiative was announced, aimed at making manufacturing careers more attractive and addressing a projected shortfall of two million workers in US manufacturing.

In a major development, the centre’s community of chief operating, supply chain and procurement officers was restructured with a new, focused mandate to support the technological transformation of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The community expanded strategically and now includes more than 90 chief experience officers (CXOs), along with a new deputies community to operationalize decisions.

The centre expanded its global footprint with new affiliates in Qatar, South Africa and Viet Nam. It convened key community meetings in China, India and the US, and hosted the first Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chains Forum in Boston – bringing together leaders from industry, government, academia and start-ups to develop strategies for “Resilience and Innovation in the Intelligent Age”.

The centre aims to ensure shared prosperity within the planet’s limits, focusing on strengthening the foundations for a safe climate, resilient ecosystems and human systems that enable equitable economic progress and long-term social stability.

Strategic priorities include driving climate mitigation, adaptation and industry transformation to achieve a net-zero, resilient future that safeguards lives, livelihoods and ecosystems. It seeks to catalyse business leadership, investment and policy change to protect, restore and sustainably manage terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems, and promote nature-positive economies. Finally, it advances the shift to regenerative, circular and inclusive systems of production and consumption within planetary boundaries.

Decarbonization requires technological innovation and unprecedented collaboration across value chains and regions. Over the reporting period, the centre mobilized business leaders and innovators to drive systemic change.

The Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders demonstrated impactful leadership, collectively reducing their absolute emissions by 10% – a reduction equivalent to France’s annual emissions. Meanwhile, the First Movers Coalition harnessed the purchasing power of over 100 companies, generating $16 billion in demand for low-carbon products and accelerating breakthrough clean technologies in hard-to-abate sectors. In aviation, the Airports of Tomorrow initiative united 70 partners, launching the Global Aviation Sustainability Outlook and developing new partnerships to scale sustainable aviation fuels, further supported by the launch of the Green Fuel Forward initiative in Asia-Pacific.

Nature loss, impacting 75% of the Earth’s land, poses significant ecological and economic risks. Yet, transitioning to nature-positive business models could unlock $10 trillion annually by 2030. The centre continues to work to unlock these opportunities while protecting and restoring precious terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

The centre launched the CEO Alliance on Nature, engaging business leaders to embed nature-positive practices into operations. It also published guidance for eight industrial sectors on how to reduce their impact and transition towards nature-positive models.

The Ocean Action Agenda continued to advance a regenerative blue economy, supporting over 550 innovation start-ups, catalysing more than $5 billion in private investment for ocean health. It also unveiled a white paper, Investing in Mangroves: The Corporate Playbook, for mangrove restoration.

The 1t.org movement continued to inspire action, with 92 companies pledging to protect, restore and grow nearly 10 billion trees in 143 countries and contribute to the creation of the world’s largest tropical forest reserve. In agriculture, the Tropical Forest Alliance continued to drive the shift towards deforestation-free supply chains, with a new task force in China securing 1.5 million tonnes of certified sustainable soy from Brazil.

The centre champions circularity, innovation and partnership to steward Earth’s precious resources. The Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) expanded national partnerships to 25. Initiatives such as Circularity in the Built Environment and the Circular Innovation Ecosystem accelerated the shift to circular supply chains, with the latter recognizing 13 startups for traceability innovations. The First Movers Coalition for Food is scaling demand for sustainable agriculture, while the Food Innovation Hubs network connected over 250 innovators across six countries. The centre launched the Water Futures community to address rising water stress across food systems, industry and urban resilience.

Transformational change requires bold initiatives and convening power. The centre’s leadership communities help boost ambition and accelerate collaborative action. In this spirit, the GAEA (Giving to Amplify Earth Action) initiative, which has secured approximately $200 billion in aggregated capital, stayed on track to become the largest market signal of philanthropic and impact capital.

The centre seeks to support individuals and organizations to securely benefit from ongoing digital and technological progress. To achieve this, it provides an independent and impartial platform to reinforce the importance of cybersecurity as a strategic imperative and drive global public-private action to address systemic cybersecurity challenges.

Its three priority areas of work are building cyber resilience, strengthening global cooperation and navigating cyber frontiers. It seeks to achieve these by promoting best practices and developing solutions to enhance cyber resilience throughout industry ecosystems (building cyber resilience); facilitating public-private partnerships to address challenges collaboratively (strengthening global cooperation); and identifying and explaining the cybersecurity risks and opportunities of emerging technologies and an increasingly interconnected world (navigating cyber frontiers).

Among the centre’s highlights from the reporting period was its Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity, which convened over 150 experts to collaborate towards advancing equity in cyberspace. The meeting was also instrumental in strengthening support for the centre’s ongoing initiatives.

Its Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 examined the cybersecurity trends expected to affect economies and societies in the coming year. It underscored the growing complexity in cyberspace, which is characterized by geopolitics, emerging technologies, supply chain interdependencies and cybercrime sophistication.

During the reporting period, the centre brought together more than 50 public and private organizations to share knowledge and identify systemic solutions to counter cybercrime at scale, as part of its Partnership against Cybercrime initiative. In the same vein, its Cybercrime Atlas initiative developed a framework for operational collaboration and best practices to support the success of anti-cybercrime partnerships.

As part of this work on implementing the Disrupting Cybercrime Networks: A Collaboration Framework in different regions, training exercises were co-hosted with INTERPOL in Bangkok, Thailand and Panama City, Panama.

Alongside this, the centre focused on strengthening cyber resilience in industries undergoing a fundamental transformation, considerably heightening cyber risks. This involved working with more than 200 cybersecurity leaders to develop and scale up solutions and promote effective cybersecurity practices across industry ecosystems.

In January, the centre launched a Centre for Cyber Economics (CCE) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the Global Cybersecurity Forum, as part of the Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network. CCE will develop robust, evidence-based frameworks to enhance global cybersecurity resilience and economic stability.

Cybersecurity skills shortages are a major and ongoing problem. As part of the centre’s work to address the demand for a skilled cybersecurity workforce, it unveiled Growing Cyber Talent Through Public-Private Partnerships at the Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B) in Geneva, Switzerland, in May 2025.

The centre hosted a high-level ministerial meeting of the GC3B organized by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). Under the leadership of the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), this meeting brought together 54 ministers and senior executives to discuss the African Declaration on Cybersecurity Capacity Building.

To support this effort, the centre, in collaboration with the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Center, held a capacity-building workshop dedicated to strengthening global operational collaboration to disrupt cybercrime and enhancing cybersecurity workforce development. Maraš Dukaj, Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro, opened the event, which brought together over 80 participants from across the Western Balkans.

Finally, the centre collaborated with the University of Oxford’s Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre to develop knowledge that supports organizations in managing the cybersecurity risks associated with the adoption of AI technologies. This collaboration culminated in the publication of the report, Artificial Intelligence: Balancing Risks and Rewards.

The centre seeks to accelerate the transition to a secure, sustainable and equitable energy system that enables positive economic and social development. It achieves this by convening leaders from companies and countries to create insights, co-develop solutions and collaborate to advance energy and material transitions.

It has five priorities and advances them through initiatives, its communities, events and insights. It offers energy and industry transition intelligence about the evolution of energy and industrial systems to better inform energy transition efforts.

The centre helps accelerate power system transformation and the deployment of clean power to support electrification and the growing electricity demand. It similarly seeks to accelerate industrial ecosystem transformation, driving the transformation of industrial clusters to enable the reduction of energy and carbon intensity while also creating jobs and economic growth.

It generates insights into the resources needed for the energy transition, and it addresses critical enabling factors for the transition, such as financing clean energy in emerging markets, harnessing AI for the transition, deploying clean fuels and transitioning coal to clean energy.

These priorities formed the basis of several achievements during the reporting period. The Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2025 report, based on 15 years of benchmarking countries’ energy systems, remains a vital tool for assessing progress, identifying gaps and guiding stakeholders towards more secure, sustainable and inclusive energy systems.

Its Transitioning Industrial Clusters initiative expanded, welcoming 12 new clusters from Australia, Brazil, Colombia, India, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the UK. The initiative works with 35 clusters in 16 countries to reduce emissions and drive economic growth. Research from the Unleashing the Full Potential of Industrial Clusters: Infrastructure Solutions for Clean Energies report highlighted the critical role clusters play in scaling clean energy infrastructure.

The centre’s Scaling Financing for Coal Phase-out in Emerging Economies report revealed how to scale up financing solutions for coal retirement in emerging markets and developing economies. The Net-Zero Industry Tracker 2024 provided progress analysis for eight hard-to-abate industrial and transport sectors.

Five Principles for Responsible Deployment of Renewables Infrastructure were developed by public-private leaders. They are designed to guide stakeholders in ensuring that renewable energy projects benefit both people and the planet.

The Network to Mobilize Clean Energy Investment in EMDEs – a coalition of CEOs and governmental ministers – unveiled its Playbook of Solutions during the 2024 G20 and Clean Energy Ministerial Meetings, sharing best practices from 45 emerging and developing economies to increase clean energy investment.

The Clean Power, Grids and Electrification programme released A Collaborative Framework for Accelerating Advanced Nuclear and Small Modular Reactor Deployment, aligning nuclear sector stakeholders around actions to advance small modular reactor (SMR) deployment.

The centre also expanded its regional collaborations, working closely with five Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. It convened two Energy Transition Meetings in May and June 2025 in the ASEAN region and Brazil, bringing together over 350 public- and private-sector leaders to advance regional transition efforts and strengthen global collaboration.

It also launched the Securing Minerals for the Energy Transition: Unlocking the Value Chain through Policy, Investment and Innovation report, which identified barriers to investment and innovation to unlock the critical materials supply.

The global financial system is confronting new realities as geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts upend existing norms. At the same time, volatile markets and rapid technological advancements are reshaping the global macroeconomic landscape. While these renewed uncertainties present fresh challenges to global financial resilience, they also create opportunities for innovation and collaboration that can support long-term economic growth and development.

Reflecting this dynamic backdrop, the centre aims to provide an independent and impartial platform to design a more sustainable, resilient, trusted and accessible financial system that reinforces long-term value creation and economic prosperity.

To achieve this ambition, the centre is structured around three thematic pillars: financial resilience for institutions and individuals, technology-enabled innovation in finance, and sustainable finance and investing. Guided by these pillars, the centre engages a diverse base of partners year-round through a variety of strategic content initiatives. These include mapping the implications of AI adoption across the financial system, analysing how demographic shifts will affect financial institutions and their clients, and examining the consequences of rising geoeconomic tensions on global finance and the broader economy, among many other areas of focus.

