WEF 2025: Collaboration for the Intelligent Age or More of the Same?

As the 2025 World Economic Forum (WEF) approaches, participants are packing their bags for Davos, Switzerland, ready to discuss this year’s theme: “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age.” The forum promises over 200 live-streamed sessions and countless opportunities for world leaders, businesses, and academics to debate and propose solutions for global challenges. Yet, amidst all the anticipation, one question looms: how relevant is WEF in delivering real change?

A Mission to Improve the World

WEF’s stated mission is to “improve the state of the world” by shaping global, regional, and industry agendas. Over the years, it has brought forward themes like “Cooperation in a Fragmented World” (2023) and “Rebuilding Trust” (2024). However, as we survey the state of the world today, the promises of collaboration, transparency, and accountability appear hollow. Trust remains fractured, cooperation selective, and inequality pervasive.

Where Is the Collaboration?

The forum rightly emphasizes that prosperity fosters stability and, ultimately, peace. Yet global trade and collaboration face mounting challenges. Protectionist policies, particularly from major economies like the U.S., have imposed tariffs and sanctions that disrupt free trade and economic opportunities. Such actions contradict the ideals of openness and inclusivity championed at Davos.

Climate Change: Action or Hypocrisy?

Climate change has been a cornerstone of WEF discussions, but actions often betray the rhetoric. Despite warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) about the dire need for increased climate financing, participants routinely arrive in private jets, contributing to the very crisis they aim to solve. The disparity between talk and action raises doubts about WEF’s sincerity in tackling the existential climate crisis.

Shifting Burdens to Consumers

A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research critiques WEF for shifting the burden of global issues onto individuals rather than holding governments and corporations accountable. Consumers are expected to be “green,” “health-conscious,” and “financially literate,” while systemic issues remain unaddressed. This trend erodes trust in the forum’s ability to drive meaningful change.

Successq Stories: Few and Far Between

WEF’s history is not without achievements. In 1988, Greece and Türkiye averted conflict through agreements reached at Davos. In the 1990s, it hosted a pivotal handshake that contributed to the end of apartheid in South Africa. More recently, it provided a platform for Ukraine’s president to rally international support. Yet, these successes are overshadowed by its selective stance on global issues, such as its reluctance to condemn Israel’s actions against Palestinians while denouncing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Intelligent Age: A Double-Edged Sword

Artificial Intelligence (AI) dominates the 2025 agenda, presenting opportunities to address global challenges. However, protectionist measures, like the U.S.’s restrictions on AI chip exports, undermine global cooperation and risk derailing innovation. Instead of fostering equitable access to AI tools, such policies create winners and losers, deepening global divides.

Is WEF Truly Transformative?

Critics argue that WEF is more a networking venue for elites than a platform for genuine societal transformation. With 350 government leaders, including 60 heads of state, gathering in Davos, there’s a risk of decisions being made without accountability to electorates or shareholders.

To remain relevant, WEF must prioritize:

1. Transparency: Ensure that pledges made at Davos are tracked and publicly reported.

2. Inclusivity: Expand its focus beyond major economies to include marginalized nations and communities.

3. Ethical Leadership: Encourage bold, responsible decisions that foster equity and sustainability rather than exacerbate existing divides.

Collective Action

The Intelligent Age offers humanity a choice: elevate or fracture. WEF’s influence can guide this transformation, but only if it commits to meaningful action. Collaboration, sustainability, and trust must move from rhetoric to reality. Without this shift, the forum risks being a symbol of inertia in the face of urgent global challenges.

So, as attendees gather in Davos, let’s hope for less talk and more action. The world cannot afford another year of promises without progress.

What say you?