Overview
- The 56th World Economic Forum opened in Davos for Jan. 19–23 with roughly 3,000 participants from 130 countries, including 64 heads of state and 850 business leaders, under the theme of 'l'esprit de dialogue'.
- Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to speak on Jan. 20 to promote France's competitiveness, European strategic autonomy, and a pro-investment message tied to his 'Choose France' approach.
- President Donald Trump is slated to speak the next day and arrives as a central figure with the largest U.S. delegation to the forum, with policies centered on tariffs and conditioning market access.
- The WEF Global Risks Report warns the next two years will be 'stormy' and identifies geoeconomic confrontation as the top near‑term risk shaping discussions in Davos.
- The forum faces reputational pressure from the 2025 resignation of founder Klaus Schwab over alleged misconduct and from environmental critiques such as Greenpeace's estimate of roughly 700 additional private jets during the event.