During the reporting period, the centre achieved several key milestones. Supported by more than 25 chief executives and chairpersons of global financial institutions, the Navigating Global Financial System Fragmentation initiative analysed and quantified the costs of fragmentation, as evidenced by the increasing use of sanctions, industrial policies, investment restrictions, divergent regulations, tariffs and other manifestations around the world. Through a series of multistakeholder convenings and interviews, the initiative proposed a set of principles, rules and policy recommendations aimed at protecting the integrity of the global financial system while acknowledging national security and sovereignty concerns.

The 2024 Global Retail Investor Outlook, covering 13 markets and representing a statistical sample of 50% of the global population, was conducted to better understand the evolving landscape of individual investors.

To address the need for more robust data and empirical evidence on fintech, the centre conducted a global survey of 240 fintech companies in The Future of Global Fintech: From Rapid Expansion to Sustainable Growth, in collaboration with the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance. The results will inform multistakeholder roundtables with industry leaders, regulators and policy-makers to inform future action.

The centre also supported hard-to-abate economic sectors in their pursuit of financing and policy solutions to drive net-zero transitions. This work included hosting a three-day First Movers Coalition workshop in partnership with the US Department of Energy and the State Department, authoring a corporate playbook for achieving net-zero goals, and a deep dive into key economies. These efforts aim to promote longterm value creation and economic growth while advancing environmental sustainability and energy independence.

Continuing its focus on demographic change and its implications for the financial system, the centre progressed its Longevity Economy initiative. This work promoted financial resilience by identifying and spotlighting impactful start-ups in the longevity space and by connecting them with key stakeholders, including investors and financiers. Over the past year, more than 50 organizations committed to taking tangible action aligned with the centre’s Longevity Economy Principles, which emphasize the development of cutting-edge investment vehicles and products tailored to ageing populations, the expansion of financial education access and the mitigation of demographic disparities driven by socioeconomic factors. The centre was also part of the UpLink Prospering in Longevity Challenge, which aims to build a community for start-ups that promote financial resilience, equitable healthy ageing and lifelong fulfilment.

In March 2025, the centre convened over 170 global decision-makers from 17 industries and 22 countries in Hong Kong under the theme “Financial Services for the Intelligent Age”. Participants from business, academia, civil society, the public sector and innovation communities engaged in 14 sessions to address the most pressing issues facing financial systems today.

Finally, as part of its annual programming alongside the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Spring and Annual Meetings, the centre brought together financial services leaders, policy-makers, civil society representatives and other experts to discuss and strategize on critical financial and economic issues impacting sustainability and global growth.

The centre seeks to harness technology’s potential for the equitable and human-centred transformation of industries, economies and societies. Its mission is to provide a strategic and future-oriented platform to help make sense of exponential technologies and drive their responsible adoption and application globally.

It focuses on four areas: driving breakthrough innovation, accelerating industry transformation, preparing nations for the Intelligent Age, and harnessing technology for the benefit of people and the planet.

To achieve progress in these areas, it holds events and pursues initiatives. For example, its annual Global Technology Retreat, held in San Francisco, brought together thought leaders to explore ideas, develop partnerships and peer exchanges, and challenge existing paradigms. The event offers a platform for policy-makers and regulators to engage with innovators, anticipating regulatory needs and helping to drive a shared vision.

It runs several initiatives aimed specifically at driving breakthrough innovation in areas such as AI, bioeconomy, energy transition, mobility transformation and the quantum economy. It seeks to accelerate industry transformation; its AI workstreams under the AI Governance Alliance promote solutions aimed at supporting sectors and enabling their innovation.

In terms of supporting nations to prepare for the Intelligent Age, the centre seeks to support the digitization of public administrations and runs programmes that use digital literacy and governance to tackle online harm. Its work in AI helps develop locally grounded innovation ecosystems and supports adaptive, global policy tools. It also helps define trust standards for emerging technologies, and is involved in helping build a secure, open and interoperable digital public infrastructure.

Through its work harnessing technology for people and the planet, the centre oversees initiatives that use the technology to support farmers in India, seeks to help drive a safe and sustainable space environment, and promotes technologies and practices to mitigate climate risks.

These initiatives form the foundation of the centre’s work, and during the reporting period, it also achieved several additional successes. Among these was the connection of more than one billion people in more than 100 countries to essential digital services in healthcare, education and finance, thanks to the work of the EDISON Alliance, which surpassed its 2025 target.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with the United Arab Emirates at the Annual Meeting 2025, resulting in the creation of an initiative focused on regulatory innovation, advancing collaborative efforts to ensure government and business are prepared for the Intelligent Age.

A second new initiative, Technology Convergence, was launched to identify and advance the most effective combinations of emerging technologies to enhance value chains, drive innovation and inform strategic decision-making in different sectors. It was launched through the inaugural Technology Convergence Report, which introduced a framework for anticipating cross-sector disruption.

The Technology Pioneers Innovator Communities marked the programme’s 25th anniversary. Since its inception, it has recognized 100 forward-thinking start-ups annually, spotlighting emerging technologies and the entrepreneurs behind them.

The Tech for Climate Adaptation initiative demonstrated how frontier technologies can protect critical value chains like food, energy and manufacturing from climate impacts, helping prevent up to 4% in cumulative GDP (gross domestic product) losses by 2100.

The Forum’s Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution grew to 22 members, with the launch of Global Government Technology Centre Berlin and Global Government Technology Centre Kyiv, as well as Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Medellín, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Oman, the South Africa Centre for Industry and Technology, Riyadh’s Centre for Cyber Economics, and the renewal of Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution United Arab Emirates. The focus of these centres is on advancing work on AI, the energy transition, industrial digitization, decarbonization and cybersecurity economics.

The mission of the centre is to support a future where every person, regardless of geography, socioeconomic status or background, can access high-quality healthcare. The centre identifies and scales transformative solutions that build resilient, inclusive and efficient systems, empowering individuals and communities to thrive in health and well-being.

Its work focuses on three foundational priorities. First, improving health and well-being by ensuring access to care at a time when disparities are increasing. Second, advancing intelligent health systems that optimize outcomes through innovation. Third, mitigating health risks by facilitating public-private collaborations to enhance global health security.

This past year marked significant progress across these areas. Notably, the centre launched the Global Activator Network: Breast and Cervical Cancer Coalition, an initiative within the Global Alliance for Women’s Health, aimed at closing the women’s health gap. This coalition unites health ministries and public-private partners to strengthen national efforts to combat cervical and breast cancer, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In January, the centre introduced the Unified Coalition for the Antimicrobial Resistance Response (UCARE Initiative) and the Davos Compact on AMR. These initiatives reflect the urgency of addressing antimicrobial resistance, which causes over one million deaths each year. The centre’s approach spans accelerating research and development, expanding diagnostics and vaccine access, promoting awareness and supporting sustainable practices in agriculture, alongside mechanisms to boost private-sector investment.

The centre also launched the Global Future Council on Neurotechnology, which convened over 700 experts to explore the promise and ethical dimensions of neurotechnology, from cognitive enhancement to medical applications.

In May, the centre launched the Brain Health Action Forum to unlock the full potential of individuals and societies by investing in brain health as a foundation for a healthier, more inclusive and more resilient future.

In South-East Asia, the centre introduced the Healthcare Country Activator for Digital Transformation and Health for All in Singapore, alongside the launch of a Digital Health Activator in India. These efforts aim to strengthen national digital health strategies and promote access for all.

Reflecting on this year’s achievements, the Centre for Health and Healthcare remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing access, innovation and system resilience. Through global partnerships, cross-sector collaboration and a shared sense of purpose, it continues to build momentum towards a world where every individual can access the care they need. The progress captured in this report is not an endpoint, but a catalyst, propelling the centre’s work forward in advancing the future of health.

In a landscape of increasing uncertainty, slower economic growth and labour market disruption, adapting economic systems is critical for shared greater prosperity.

The Centre for the New Economy and Society partners with leaders in business, government and civil society to understand current challenges and future scenarios, develop new ideas and build collaborations that create economic opportunities for all.

It works in three areas: economic and risk foresight, human capital advancement and economic inclusion. During the reporting period, the centre worked with over 400 business partners, over 50 governments, 30 international organizations, and more than 100 academic, civil society and philanthropic organizations to ensure a future where economies and societies work for everyone.

In a year marked by volatility, the centre produced three editions of its Chief Economists Outlook, offering timely short-term analysis. This was complemented by longerterm perspectives, such as the Global Economic Futures: Productivity in 2030 and Global Economic Futures: Competitiveness in 2030. The Future of Growth Initiative convened over 65 champions for quarterly dialogues focused on innovation, inclusion, sustainability and resilience.

The Global Risks Initiative focused on identification and preparedness; the 20th edition of the Global Risks Report 2025 highlighted an increasingly fractured global landscape, while the Global Risks Consortium gathered 25 leaders to address risk interconnections and foresight.

The Future of Jobs Report 2025 provided insights into how technological change, geoeconomic fragmentation, economic uncertainty, demographic shifts and the green transition will transform jobs and skills by 2030. The Future of Jobs Initiative also explored AI-enabled job augmentation and transitions. Through the Good Work Toolkit, partners committed to supporting more than 15 million workers in 2024-25.

The Reskilling Revolution initiative, which aims to empower one billion people with better education, skills and economic opportunities by 2030, reached over 750 million people as of June 2025. The initiative secured new commitments and produced thought leadership on AI in education and a Global Skills Taxonomy Adoption Toolkit.

Efforts to close gender parity gaps by 2030 advanced through the Global Gender Parity Sprint, which gathered over 40 champions. The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 benchmarked gaps across 146 economies, while the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lighthouses 2025 report shared best practices in organizational inclusion.

The Equitable Transition Initiative championed strategies for building a “people first” focus into the economic transition towards greener net-zero economies. Over 30 champions have joined the initiative, working alongside the Global Future Council on Equitable Transition to co-design a set of country archetypes, data tools (Accelerating an Equitable Transition: A Data-Driven Approach) and policy guidelines (Accelerating an Equitable Transition: Policy Guidelines for Impact).

The centre’s work combines global initiatives and frameworks with localized partnerships. Its national Accelerators Network helps advance policy innovations and initiatives that build new economic approaches for better growth, human capital development and economic inclusion. The accelerator programmes have directly supported 16 million people and mobilized more than $80 million to date to support multiple projects. During the reporting period, new accelerators were launched in Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia and Rwanda. The centre also signed an agreement with the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) to scale up the network on the African continent, with a focus on economic growth and development.

