Harnessing Data and Intelligence for Collective Advantage 2026

Images: Adobe Stock Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as a contribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result of a collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World Economic Forum but whose results do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of its Members, Partners or other stakeholders. © 2026 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.Contents Foreword 3 Executive summary 4 1 The problem: The vicious cycle of forced labour and data fragmentation 5 1.1 Persistence amid progress: The enduring nature of forced labour 5 1.2 The structural roots of fragmentation: Data, incentives, trust 6 and governance gaps 1.3 Breaking the vicious cycle 9 2 The solution: The Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labour 10 as a new model for collective impact 2.1 A system-level response to a systemic challenge 10 2.2 The theory of change 11 2.3 Why federated data and agentic AI are game changers 13 2.4 Proof of Concept in Thailand 15 2.5 Stakeholder value and collective advantage 18 2.6 Summary of the solution 19 3 The future: From proof to global impact 20 3.1 Minimum viable product: Scaling beyond the 20 Proof of Concept 3.2 Trust by design: Governance, risks and enabling 21 conditions for scale 3.3 Building global momentum and vision for 2030 22 Conclusion 23 Contributors 24 Endnotes 26 Harnessing Data and Intelligence for Collective Advantage: Ending Forced Labour in Global Supply Chains 2