This year’s World Economic Forum annual meetings in Davos, Switzerland promise a return to normal—meaning the return to the winter version of the meeting pre-pandemic—and a tried and safe theme: “Cooperation in a Fragmented World.” I say tried, because this has been the general theme of Davos—and many other similar meetings—long before the pandemic. But it is also tired because to answer the vast number of ongoing crises we need more than a platform for getting together; we need a community of action.
You may be asking, why then, do we cover the Davos meetings with the ferocity we have for over a decade now? We do because Davos remains the singular place where we continue to engage with some of the most interesting, action oriented, and uncommon collaborators in the world. Indeed, right outside Congress Centre in Davos, you will be challenged by the paradox that is this town. A place where one percenters will debate the global economy and supply chains, where million-dollar storefronts and tents house the latest influencers in media, policy, tech, and business. At the same time, major global health, education, and other impact initiatives are born and take shape—and most importantly, are financed.
Indeed, while WEF’s meetings are a platform for the convergence of ideas, it is outside these meetings, in this otherwise unassuming winter town, where stakeholders meet and set action agendas that reverberate in subsequent meetings of importance year-round. And that’s the magic of Davos.
For years, our presence at Davos has meant being part or host of these side-meetings, where the initiatives and ideas are born. With our special Davos Dialogue edition, we contribute important thought capital to the discussions but our goals are much loftier. We bring our community together with the hope that they will convert these ideas to action. And in Davos we find a fertile ground to do so not just with ideas but with people. In this edition, we tackle the issue of fragmentation from a whole of society approach, having invited contributors from technology, policy, and diplomacy to offer a fresh take on solution-making. As always, we welcome your feedback and contribution.