The centre advances cooperative solutions to global and regional challenges by bringing together governments, international organizations and civil society groups with the Forum’s business partners.

It works in three primary areas: regional collaboration, strengthening trade and investment and facilitating global cooperation. Regionally, the centre convenes public- and private-sector stakeholders to address regional economic, environmental and technology priorities. In trade and investment, it promotes open and resilient markets, eases physical, digital and financial flows, and advances sustainable value chains. In geopolitics, the centre provides insight into trends and identifies mechanisms for strengthening global partnerships and effective development and humanitarian action.

Throughout the year, the centre organized dialogues and produced key analyses, including the Global Cooperation Barometer 2025, which measures international cooperation, and the report From Blind Spots to Insights: Enhancing Geopolitical Radar to Guide Global Business, offering guidance for businesses navigating geopolitical risks.

During the Annual Meeting, the centre convened its inaugural Resilience Consortium Leadership Group and released its fourth report surveying over 250 executives on managing volatility. The Humanitarian and Resilience Investing (HRI) initiative announced an Africa roadmap with the African Development Bank, and secured an additional $300 million in impact investments in frontier markets, adding to existing commitments of $5.6 billion.

Other highlights included organizing the Country Strategy Meeting – Argentina, engaging President Javier Milei and over 50 business leaders on national priorities and regional developments.

In partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations, the centre launched the Geopolitical Advisory Group, a community of chief geopolitical affairs officers that will meet quarterly.

A significant milestone was the launch of the Leaders for European Growth and Competitiveness community, coordinated with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and 35 European CEOs. The group focuses on bolstering the continent’s competitiveness in key industries while strengthening external alliances.

Collaborations also included work with Brazil’s G20 Presidency on energy, health, social economy and oceans, and with Colombia’s Presidency of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) on topics such as plastics, food and water, and ocean innovation.

On trade, the TradeTech Forum convened more than 300 leaders in April 2025 to work on accelerating the deployment of frontier technologies for global trade and supply chain visibility.

The Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, marking its 10th year, now operates in 25 project countries, engaging nearly 50 global business partners and 2,000 local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The alliance has simplified trade, saving over $213 million and delivering a 240% return on investment.

In Asia-Pacific, the centre continued to work on the ASEAN DEAL initiative to support the advancement of the world’s first such Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA). In South Asia, it partnered with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for India Energy Week 2025, where India reaffirmed its commitment to the Global Biofuels Alliance.

In the Middle East, three regional meetings advanced public-private collaboration, including anti-desertification efforts at COP16 in Riyadh. Forum leadership also met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to discuss regional developments.

In Africa, the centre continued convening the Friends of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) community to accelerate implementation of the trade agreement.

In North America, its Dialogue Series convened US industry and union leaders to explore the future of work in technology and advanced manufacturing.

The centre helps businesses and governments navigate an era of accelerating change and complexity by harnessing the power of cities as engines of innovation, talent and long-term competitiveness.

Its initiatives and communities unite leaders across 25 industries and more than 100 national and subnational governments to facilitate local testbeds that reimagine how people live and work, while seeding and scaling up the businesses of tomorrow.

The centre focuses on four key areas of economic opportunity and resilience, advancing public-private collaboration to unlock new growth through the innovation ecosystems, experience economies, place-based strategies and next-generation infrastructure.

The centre’s work with innovation ecosystems accelerates ground-breaking solutions, unlocks new markets and builds engines of inclusive economic opportunity. Through cross-sector partnerships, the centre is reimagining tourism, events and consumer experiences to drive sustainable growth and enhance quality of life.

As part of its efforts on place-based strategies, it partners with global and local leaders to advance high-quality, resilient communities that honour local culture and history, attract investment and talent and promote well-being. Finally, the centre helps mobilize investment in innovative physical, digital and social infrastructure to support future-ready communities and economies.

During the reporting period, leading retail, e-commerce, mobility and logistics companies announced new commitments and a shared ambition for more sustainable and efficient urban deliveries, while also working with governments to embrace new solutions and models that benefit consumers, couriers, companies and cities. These outcomes were enabled by a Forum-led process to convene and align industry leaders around a common ambition and facilitate collaboration with city governments to drive implementation.

Progress was also recorded in the travel and tourism sector, which employs more than 330 million people worldwide. To help sustain rapid growth in the sector, leading companies and experts outlined a vision to reimagine it as a transformative force for good. The Forum convened a broad, global coalition of stakeholders to begin charting a new, more inclusive and sustainable path forward for the industry.

The Davos Baukultur Alliance reached a milestone, having secured the involvement of more than 80 member organizations with operations in over 140 countries, all committing to support a shared vision for advancing more inclusive, sustainable and vibrant communities.

Members of the Global Commission on Nature-Positive Cities released a new strategy blueprint, insight report and a collection of city profiles aimed at informing and accelerating the transition to a nature-positive economy.

The Global Innovation and Impact Council released Shaping Tomorrow: Responsible Innovation for a Brighter Future, promoting a responsible innovation framework, which the Innovation Impact Alliance will use to support a community of pioneer cities working to establish a new model for aligning economic development with urban transformation strategies.

The centres convene diverse groups to share knowledge, accelerate action and spark innovation and ideas to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. The following list describes the multistakeholder initiatives and communities that are currently operating to effect change.

Chief Operating, Supply Chain and Procurement Officers Community: A network of over 90 C-suite executives across 15 industries, working to anticipate and navigate complexity in global manufacturing and supply chains.

Circular Transformation of Industries: Promotes a sustainable and resilient industrial economy through widespread adoption of circularity principles.

Frontline Talent of the Future: Drives societal and economic outcomes by deploying solutions to attract, skill and retain talent in manufacturing and supply chains.

Future-Proofing Global Value Chains: Country Preparedness and Beyond: Explores the latest trends affecting global value chains and identifies opportunities and best practices to inform next-generation manufacturing strategies, value chain configurations and industrial policies.

Global Lighthouse Network: Recognizes top performers in tech-enabled industrial transformation, creating a shared learning platform across 189 facilities and value chains that use digital technologies to boost productivity, resilience, sustainability, talent and customer focus.

Global Network of Advanced Manufacturing Hubs: Connects regional manufacturing ecosystems to share insights, scale innovation and promote global collaboration, ensuring locally tailored responses to global industry shifts and emerging technologies.

Industry Net Zero Accelerator: Supports industries to accelerate their decarbonization journey to achieve net-zero emissions by or before 2050 by addressing the “how-to” questions of operationalizing decarbonization commitments across the value chain.

Lighthouse Operating System: Aims to develop a responsible operating model for industry, co-designed by leaders and rooted in lean, digital and sustainable principles.

New Generation of Industry Leaders: Connects emerging leaders to build and accelerate responsible industry transformation while inspiring the next generation with the future frontiers of industry.

Next Frontier of Operations: Explores the transformative potential of frontier technologies and their role in reshaping industrial operations and redefining human-machine collaboration.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Sustainability Accelerator: Supports manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized firms in advancing their sustainability goals while staying competitive, offering actionable roadmaps and mapping available support from public and private sectors.

AI & Cyber Initiative: Advances knowledge that supports organizations in managing the cybersecurity risks associated with the adoption of AI technologies.

Chief Information Security Officer Community: Provides a platform for cybersecurity leaders to exchange insights and best practices on the most pressing cybersecurity challenges.

Cyber Resilience in Industries: Develops forward-looking solutions and promotes effective practices to enhance cyber resilience across industry ecosystems.

Global Cybersecurity Outlook: Examines the cybersecurity trends that will affect economies and societies in the year to come. Seeks to elevate cybersecurity from a technical issue to a strategic leadership imperative and promote priority actions to address growing cyber risks.

Partnership Against Cybercrime: Drives public-private collaboration and insight-sharing to develop and implement approaches to disrupt cybercrime.

Accelerating New Nuclear: Facilitates alignment and a shared vision among global nuclear ecosystem stakeholders on the priorities and actions needed to accelerate new nuclear deployment.

AI Energy Impact: Challenges and Opportunities: Drives sustainable AI adoption by optimizing energy use and fostering innovations that accelerate the energy transition.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations Leaders for Just Energy Transitions: Strengthens the intra-regional and international cooperation required to accelerate South-East Asia’s energy transition and decarbonization.

Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Energy and Materials Centres: Drives energy transition and industrial transformation at country and regional levels by strengthening global-to-local collaboration and accelerating the deployment of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.

Coal to Clean: Accelerates the early retirement and repurposing of coal-fired power plants in emerging economies through scaling innovative financing and technological solutions.

Energy Transition Index: Benchmarks 118 countries on the performance of their energy systems, focusing on equity, environmental sustainability, energy security and their transition readiness.

Future of Clean Fuels: Accelerates the speed and scale of the clean fuels transition by working with corporate leaders, policy-makers and civil society to provide insights and facilitate dialogue and collaboration.

International Energy Community China: Accelerates the energy transition in China by sharing insights and promoting collaboration among state-owned enterprises, governments and multinational companies.

Mobilizing Investment for Clean Energy in Emerging Economies: Accelerates clean energy finance in the developing world by strengthening collaborative action around de-risking and enabling mechanisms that can help create a more conducive environment for clean energy investment.

Net-Zero Industry Tracker: Accelerates the speed and scale of industrial and company transitions by monitoring the pace of decarbonization of eight hard-to-abate sectors that account for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Power System Transformation: Accelerates power system transformation to meet growing energy demand, creating a power system that drives economic growth while advancing affordability, sustainability and energy security.

Responsible Renewables Infrastructure: Accelerates the deployment of renewable energy infrastructure by promoting approaches that can not only help mitigate risks but can also create business value and deliver broader benefits for society, economies and the environment.

Securing Minerals for the Energy Transition: Reduces the projected imbalance between critical minerals supply and demand for the energy transition by aligning incentives to ensure availability, affordability and sustainability of minerals.

Transitioning Industrial Clusters: Supports collaboration and the development of a shared vision among co-located companies and public institutions, with the goals of driving economic growth, employment and reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Chief Financial Officer Community: Convenes chief financial officers across sectors to accelerate corporate action and address pressing strategic issues. This community offers opportunities to share insights and gain knowledge in key areas like technological innovation, sustainable finance and global economic strategies.

Financial and Monetary Systems Centre Advisory Council: Allows the centre to strengthen its relationships with potential champions and thought leaders, and provides the opportunity for members to discuss key topics with a diverse group of peers, ultimately supporting a centre agenda that is relevant for their organizations.

