In the lead-up to the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum—which Argentina has already confirmed its attendance at—, to be held from January 19-23, 2026 in Davos-Klosters, SwitzerlandPolitical, business and social leaders are focusing on the risks and opportunities that will define the global agenda for the coming year.
In this context, the World Economic Forum presented this Wednesday (January 14, 2026) the Global Risks Report 2026This report, one of the key documents preceding the summit, aims to guide the strategic debate and promote coordinated responses to an increasingly complex international landscape. The 100-page document defines “global risk” as the possibility of an event or condition occurring that, if it materializes, would negatively affect a significant proportion of global GDP, population, or natural resources.
The 2026 edition of the World Economic Forum It will bring together more than 300 heads of state and government, authorities from international organizations, and global business leaders.According to the WEF, confirmed attendees include Presidents Donald J. Trump (United States), Javier Milei (Argentina), Mark Carney (Canada), and Alexander Stubb (Finland), as well as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and high-ranking representatives from China, Qatar, Indonesia, and Mozambique.
Also participating will be key figures from the multilateral system, such as António Guterres (UN), Christine Lagarde (ECB), Ursula von der Leyen (European Commission), Kristalina Georgieva (IMF) and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (WTO), along with executives from leading companies in the technology, financial and industrial sectors.
According to the report, the “geoeconomic confrontation“This is emerging as the main global risk in the short term, followed by armed conflicts between states, in a context where trade, finance, and technology are used as instruments of power and strategic pressure. According to the World Economic Forum, this phenomenon “is already extending far beyond tariffs” and reflects a structural shift in how states conceive of their international economic relations.
In this regard, the report notes that governments “appear to be losing faith in the legal framework underpinning global trade.” In particular, the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) dispute settlement system, key to the peaceful resolution of trade disputes, is being increasingly sidelined. The number of cases filed has fallen to approximately one-third of the level prior to 2019, when the Appellate Body, a central component of this mechanism, was paralyzed.
In parallel, the report observes an expansion of investment control policies in G20 countries, increasingly driven by strategic realignment and national security criteria, rather than traditional economic considerations. Furthermore, countries not aligned with either China or the United States could face increasing pressure to adhere to sanctions regimes, in a context of growing fragmentation of the international economic order.
The document warns that the number of sectors considered “strategic” for national security continues to expand and that these are increasingly subject to export controls, trade restrictions, and investment bans. Among the sectors recently impacted by these measures are artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, quantum computing, drones, and rare earth elements.
On the economic front, the report identifies an increase in the risks of a global slowdown, with growing concerns about persistent inflation, financial market volatility and the possible formation of asset bubbles, in a context of high levels of both public and private debt.
This scenario transcends the economic and geopolitical sphere and has a profound impact on societies. Global Risks Report 2026 points to social polarization and inequality as structural risks that threaten the internal cohesion of countries and weaken the social contract between governments and citizens.
The report also warns about the impact of technological accelerationDisinformation and media manipulation are becoming established as one of the main short-term risks, while concern is growing about the potential adverse effects of artificial intelligence in the long term, in a context of still incipient regulatory frameworks.
The Environmental risks While they maintain significant weight on the horizon for the next ten years, the report warns that they are being relegated in the short term in the face of geopolitical and economic urgencies, which could deepen systemic vulnerabilities in the future.
Based on the 2025-2026 Global Risks Perception Survey, which gathered the opinions of more than 1.300 leaders and experts from around the world, the report concludes that 50% of respondents anticipate a “turbulent or stormy” global scenario in the next two years, a proportion that rises to 57% over the ten-year horizon, while only 1% foresee a stable or calm scenario.
In the words of Saadia Zahidi, managing director of the World Economic Forum, The report does not seek to predict the future, but rather to offer a framework for risk prevention and management, emphasizing that, even in an environment of increasing strategic competition, International cooperation remains indispensable to strengthen global resilience and build a more stable scenario.
Access the document here: https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risks_Report_2026.pdf
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