Davos, January 20
The President and CEO of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, gave a one-word answer when he was asked in an interview by CNN about what makes him optimistic this year. The WEF chief said it's the "economy."
In an interview with CNN, he pointed to the resilience of the global economy and the enduring necessity of dialogue as reasons for hope in an increasingly fragmented world. At the heart of the World Economic Forum's mission, he emphasised, is dialogue.
"Dialogue is a necessity, not a luxury. When more than 65 heads of state and government come together, the goal is to find common ground, even in difficult times. Of course, we can only bring the horses to the well. We cannot force them to drink the water," he said.
"Last year, we were so worried the geopolitics would kill economic growth. The economy is still growing pretty strongly," he said.
Stability creates space for cooperation, he said in the interview.
When asked whether today's leaders appear unwilling to engage, he replied simply, "It is."
The WEF chief insisted the Forum would continue to try its best.
"But we are more like a glass half full and half empty organisation. So we will continue to try. But we are now operating in a new context. The old world order is not there anymore, and we can see the contours of a new one, but hopefully it's not the jungle growing back. We have to fight for some rules and ways of interacting, and the start is dialogue," Brende said.
Acknowledging criticism that the Forum may at times have appeared arrogant or hubristic, he said humility is essential.
"I think we need to be humble in this new context, but we also have to be ambitious because we will need to push the envelope to try to recreate some dialogues, but I think it's important as you indicate the World Economic Forum has never had a mandate from countries. We are not the UN. We are a membership based organization."
This year's meeting has seen the return of major technology leaders, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Apple CEO Tim Cook, alongside senior political figures, the WEF chief said.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) convenes its 56th Annual Meeting in Davos from January 19 to January 23, 2026, bringing together nearly 3,000 leaders from more than 130 countries at a moment of heightened geopolitical tension, economic uncertainty and rapid technological transformation.
Held under the theme "A Spirit of Dialogue," Davos 2026 seeks to provide an impartial platform for global leaders from government, business and civil society to reconnect, rebuild trust and explore collaborative solutions to challenges that increasingly transcend borders.
- ANI
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