Financing the Food Systems Transformation: Seeks to identify the role that financial institutions can play to transform food systems and detail interventions across the food value chain.

Financing the Nature Positive Transition: Aims to address the challenges financial institutions face in taking nature-positive financing decisions.

Financing the Transition to a Net-Zero Future: Aims to scale the mobilization of capital towards critical decarbonization technologies and strategies required to transition the global economy to net-zero emissions.

First Movers Coalition – Finance Pillar: Engages financial institutions to define their enabling role to support carbon offtakers.

Future of Blockchain and Digital Assets: Aims to ensure equity, interoperability, transparency and trust in the governance of distributed ledger technologies, and to accelerate the necessary changes for this technology to reach its full potential.

Future of Financial Services in China and Beyond: Brings together large Chinese and international financial institutions to strategically address important issues such as capital market maturation and liberalization, the financial system’s role in enabling domestic growth and emerging regulatory trends, among others.

Future of Financing: Private Credit: Promotes action in support of productive and resilient financial markets which provide solutions – whether public-, private- or bank-originated – to meet the needs of individuals, financial institutions and corporates, and governments.

Global Retail Investing: Aims to improve retail investor participation in capital markets, promote responsible investing across the ecosystem and ultimately strengthen individuals’ financial resilience.

Longevity Economy: Financial Resilience for Every Generation: Addresses critical demographic issues by convening a community of diverse stakeholders to advance new thinking in the retirement ecosystem and promote financial innovations and policy recommendations for a more resilient, equitable and sustainable longer life.

Navigating Global Financial System Fragmentation: Convenes a diverse set of stakeholders to define a set of norms, rules, and principles required to safeguard the integrity of the global financial system during a period of rising geopolitical complexity.

Sustainable Finance Community: Enables the transformation of the global financial system and architecture to encourage climate and nature action and reinforce long-term value creation and economic growth.

Technology, Innovation and Systemic Risk: Brings together key stakeholders to explore evolving technology-driven risks to the financial system and identify collective approaches to mitigating these risks, such that the full benefits of innovations within the financial system may be realized.

The Future of Global Fintech: Responds to current public- and private-sector needs for more robust data and empirical evidence on fintech that can inform market development and facilitate evidence-based regulation.

The Future of Venture Capital: Aims to identify collaborative opportunities to strengthen the global venture capital ecosystem, creating an environment that fuels innovation worldwide.

Venture Capital Community: Supports healthy entrepreneurship ecosystems by addressing shared challenges and opportunities facing the global venture capital industry.

Women in Finance: Convenes senior women leaders across financial services, investing, real estate and government to explore shifting industry priorities and identify action-oriented solutions that can be amplified by the Forum.

AI Energy Impact: Challenges and Opportunities: Collaborates across industries to: 1) assess AI’s energy consumption and management strategies, 2) showcase how AI can accelerate the energy transition, and 3) identify enablers for AI-driven energy opportunities.

AI for Agricultural Innovation: Advances inclusive transformation of agriculture through pilot-testing and scaling up digital technologies throughout the value chain.

AI for India 2030: Aims to co-design essential AI blueprints and governance mechanisms to contribute to a globally harmonized understanding of responsible AI.

AI Governance Alliance: Brings together over 500 organizations from industry, government, academia and civil society to build the global trajectory of AI.

AVIATE (Advanced Air Mobility): Promotes the safe, sustainable and equitable adoption of advanced air mobility technologies throughout industries and sectors.

Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network: Collaborates closely with Forum initiatives to drive inclusive and sustainable technology pilots and strategic partnerships across regions.

Chief Digital and Technology Officers Community: Unites over 100 C-level leaders from various industries to champion inclusive, trustworthy and sustainable digital transformation in both business and society.

Connected Future Initiative: Advances open, secure and interoperable digital infrastructure to support inclusive and trusted AI-enabled societies and the future of the internet.

Digital Trust Initiative: Promotes shared principles and practices to strengthen accountability, transparency and user agency in the design and use of emerging technologies.

DRIVE-A: Vehicle Autonomy: Advances the responsible development and deployment of automated vehicles through collaboration, standards and policy engagement.

Earth Observation: Drives increased adoption of Earth observation data to generate value for businesses, people and planet.

EDISON Alliance: Mobilizes commitments and partnerships to improve access to digital solutions in education, health and finance.

Global Coalition for Digital Safety: Addresses online harms by developing policy frameworks, content standards and digital literacy solutions to create safer digital environments.

Global Commercial Bioeconomy Coalition: Generates strategic insights into the technology-driven bioeconomy and promotes responsible adoption and commercial transformation.

Global Government Technology Network: Engages business and government to identify opportunities and fast-track the digital transformation of public services.

Innovator Communities: Involves 400 leading start-ups and scale-ups who are at the forefront of technological and business model innovation.

Quantum Economy Network: Unlocks the potential of quantum technologies by promoting an inclusive and scalable quantum ecosystem.

Space Technology Network: Understands the potential of space sector technology applications, supports their development and addresses the associated challenges and emerging risks.

Technology for Climate Adaptation: Uses advanced technology to combat the impacts of climate change.

Technology Convergence Initiative: Identifies and advances high-impact combinations of emerging technologies to transform industries and inform strategic decision-making.

Technology Convergence Report: Offers leaders a strategic lens – the 3C Framework – to help navigate the combinatorial innovation era.

Top 10 Emerging Technologies: Highlights the technologies set to positively impact society within the next three to five years. The report provides a qualitative assessment of each technology’s potential impact on people and the planet.

BRIDGE (Biosecurity Readiness through Intelligence, Data and Global Engagement): Catalyses cross-sectoral networks that integrate diverse data to enhance predictive outbreak monitoring and public health interventions.

Chief Health Officers Community: Advances workforce well-being globally through cross-industry collaboration among senior executives overseeing workforce health in partner organizations.

Climate and Health: In collaboration with the Centre for Nature and Climate, facilitates engagement with and among partners to address the impact of climate patterns on human health by enhancing advocacy and visibility and developing adaptation and preparedness strategies.

Digital Healthcare Transformation: Promotes collaboration across regions, sectors and industries to develop holistic AI and data-enabled solutions that improve outcomes, expand access and increase efficiency in healthcare.

Global Alliance for Women’s Health: Drives progress in women’s health by advancing global efforts, unlocking investment and accelerating research and innovation.

Health and Healthcare China: Provides strategic guidance for the Centre for Health and Healthcare’s regional engagement, highlighting key issues in China and identifying opportunities for regional contributions to the centre’s global initiatives.

Health for All: Advances a healthier world by mobilizing executive leadership and commitment across sectors and regions to prioritize health access within organizational strategy and purpose.

Healthy Workforces: Empowers organizations and communities to prioritize and advance physical and mental health, encouraging a more productive, resilient and healthy global workforce.

New Frontiers of Nutrition: Convenes leading-edge disruptors and partners from the private and public sectors to develop transformative solutions to elevate nutrition as a key enabler of societal resilience.

UCARE (Unified Coalition for the AMR Response): Supports innovation and access to antimicrobials, raises antimicrobial resistance awareness, promotes sustainable agriculture, and encourages cross-sector collaboration and funding to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

1000 Ocean Startups: Unites the global ecosystem of incubators, accelerators, competitions, venture capital firms and family offices supporting ocean-positive start-ups.

1t.org – Trillion Trees Platform: Serves the global movement to conserve, restore and grow a trillion trees, in support of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

2030 Water Resources Group: Provides water stewardship through a public-private partnership co-hosted with the World Bank, including accelerator programmes with more than 1,000 partners, catalysing $1 billion in financing.

Airports of Tomorrow: Convenes global leaders from the airport ecosystem to accelerate the transition to sustainable and resilient airports.

Alliance for Clean Air: Improves air quality in their value chains, embeds action on air pollution into climate change mitigation strategies and moves towards a tipping point where health is at the heart of climate action.

Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders: Drives data-driven corporate climate leadership and engagements with policy-makers to deliver the transition to a net-zero economy on a Paris-aligned pathway.

Blue Carbon Action Partnership: Aims to catalyse high-level conversations, unlock finance and drive meaningful change to conserve and restore blue carbon ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes.

Carbon Capture and Utilization: Identifies and accelerates breakthroughs in industrial carbon capture and utilization technologies.

CEOs for Nature: Convenes over 70 companies focused on accelerating the business transition to nature-positive, with a strategic focus on soil health, water resilience and nature capital.

Champions for Nature: Leads the transition to a nature-positive global economy by 2030.

Chief Sustainability Officers Community: Brings together over 180 chief sustainability leaders from more than 24 industries and 38 countries to gain strategic foresight, exchange ideas with leaders and experts and nurture interaction with peers in different sectors and regions.

Circular Transformation of Industries: In collaboration with the Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chains, seeks to accelerate the adoption of circular practices across industrial ecosystems to create a more resilient, efficient and sustainable global economy.

Circularity in the Built Environment: Spotlights leading solutions for a circular transformation of the built environment. By focusing on closing material loops, cutting emissions and facilitating cross-industry collaboration, the initiative seeks to drive innovation and sustainability across the built environment.

Circularity of Critical Minerals: Aims to build a coalition to increase the circularity of minerals for the energy transition.

Climate Adaptation: Works to close the global climate adaptation gap by driving action from businesses, financiers and governments. It seeks to accelerate investment in climate risk reduction and develop markets for adaptation goods and services to manage the growing challenges of a changing climate.

Climate and Health: In collaboration with the Centre for Health and Healthcare, facilitates engagement with and among partners to address the impact of climate change on human health by enhancing advocacy and visibility and developing adaptation and preparedness strategies.

Climate Finance Innovation: Aims to unlock climate funding through an integrated climate finance toolkit that connects pricing mechanisms, market development and private capital mobilization to accelerate net-zero transitions.

Climate Governance Initiative: Mobilizes and engages board members on climate action, reaching more than 200,000 non-executive directors. It also includes a Climate Governance community of experts to guide thought leadership and insights.

Consumers Beyond Waste initiative: Brings together a vibrant community of leading consumer companies and public sector actors who are collectively accelerating a systems transition towards reusable packaging models to achieve a world free of plastic pollution.

Earth Decides Community: Works with experts, convenors and storytellers to translate scientific knowledge, grassroots evidence and innovative convening approaches into credible and appropriate action at scale.

