2 President and CEO’s Statement The work of the World Economic Forum comes during a moment of profound global change, as geopolitical and geoeconomic developments – alongside rapid advancements in frontier technologies – transform the nature of relations across and between the public and private sectors. The past year has seen sovereignty politics ascendant around the world, even as the need for collaborative approaches has become more urgent. The growing tension between inward-looking postures and cooperative imperatives does not mean the two are incompatible. The interdependent nature of today’s world means that, although long-standing global architectures, alliances and even attitudes are being reconsidered, there are still possibilities for aligning interests and acting accordingly. The changes under way mean that tomorrow’s global system will differ significantly from that of the past. Cooperation will need to meet the moment, principally by being adaptive and more productive. In this context, the private sector will increasingly need to take an activist role, championing or co-developing solutions alongside governments. As this Annual Report shows, the Forum’s role in promoting dialogue and partnership is a testament to the effectiveness of multistakeholder approaches. The challenges facing the world are complex: conflict not only persists in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, but escalatory actions by major powers have reopened sobering possibilities many had long hoped would remain in the past. While global growth is thankfully more resilient than expected, debt levels have reached record highs, and the escalation of geoeconomic rivalry is testing resilience, particularly in vulnerable markets. At the same time, new technologies offer the promise of profound benefit, but the risks of employment displacement and unequal access are becoming evident. Our planetary condition is also dire, as the world has experienced the hottest year on record. Børge Brende President and CEO Annual Report 2024-20256 President and CEO’s Statement

Annual Report 2024 2025