This year, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 (otherwise known as “Davos 2024”) took place from 15 – 19 January 2024. Convened under the theme of “Rebuilding Trust”, Davos 2024 aimed to restore trust at three fundamental levels:
- future;
- within societies; and
- among nations.
To do this, Davos 2024 promoted open and constructive dialogue between international leaders, stronger partnerships, agile policy frameworks and productive use of technology to achieve practical short and long-term solutions for the global issues challenging society. Transparency, consistency and accountability were the key principles driving the forum.
The main topics addressed at Davos 2024 included:
- promoting social security and cooperation, in the context of geopolitical crises occurring most recently in the Middle East;
- global job security and cybersecurity;
- the use of AI and interface with other technologies;
- the development of a systemic approach to achieve carbon neutrality whilst providing affordable, secure and inclusive access to energy, food and water; and
- achieving social backing for the strategies developed in relation to the above.
The forum heard presentations from prominent figures, including Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State; and António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, among others.
Key takeaways from Davos 2024
Davos 2024 addressed multiple issues impacting global social and economic security, including the rapid advancement of technology, industrial development and subsequent effects to the environment.
Main takeaways include:
- The push for reform to global governance in order to reduce geopolitical division, increase representation of the Global South and promote a stronger collective response to global challenges such as a climate change.
- The need to accelerate reskilling in the context of a world increasingly moving towards digital and green power, as well as the need for appropriate regulations and governance to apply to such developments.
As the forum came to a close for 2024, the key message for the year ahead may be best summed up by Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain. In his address, Sánchez implored the audience to “be bold and define a new paradigm of prosperity. A new economic and social orthodoxy that takes advantage of the knowledge and the new tools we have to couple economic growth with environmental sustainability and prosperity for all.”1
Sessions from Davos 2024 are accessible for public viewing through 200 sessions livestreamed over the course of the week. The full program and session links can be accessed here.
For more information, please contact Matt Baumgurtel, Adriaan van der Merwe and Megan Chau.
1World Economic Forum, “Davos 2024 Day 3: Some of the key moments” (18 January 2024), https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/01/davos-2024-day-3-highlights/