First Movers Coalition: Harnesses the collective purchasing power of companies to send a clear demand signal to promote the expansion of critical technologies essential for the net-zero transition, focusing on the heavy-emitting industrial sectors, as well as carbon removal technologies.

First Movers Coalition for Food: Brings together food system leaders to accelerate the transition to low-emission agri-food commodities.

Food Innovation Hubs: Supports Food Innovation Hubs and builds Food Action Alliances to make food systems more nutritious, resilient and environmentally sustainable.

Friends of Ocean Action: Fast-tracks ambitious, scalable and equitable solutions to support ocean health and the sustainable blue economy.

Giving to Amplify Earth Action: Seeks to convene, incubate, scale and mainstream 4Ps (public, private, philanthropic partnerships) for climate and nature. Through catalytic philanthropic capital, it unlocks the corporate and government funding needed for climate and nature innovations to scale at speed.

Global Plastic Action Partnership: Engages over 2,000 leaders from government, business and civil society to turn commitments into action and drive a circular, sustainable and inclusive plastics economy.

Investor Policy Dialogue on Deforestation: Aims to halt deforestation in some of the world’s most biodiverse, carbon-absorbing biomes.

Nature Action Agenda: Engages businesses and policy-makers to accelerate industry transitions and unlock finance for a nature-positive economy by generating insights, catalysing leadership and identifying solutions for scale in priority sectors.

Nature Positive Transitions: Helps businesses and financial institutions understand their relationship with nature, and how to take action to reduce the impacts they have on nature within their operations and value chains, build resilience, and identify nature-related opportunities.

Net-zero Opportunities for Value-chain Action in China: Raises awareness and drives action for value chain net-zero transition in China by working with a multistakeholder group of public and private sectors to identify opportunities and levers, catalyse innovation and partnerships and promote the enabling environment.

Ocean 20: Promotes action by leading global companies, G20 countries and civil society voices to make and realize commitments to blue food, blue carbon and a sustainable blue economy.

Road Freight Zero: Accelerates the deployment of zero-emission fleets and supporting infrastructure through a pioneering coalition of over 70 first movers across the road freight value chain.

Steering Group on Natural Capital: Guides the Forum’s work in this field in 2024, consisting of 10-12 trusted advisers and experts working on natural capital in various capacities.

The Adaptation and Resilience Network: Brings together senior leaders from the public and private sectors, providing them with knowledge, opportunities, and a collaborative community to advance and scale novel adaptation and resilience projects.

The Circular Innovation Ecosystem: Supports early-stage circular economy start-ups, helping them scale solutions that enable sustainable systems.

The Nature Markets & Biodiversity Credits Initiative: Aims to support nature markets rooted in integrity, transparency and inclusion, benefitting people and planet through cross-sector collaboration and corporate engagement via the 15-member Frontrunners Coalition.

Tropical Forest Alliance: Catalyses the power of collective action to drive the world’s transition to deforestation- and conversion-free agricultural commodities.

Water Futures: Addresses emerging systemic water challenges by encouraging public-private collaboration and advancing the global action on water through multistakeholder dialogue, thought leadership and partnerships.

Water Futures Community: Provides a space for Forum constituents active in water to connect, exchange ideas, and stay updated on related projects, webinars, meetings and news.

Chief Economists Community: Explores the near-term economic landscape and provides inputs into the Chief Economists Outlook periodic reports.

Future of Growth Accelerators: Supports country-level action and drives tools and frameworks adoption around economic development.

Future of Growth Champions: Leaders supporting the recalibration of the global conversation on growth and a more dynamic and better-balanced pathway to economic prosperity.

Future of Growth Report: Provides a new framework to support economic policies, embedding innovation, inclusion, sustainability and resilience as key pillars.

Global Economic Futures: Insights-based consultation series supporting businesses in deciphering the economic landscape and navigating future economic scenarios.

Chief Risk Officers Community: Works to strengthen their collective capacity to respond to current and future shocks and adapt business strategies. Publishes an annual Chief Risks Officers Outlook consolidating the top-of-mind views.

Global Risks Consortium: Leaders committed to using foresight and finding solutions to build resilience around current and future geopolitical, economic, societal, environmental and technological trends.

Global Risks Report: Building on 20 years of data and insights, annually explores and ranks the most severe risks the world faces over the next decade, across short-, medium- and long-term horizons, with an approach informed by the Global Risks Advisory Board.

Chief People Officers Community: Provides a space for peer learning, exchange and coalition-building around common challenges and impact opportunities.

Future of Jobs Champions: Leaders across industries and geographies committed to building the jobs of tomorrow and promoting good jobs for all.

Future of Jobs Report: Explores how jobs and skills will evolve over the next five years, with a specific focus on the impact of AI on jobs and industrial policy and geopolitical divisions on labour markets.

Good Work Alliance: Champions good work practices among its members and collaborates to scale up individual efforts towards more resilient, equitable and human-centric workplaces, addressing emerging industry talent needs and labour market disruptions and catalysing commitments among its members.

Jobs Accelerators: Supports country-level action and drives the adoption of tools and frameworks around the future of jobs and good jobs creation.

Chief Learning Officers Community: Exchanges and drives action on skills and learning in the workplace through the participation of organization leaders responsible for learning content and delivery.

Education 4.0 Alliance: Underpinned by the Education 4.0 framework and learning taxonomy, the alliance advances the development and adoption of tools, frameworks and guidelines to better integrate AI and other frontier technologies into education systems worldwide.

Education Industry Community: Supports long-term, sustainable industry growth with a focus on industry impact and working together to solve common challenges.

Future Skills Alliance: Enables individuals, with the help of skills and learning providers, to enter and remain in the labour market, facilitating skills-first talent practices and promoting a culture of reskilling and continuous learning.

Reskilling Revolution Champions: Provides global guidance and ambassadorship for the initiative’s goal of empowering one billion people with better education, skills and economic opportunity by 2030.

Skills and Education Accelerators: Supports country-level action and drives the adoption of tools and frameworks around reskilling and new education models.

Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers Community: Facilitates peer exchange to deepen understanding of how to tackle exclusion, bias and discrimination based on race, gender and other forms of human diversity.

Future of DEI Network: Brings together a growing and diverse network of experts, practitioners and the private sector. Through the publication of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) Lighthouses, it expands the availability of DEI data, solutions and analysis, and advances a vision of renewed economic growth and resilience grounded in equity and inclusion.

Gender Parity Accelerators: Supports country-level action and drives the adoption of tools and frameworks around gender parity.

Global Gender Parity Sprint Champions: Leaders sharing experiences and shaping a common vision to accelerate economic gender parity by 2030 as a basis for economic resilience, innovation and growth.

Global Gender Gap Report: Annually benchmarks countries on their progress towards gender parity, identifying areas of priority globally and nationally.

Accelerating an Equitable Transition insight series: Collects new data and designs frameworks, tools and guidelines for businesses and policy-makers to inform the work of the alliance.

Equitable Transition Accelerators: Supports country-level action and drives the adoption of tools and frameworks around advancing an equitable green transition.

Equitable Transition Alliance: Multistakeholder coalition of leaders championing a new socioeconomic agenda for the green transition and co-designing actionable solutions and insights. Aims to ensure that the policies, investments and business strategies driving the net-zero transformation are designed and implemented to address the economic needs of workers and consumers.

Focusing on selected geographies, uses unique insight and the centre’s global platform to identify, scale and accelerate innovative solutions and public-private partnerships to tackle the world’s biggest challenges. With accelerators in more than 30 countries, the network supports more prosperous and inclusive economies and societies, across six impact areas: future of growth, equitable transition, jobs, skills, education and gender parity.

Accelerators for Inclusive Growth and Economic Transformation: Advances inclusive growth and economic transformation across Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia through national accelerators focused on gender parity, workforce upskilling, small and medium-sized enterprises development, and future market creation, in collaboration with government ministries and leading private-sector partners.

Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders India: Convenes Indian business leaders throughout key industries to accelerate India’s climate action and green transition efforts.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations DEAL: Supports the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ transformation towards an inclusive and sustainable digital economy.

CEO Action Group for the European Green Deal: Serves as a high-level platform for businesses to step up their work on climatepositive action and demonstrate their commitment to the objectives of the European Green Deal.

Champions for Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Economic Future: Works to deepen collaboration between leaders from the public and private sectors and help further regional integration.

Chief Legal Officers Community: Engages in discussions on regulatory coherence, risk mitigation and policy development.

Country Strategy Dialogues: Gathers heads of state/senior ministers and business executives to advance discussions on avenues for growth.

Dialogue Series: Labour and Business: Convenes industry executives, labour leaders and experts to promote strategic collaboration, identify shared priorities and drive innovative solutions that support economic transitions across regions and industries.

Digital Trade: Contributes to the growth of inclusive and interconnected digital economies, including through supporting digital economy agreements and AI governance principles.

Diplomacy Dialogues: Supports official diplomatic processes and encourages discussions about addressing regional and global fault lines in meetings of decision-makers and stakeholders.

Faith in Action Community: Hosts dialogues and convenings for leaders on the role of religion, spirituality and shared values in society, multi-faith dialogue and collaboration, and opportunities for integrating faith-based perspectives in addressing global challenges.

Forum Friends of the African Continental Free Trade Area: Brings together more than 60 leaders from the public and private sectors in a formal collaboration with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat to support the implementation of the AfCFTA agreement.

Geopolitical Advisory Group: Convenes chief geopolitical officers (or the equivalent corporate position) for discussions with public officials.

Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation: Helps deliver trade facilitation reforms in countries around the world to make trade easier, faster, cheaper and more reliable.

Global Cooperation Barometer: Provides an overview of the state of international collaboration, examining key trends and challenges across political, economic, environmental and social domains.

Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labour: Brings together business and global leaders to advance bold new approaches in harnessing data and accelerating accountability towards the eradication of forced labour in global supply chains.

Global Investment Policy and Practice: Supports digital foreign direct investment (FDI), climate FDI and investment facilitation for development.

Global Supply Resilience Initiative: Promotes resilience through increased visibility in supply chain operations. The initiative involves a pre-competitive consortium of shippers, carriers and technology partners aiming to build system-wide visibility by encouraging data sharing from public and private sources.

Green Trade: Develops strategies for climate competitiveness, explores emerging trade compliance challenges, guides climate foreign direct investment and facilitates circular trade.

High-Level Group on European Strategic Interdependence: Convenes a high-level, multistakeholder group in partnership with the European Council on Foreign Relations to find a middle way for Europe between strategic autonomy and open interdependence on trade, security, climate, migration and tech.

Humanitarian and Resilience Investing Initiative: Mobilizes capital to scale market-driven solutions that measurably benefit and increase the resilience of at-risk and crisis-hit communities.

Indigenous Peoples’ Knowledge and Leadership Network: Integrates Indigenous knowledge and leadership into global discussions, promoting sustainable development, cultural preservation and inclusive growth.

Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders: Advances progress on global challenges through private dialogues at the highest level.

Inclusive Trade: Works to ensure trade benefits all sections of society and seeks to mitigate trade harms to workers and underserved groups.

Leaders for a Sustainable Middle East and North Africa: Champions pathways for climate-resilient growth in the Middle East and North Africa region by accelerating corporate climate ambition and scaling up the roll-out of low-carbon technologies.

Leaders for European Growth and Competitiveness: Convenes a high-level, multistakeholder group to accelerate Europe’s growth and competitiveness across clean industry and energy infrastructure, emerging technologies and capital markets, while supporting the strategic engagement of the region’s trading partners.

Logistics Emergency Teams: Helps coordinate logistical preparedness and private sector logistical support contributions to humanitarian relief operations.

Partnering Against Corruption Initiative: Leverages a sector-specific approach, acknowledging that challenges and solutions differ across industries. This approach allows the Partnering Against Corruption Initiative Community to create solutions that address industry-specific corruption risks.

Payments to Advance Growth for All: Works to unlock the benefits of digital payments in an open, inclusive and safe manner.

Resilience Consortium: Brings together CEOs, C-suite executives, ministers and leaders of international organizations for high-level convenings aimed at advancing growth and innovation in emerging economies.

Streamlining Services Initiative: Strengthens service sector competitiveness and regulatory frameworks for trade in services.

Trade and Geopolitics: Explores scenarios for how geopolitics will affect trade and investment and how businesses and nations should position themselves for success.

Trade and Investment Leadership Group: Gathers a CEO community that shares insights on the evolving international commercial environment and sets priorities for collaborative action to enhance the trade and investment ecosystem.

Trade, Investment and Development Agency CEO Group: Shares best practices on harnessing trade and investment for local growth and development, and fosters inter-regional collaboration on outbound and inbound trade and investment initiatives.

TradeTech Global: Provides a global community and forum to share best practices, produces an annual TradeTech trends report, offers a regulatory testing sandbox and is an incubator for startups in the trade technology sector.

Davos Baukultur Alliance: Enables vibrant and resilient communities through better planning, design and construction.

Global Experience Alliance: Promotes inclusive, sustainable growth that benefits businesses, local communities and visitors. It also produces the Travel & Tourism Development Index, a strategic benchmarking tool to develop the travel and tourism sector.

G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance: Advances intelligent, practical solutions to tackle the most pressing challenges facing cities and local communities.

Global Innovation and Impact Council: Accelerates the development of groundbreaking solutions and innovations that deliver positive impact for people and planet.

Global New Mobility Coalition: Accelerates safe, clean and inclusive transport systems to empower communities and economies.

Innovation Impact Alliance: Connects innovators and entrepreneurs to new markets and opportunities to stimulate urban regeneration, drive innovation and bolster the resilience of local economies.

During the reporting period, the World Economic Forum experienced strong partnership growth of close to 5%, amid ongoing geoeconomic and geopolitical change. The partnership base rose to a record high of 925, reflecting robust retention and the addition of more than 129 new partnerships.

Of these, more than 70 companies signed Associate Partnerships, several of which were Unicorns expanding their engagement, while the Strategic Partner community maintained its membership level of 123 partners, as of 30 June 2025.

Strong partnership levels were reflected in the degree of engagement with the Annual Meeting, in which more than 1,500 business leaders (including more than 1,000 CEOs and chairpersons) participated.

In addition to the Annual Meeting, the Forum convened stakeholders at several key gatherings, bringing together business leaders to advance initiatives and provide a platform for dialogue about critical trends affecting businesses. The Forum benefited from a significant increase in Associate Centre Partnerships, which focus exclusively on centre-specific engagement outside of the Annual Meeting, and which rose by almost 20%.

Throughout all partnership categories, there was double-digit growth in the following industries: information and communication technology and media, manufacturing, supply chain and transport, and energy industries. Regionally, the Forum enjoyed particularly strong growth in Europe, China and the Middle East and Africa.

Whereas the partnership base engages the world’s largest companies, the Forum’s Innovator Community continues to engage approximately 400 leading start-ups. Their CEOs engage in the Forum’s thematic centres and initiatives, offering insights and potential solutions to global issues. The community includes 200 early-stage Technology Pioneers, approximately 100 growth-stage Global Innovators and approximately 100 late-stage Unicorns.

Generative AI’s impact is evident in this community, with start-ups focused on AI applications in fields such as health, climate and energy joining those driving generative AI and the surrounding infrastructure. The community has also expanded to full ecosystems with the first Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution focused on innovation and startups in South Korea.

The Forum aims to deepen multistakeholder collaboration by further integrating innovation ecosystems into its thematic workstreams and industry communities, with a focus on frontier technologies, resilient supply chains and sustainable development. These efforts will be supported by expanding the regional footprint and cultivating public-private partnerships.

The Forum’s 22 Global Industry Communities aim to advance industry transformation through peer-to-peer exchanges and collaboration. CEOs and chief strategy officers (CSOs) engaged in the Forum’s communities throughout the reporting period, discussing and seeking to anticipate the opportunities and challenges for operating and business models created by cross-cutting topics such as geopolitics, generative AI and the energy transition.

During the reporting period, the Forum convened these communities to discuss five key areas: 1) geopolitical volatility and the reconfiguration of global markets, 2) technology as a catalyst for business model evolution, 3) the imperative for workforce transformation, 4) decarbonization and sustainability as a business imperative, and 5) the evolving role of regulation in developing industries. In turn, the outcome of these discussions was used to inform the Forum’s centre-led initiatives and sparked new collaborations and partnerships.

The International Business Council (IBC) is a vanguard community comprising more than 120 CEOs from different industries and regions who engage in peer-to-peer exchanges and seek to drive collective action on shared challenges.

During the reporting period, the community discussed the implications of geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts on the economy. They also explored the role played by AI in improving productivity and the future of their industries while acknowledging the need for developing new skills and talent.

The need for innovative and technologically agnostic solutions to reduce global carbon emissions and a common and consistent methodology to disclose sustainability-related information remained a priority.

The IBC continues to bring together CEOs for peer exchanges on relevant topics to help them navigate change, catalyse new ways of working and formulate pragmatic solutions that contribute to growth.

The Global Programming Group (GPG) steers the strategy and delivery of the Forum’s institutional gatherings. Integrating the richness of the Forum centres’ work into its meetings, the team provides a platform for leaders to share insights, understand the connections in a complex geoeconomic landscape and design long-term solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

During the reporting period, the team led several large-scale meetings, including the 55th Annual Meeting in Davos, the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions and the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings. The team also provided strategic support for the Industry Strategy Meeting, the Global Technology Retreat and the AI Governance Summit.

For more information, please refer to Selected Meetings on page 00.

The Global Communications Group (GCG) is central to delivering the Forum’s mission and is responsible for engagement with the public, media and stakeholders. The team collaborates with all parts of the organization to produce the Forum’s reports and thought leadership and to engage constituents, mainstreaming business and policy solutions that emerge from its initiatives.

GCG engages with a wide range of global, local and sector-specific media outlets, representing diverse orientations and opinions. In 2024-25, the team reached a wide audience through 352,000 media mentions. The team manages media participation in Forum activities, recognizing journalists as crucial voices in an inclusive, multistakeholder approach. The group also co-designed sessions with international media outlets throughout the Forum’s programme of events.

The team produces a broad range of content – including video, audio, live streams, written articles, reports, data visualizations and graphics – that articulates and explains the organization’s initiatives, insights and thought leadership to broad and diversified audiences, in multiple languages.

It also provides a platform for partners and stakeholders to share their ideas, alongside some of the world’s most compelling thinkers. The content is distributed across owned platforms, including social channels, on websites and via newsletters. For the Forum’s major events during the reporting period, session content gathered 26.7 million views through its platforms and engagement activities.

During the reporting period, the Forum’s two primary owned channels achieved robust figures. The Forum’s 12 main social media accounts now have 33.4 million followers (with a 7% increase from last year), and its refreshed website attracted 25.7 million visitors. Forum publications reached 5.4 million readers and articles drew 19.3 million readers on the public website. The popular podcast Radio Davos marked its fifth anniversary as all Forum podcasts gathered 55,000 downloads.

During this period, the team continued to strengthen its strategic communications function, deepening its connection to the organization’s work, developing the Forum brand and embedding data use in its operations.

The GCG also convened a new group of chief communications, marketing and corporate affairs leaders from the world’s leading businesses and international organizations, to explore how these functions can support efforts to mitigate some of the most pressing global challenges.

The Knowledge Communities team’s mission is to embed academic expertise and fact- and evidence-based frontier thinking into all Forum activities. This accelerates the exchange of ideas between experts and practitioners, helping to bridge theory and practice. Its core objective is to support the Forum’s impartial, multistakeholder model with interdisciplinary academic engagement, particularly within the Global Future Councils, which serve as a catalyst for fresh ideas and thought leaders.

The team engages universities, research institutions and think tanks, and convenes the Network of Global Future Councils. It also runs the Global University Leaders Forum (GULF), a community for university leaders. At the Annual Meeting 2025, it convened more than 30 university presidents. It engages top-level academics and institutions to help enrich the Forum’s events, initiatives and communities. This injection of expertise supports Forum partners, enabling them to better anticipate what’s next, explore emerging frontiers and inform strategic decision-making.

Among the team’s highlights during the reporting period was the conclusion of the 2023-24 GFC term, as 30 councils finalized their mandates and shared insights and reflections throughout and beyond the GFC network at the Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils 2024 in Dubai. A new GFC term was launched for 2025-26, including 37 thematic councils with bold mandates to bring new insights into the rapidly changing context. The GFC network celebrated 15 years in 2024. Since 2008, it has convened 281 councils, bringing together more than 6,640 experts and thought leaders, representing 1,569 business organizations, 848 academic institutions, 591 civil society organizations, 50 international organizations and government leaders from more than 40 countries.

As part of the Forum’s multistakeholder approach, it engages a diverse community of civil society leaders through its centres, events and communities of purpose. In doing so, civil society leaders contribute to finding solutions, driving impact and advancing cooperation with government and business leaders.

During the reporting period, the organization’s Civil Society Communities – non-governmental organizations (NGOs), trade unions, social movements, religious leaders and Indigenous leaders – included the engagement of the most influential organizations representing the interests of citizens, consumers, marginalized populations, workers, grassroots movements and social causes.

These included more than 150 global and regional non-governmental organizations, non-profits and charities; more than 50 representatives from global and national trade unions; approximately 100 faith leaders and groups; over 70 Indigenous representatives and leaders; and several globally recognized activists and social movements, all of whom provided diverse and challenging perspectives.

The Forum’s technology and digital innovation team focuses on delivering an integrated suite of best-in-class digital products that boost the organization’s institutional goals and drive efficiency for all stakeholders. It seeks to provide cutting-edge intelligence, engagement and impact tools, while also exploring the technological frontiers of these areas. The team believes that using data-driven insights for business intelligence and creating personalized experiences are central to optimizing the engagement and effectiveness of the Forum’s diverse global community.

Among the highlights during the reporting period was the expanded use of AI. Forum GPT enabled a range of new workflows, including interaction recordings and programme development based on established best practices. Also focused on AI, the Forum’s Strategic Intelligence app was expanded with generative AI use cases added, providing tools like scenarios, trend analysis and collaborative map building.

As part of the Forum Live events app, a pilot programme assistant was rolled out to enhance real-time support for and engagement with event participants. Furthermore, the release of the Davos Accredited Programme offered a means for wider partner delegations to the event to host their own sessions and meetings, thereby broadening engagement.

Finally, Forum Spaces’ digital operating system continued to grow, offering new features and support for almost 200 initiatives and communities. It is designed to further enable collaboration and engagement among the Forum’s stakeholders.

The Forum continues to pursue AI transformation, with the launch of a task force on the intelligent workplace. This initiative will collate use cases and build a prototype that can deploy different agentic workflows throughout the organization. The aim is to accelerate the adoption of AIdriven solutions and further enhance operational efficiency and stakeholder impact.

UpLink is the Forum’s initiative that builds ecosystems around purpose-driven, early-stage innovators. The community now includes more than 553 innovators, 73 investors, nine funding partners, 10 Forum initiatives and approximately 200 partner companies and organizations. This diverse group of stakeholders is united by a common goal: to accelerate the impact of early-stage entrepreneurs, encourage ecosystems of collaboration and drive perceptions of innovation as a catalyst for meaningful change with the aim of accelerating progress towards a sustainable, equitable and thriving future.

At the Annual Meeting, where UpLink celebrated its five-year milestone, the initiative launched Yes Cities. This global movement aims to reimagine urban life and support more than 1,000 entrepreneurs in 50 cities by 2030.

In the reporting period, Top Innovators raised $633 million in investment capital in 2024, representing an increase of nearly $200 million year-on-year. The UpLink Annual Impact Report revealed how these innovators are contributing to economic growth through job creation and income generation, recording 19,000 new jobs in 2024.

Their environmental impact was equally significant. Top Innovators selected through the Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative, for example, have treated 2.5 billion litres and reused 153 million litres of wastewater.

To drive collective action, UpLink published reports on water and nature, both critical sustainability areas where funding remains insufficient.

UpLink continues to focus on strengthening multi-year projects, deepening partner engagement, developing its investor network and – alongside the Forum centres and initiatives – expanding its impact in key areas such as climate action, water security, energy, urban transformation, longevity and quantum technology for good. Finally, to broaden its reach and drive support for early-stage innovation, UpLink is also partnering with the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network to advance a self-service model, democratizing access to its technology and methodology to discover and publicize the work of more innovators from around the world.

Under the leadership of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), during the fiscal year 2024-25, the Forum significantly strengthened processes and governance across all its finance operations.

Partnership and membership revenue stood at CHF 287 million, representing a 5.7% year-on-year increase.

During the fiscal year 2024-25, the Forum enhanced end‑to‑end accounting processes with robust data‑validation routines and expanded analytics capabilities, improving efficiency and accelerating the month‑end close.

Direct funding processes have also been enhanced with reporting dashboards and forecasting models to add value. Planning and forecasting processes, workflows and automation tools were implemented to improve budget monitoring and analysis, as well as improve timeliness of management reporting to facilitate strategic decision-making.

These process and control improvements have been documented to ensure comprehensive compliance and operational clarity.

The Forum continued to build out the treasury and investment risk‑management framework amid a persistently challenging macroeconomic environment, realigning policy limits and stress‑testing protocols to safeguard assets and optimize portfolio resilience. In response to a volatile foreign exchange environment, the Forum reduced its US-dollar exposure by avoiding large US-dollar cash balances and better-matching holdings to current US-dollar‑denominated expenditures, thereby mitigating foreign exchange risks and optimizing its treasury.

Fiscal year 2024-25 was a year of building strong financial foundations for the Forum, laying the groundwork for efficiency and operational excellence. These efforts mark the first phase of a multi‑year transformation, and the Forum will continue to enhance processes, technology and governance.

Over the last two years, the Forum has redesigned its people and culture priorities, sharpening its focus on leadership, talent development, inclusivity and well-being, as well as alumni engagement. This commitment came to life through a series of multi-year initiatives, including the rollout of a new leadership model, expanded learning opportunities and enhanced well-being resources for staff.

Building a positive and inclusive culture, upgrading leadership capabilities and supporting employees with the skills, tools and confidence to lead through change has never been more essential. By strengthening self-awareness, encouraging honest dialogue with employees, and supporting continuous learning and listening, the Forum is investing in the individual and collective resilience and agility needed.

A milestone of the reporting period was the creation of the Inclusion, Well-being and Engagement team, which marked the latest phase in the evolution of the people and culture function. This four-person team brings together internal communications with an expanded focus on belonging and engagement, ensuring that inclusion remains a core value in every aspect of the employee experience. It also plays a central role in the Forum’s employee listening strategy, organizing dialogues and focus groups and supporting employee resource groups through clearer governance, coordination and dedicated resources.

In the lead-up to the Annual Meeting 2025, the Forum introduced training on “Managing Difficult Conversations” for all 530 participating employees, providing practical tools to navigate conflict and promote respectful dialogue. This was followed by a workplace conduct training aimed at reinforcing a values-driven culture by clarifying expectations around behaviour and equipping staff to engage in essential conversations within a safe, inclusive environment.

Leadership culture assessments were also introduced, inviting all employees to contribute feedback on the organization’s senior leaders. Coaching was provided to all participating leaders, and by the end of the reporting period, 140 had completed a review.

The Global Learning Award underpins the Forum’s commitment to learning at all levels, empowering staff to pursue opportunities that support their professional advancement. Over the past year, 528 employees took part in the scheme. Overall, employees invested a total of 33,744 hours in the learning award and various Forum learning programmes.

The Forum also strengthened its connection with former employees through Forum Circle, its alumni network, which rapidly grew to more than 700 members, while internally, a more transparent and data-informed approach to people management took hold.

The launch of an employee demographics dashboard gave staff access to real-time, aggregated data on information like headcount and gender representation. This tool, accessed by 31% of employees since its launch, demonstrates the Forum’s ongoing commitment to openness, inclusivity and informed decision-making.

Well-being remained a priority. As part of the Forum’s Employee Assistance Programme, all employees and their families gained access to a new digital platform, Headspace, with 43.3% of employees signing up within the first 4 months.

Over the last two years, the Forum has redesigned its people and culture priorities, sharpening its focus on leadership, talent development, inclusivity and well-being, as well as alumni engagement. This commitment came to life through a series of multi-year initiatives, including the rollout of a new leadership model, expanded learning opportunities and enhanced well-being resources for staff.

Building a positive and inclusive culture, upgrading leadership capabilities and supporting employees with the skills, tools and confidence to lead through change has never been more essential. By strengthening self-awareness, encouraging honest dialogue with employees, and supporting continuous learning and listening, the Forum is investing in the individual and collective resilience and agility needed.

A milestone of the reporting period was the creation of the Inclusion, Well-being and Engagement team, which marked the latest phase in the evolution of the people and culture function. This four-person team brings together internal communications with an expanded focus on belonging and engagement, ensuring that inclusion remains a core value in every aspect of the employee experience. It also plays a central role in the Forum’s employee listening strategy, organizing dialogues and focus groups and supporting employee resource groups through clearer governance, coordination and dedicated resources.

In the lead-up to the Annual Meeting 2025, the Forum introduced training on “Managing Difficult Conversations” for all 530 participating employees, providing practical tools to navigate conflict and promote respectful dialogue. This was followed by a workplace conduct training aimed at reinforcing a values-driven culture by clarifying expectations around behaviour and equipping staff to engage in essential conversations within a safe, inclusive environment.

Leadership culture assessments were also introduced, inviting all employees to contribute feedback on the organization’s senior leaders. Coaching was provided to all participating leaders, and by the end of the reporting period, 140 had completed a review.

The Global Learning Award underpins the Forum’s commitment to learning at all levels, empowering staff to pursue opportunities that support their professional advancement. Over the past year, 528 employees took part in the scheme. Overall, employees invested a total of 33,744 hours in the learning award and various Forum learning programmes.

The Forum also strengthened its connection with former employees through Forum Circle, its alumni network, which rapidly grew to more than 700 members, while internally, a more transparent and data-informed approach to people management took hold.

The launch of an employee demographics dashboard gave staff access to real-time, aggregated data on information like headcount and gender representation. This tool, accessed by 31% of employees since its launch, demonstrates the Forum’s ongoing commitment to openness, inclusivity and informed decision-making.

Well-being remained a priority. As part of the Forum’s Employee Assistance Programme, all employees and their families gained access to a new digital platform, Headspace, with 43.3% of employees signing up within the first 4 months.

The Forum is headquartered in Cologny, close to the Swiss city of Geneva. It is from here that 80% of its staff operate, including the organization’s president and most members of the managing board. Cologny is also home to core functions such as finance, sustainability, and people and culture, as well as many of its centres and initiatives.

The location serves multiple purposes – functioning as an office space and a venue for dialogues and events. Constructed and remodelled using green building techniques, the roof is equipped with solar panels covering 11% of the organization’s energy use. It also employs a passive heating and cooling system, circulating water through copper pipes for improved energy efficiency. The space enables the Forum to experiment with office concepts aligned with its initiatives on the future of work, as well as implement sustainability initiatives aligned with its wider mission.

On-site staff canteens prioritize healthy, seasonal and locally sourced food, including a fully plant-based menu one day each week. Drinks are served in dispensers or glass bottles, removing all cans and PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and no single-use plastic is used in the catering offerings.

A comprehensive recycling programme is in place, and only non-toxic products are used for cleaning and gardening. To incentivize the use of public transport, each employee is offered a commuting benefit. Mobility options, such as e-bikes, are promoted and made available free of charge. Only a limited number of parking spots are available, which are assigned for a fee on an annual basis.

The location also complements the Forum’s operations, offering its staff ample opportunity to collaborate with their counterparts in the many international institutions and organizations that are based in Geneva.

The China office serves as a trusted and impartial global platform to bridge conversations and public-private collaboration between China and the rest of the world. The 50 staff at the Forum’s offices in Beijing bring together leaders from government, business and academia with the rest of the organization’s community to help inculcate wider impact.

The office’s work is twofold: on one hand, it helps key Chinese leaders engage with the Forum’s events and wider activities, and on the other, it leads the Forum’s work in China itself, helping to develop initiatives and communities in the Chinese context.

During the reporting period, the office registered strong partnership growth from Greater China; 17 industry and innovation leaders joined as partners, swiftly becoming involved with the work of the organization’s centres and several global industry communities.

Alongside this, the China office engaged with more than 100 public figures and officers from 15 ministries and 20 municipal governments, supporting their engagement with Forum events like the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025.

In addition, the office engaged with more than 100 experts from universities, think tanks and research institutions, helping them contribute to various Forum events, communities and initiatives, at which they shared insights from China’s perspective.

Seeking to help drive the industrial and environmental transitions in China, and more broadly, globally, staff in the China office supported the work of 22 of the Forum’s communities and initiatives and published seven reports. In April 2025, the office hosted a Climate and Nature Action Day, which brought together more than 170 senior leaders from 12 countries and regions with the intent of fostering greater collaboration in this key area.

The Tokyo office supports the Forum’s work in all areas and has substantially strengthened its strategic engagement with partners and constituencies in the past year, despite the broader backdrop of persistent geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty.

In terms of working with political leaders, it balanced its engagement throughout Japan’s political spectrum, engaging ruling and opposition leaders and parties alike.

During the reporting period, it successfully re-established relationships with government ministries and expanded connections with local governments.

The office strengthened its engagement with business leaders through several events, including the One Forum in Tokyo in October 2024 – its largest meeting in Japan to date – focused on accelerating industrial transformation and the decarbonization of energy and transport.

In February 2025, the office supported a two-day regional event in Tokyo, Japan: Climate and Nature Leadership in the Intelligent Age, which strengthened the connections between the country and the broader Asia-Pacific region.

Other meetings included an AI workshop emphasizing Japan’s shift to “safe innovation”, practical deployment of AI agents and ethical integration; a meeting of leaders and experts involved in the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s space workstream to discuss issues like the competitiveness of Japan’s space sector; and a meeting of the Japan arm of the Chief Legal Officers Community to discuss the role of legal leaders in Japanese business.

Established in 2006, the New York office plays a vital role in engaging US-based stakeholders in the Forum’s mission to improve the state of the world. Serving as a strategic and operational hub, the office supports global, regional and industry initiatives.

During the reporting period, the office hosted and supported multiple activities, including more than 2,000 stakeholder engagements. Among these were SDIM24, the Innovators Community Meeting, New Champions Dialogues and Industry Media Chief Officer meetings. Alongside this, there were many thematic meetings covering areas like advanced manufacturing, cyber resilience and women in finance. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, 200 stakeholders engaged in thematic meetings.

The office also hosted several events, including team offsites, property and casualty (P&C) insurance training sessions and global leadership meetings. It also piloted tools, refined services and expanded its network to meet evolving business needs.

Hosted out of the organization’s San Francisco office, the Centre for Urban Transformation’s Annual Summit connected 250 leaders from six continents, more than 30 countries and over 20 industries to support collaboration for sustainable and equitable urban development.

Another highlight was the 2025 Global Technology Retreat, which brought together 350 technology leaders for more than 60 sessions advancing the innovation objectives of eight Forum centres.

Aimed at deepening collaboration with local partners, the Annual Yes SF, Climate Week and Nature Positive City community meetings brought together global stakeholders and underscored San Francisco’s continued role as a hub for innovation in energy, technology and sustainability.

The Global Shapers Community, the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship operate in partnership with the Forum. Collectively, they serve a community of more than 12,000 leaders and innovators, driving positive change in 150 countries.

The Global Shapers Community uses a hub-based model to empower young people aged 18 to 30 to improve the state of the world, one community at a time. What began in a few capital cities has grown into a global network of more than 500 hubs and 30,000 members working in government, business and civil society in more than 150 countries and territories.

Global Shapers work with local stakeholders to enhance their communities, address pressing challenges and create a sense of belonging. In 2024, Global Shapers led 440 initiatives focused on protecting the planet, strengthening democracy, supporting vulnerable communities and amplifying critical stories.

Among the highlights of the reporting period was the awarding of its inaugural Innovation Prize, an initiative supported by partners and the Global Alliance for YOUth. A total of 15 outstanding projects were recognized, including a career accelerator in Accra, Ghana, a mobility-improving navigation app in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and an AIpowered deforestation tracking tool in Morelia, Mexico. All will receive funding, mentorship and visibility, unlocking new possibilities in areas such as climate resilience, digital access and mental health.

The Global Shapers Community released the Global Shapers Impact Report: Engaging Young People in Decision-Making, the Forum’s flagship publication on advancing the issues that matter most to young people. Capturing insights from nearly 4,000 young experts from 140 countries, it is one of the most diverse data sets available on the youth agenda.

To meet this energy and ambition, the Global Shapers Community created meaningful opportunities for young professionals to connect, engage and lead during the year. This saw 10,700 young people access new skills through online leadership programmes, while 1,000 Global Shapers gathered at SHAPE events to strengthen regional ties. Alongside them, 500 hub leaders aligned on strategic priorities at the Global Shapers Annual Summit, 200 Global Shapers took part in Forum meetings, including 70 who took on speaking roles, 110 received executive coaching, and a further 110 contributed to wider Forum initiatives.

By integrating Global Shapers into the Forum’s work, the community strengthens its ability – and that of its partners – to anticipate emerging trends and priorities while driving intergenerational dialogue and action.

The Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGLs) and the YGL Foundation are a “think and do tank” for leadership development and impact. The YGL mission is to cultivate a community of bold, forward-looking leaders who are committed to improving the state of the world. In doing so, it provides transformative leadership development opportunities to help these individuals contribute meaningfully to the future.

Leaders span sectors and disciplines and include heads of state and Fortune 500 executives as well as scientists, social entrepreneurs and artists. With more than 1,400 members and alumni in 120 countries, the YGL Foundation’s leadership programme helps fuel innovation and supports its leaders in forging alliances and developing solutions for a better world. Whether through AI, urban innovation, biomedicine or public health, YGLs are redefining what it means to lead in an age of rapid change.

The foundation’s priorities are anchored in preparing leaders to navigate complexity and drive positive change. Each year, the YGL Foundation welcomes more than 100 new members into a three-year development journey. This includes academic modules, leadership programmes, strategic convenings and opportunities to contribute to initiatives aligned with the Forum’s mission. The foundation’s core belief is that complexity is not a barrier; instead, it is an opportunity for bold, collaborative leadership.

During the reporting period, highlights included the YGL’s annual gathering – Future of Leadership Summit – at which nearly 500 YGLs convened in Singapore in 2024. The event focused on vision-setting, peer exchange and global foresight.

At the Annual Meeting 2025, 70 YGLs participated in sessions on future leadership, emphasizing people-first approaches to geopolitical, environmental and technological challenges.

Over the period, YGLs participated in learning journeys in India, Morocco, Nepal and the US, which offered first-hand insights into these countries’ transformations in governance, entrepreneurship and innovation. The YGL Fellowship continued to empower YGL women leaders from emerging markets, enabling their participation in the Annual Meeting.

The YGL Fellowship continued its longstanding support to emerging African leaders, enabling their full participation in YGL and Forum activities.

Alongside this, the YGLs continued their long-standing partnerships with universities. Among these is the Harvard Kennedy School and its executive education programme, Public Policy in the 21st Century, which explores issues like negotiation, changemaking, inclusive decision-making and climate leadership. In addition, YGLs took university modules in Buenos Aires, Cape Town and Hong Kong.

In partnership with the Forum, the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship convenes a global community of 500 pioneering social entrepreneurs and innovators. It believes in the power of these people to create systemic change and drive the transition to a stakeholder economy, and seeks to accelerate social innovation for a more equitable, sustainable and inclusive world by providing a platform to recognize, promote and advance proven social innovation solutions.

The foundation’s priorities focus on four key areas: community development through its annual awards, mobilizing private-sector support, developing policy insights and helping to reinforce the social innovation ecosystem.

Every year, the foundation develops its community of social entrepreneurs and innovators through the Schwab Foundation Awards. These recognize outstanding individuals and organizations in four categories: social entrepreneurs, corporate social innovators, public social innovators and collective social innovators.

The Schwab Foundation mobilizes the private sector to support social innovation, create partnerships and encourage companies to adopt social innovation principles. This is achieved through initiatives like the Rise Ahead Pledge, the Corporate Leadership Council and the Corporate Social Innovation Compass.

The foundation offers policy insights, data and best practices to advance the social innovation agenda globally. It plays a vital role in supporting the development and adoption of social economy policies. Key initiatives in this area include the Policy Leadership Council on the Social Economy and The State of Social Enterprise report.

The Schwab Foundation is dedicated to reinforcing the social innovation ecosystem. It does so by elevating proven innovators, advocating for critical emerging issues that drive economies and societies, such as AI (AI for Impact: Strengthening AI Ecosystems for Social Innovation), innovative finance (Beyond Compliance: Embedding Impact through Innovative Finance) and climate adaptation (Unlocking the Social Economy: Towards Equity in the Green and Digital Transitions).

Among its highlights during the reporting period were the meetings it organized for its Collective Social Innovation awardees in Geneva, Switzerland and Bengaluru, India. These meetings aimed to maximize collective action on complicated global issues, bringing together more than 40 organizations from 20 countries to share strategies.

The foundation welcomed 42 social entrepreneurs and innovators to the Annual Meeting 2025 and announced the 2025 Social Entrepreneurs and Innovators of the Year. The 18 new awardees came from 15 organizations working to transform healthcare and education, create livelihoods for economically marginalized communities, protect nature and drive systemic change.