New Delhi: In January 2026, the World Economic Forum (WEF) will mark 55 years of being a global platform for leadership dialogue. The annual meeting in Davos commands unparalleled participation by heads of state and global business leaders.

Started as the European Management Symposium by Founder Prof Klaus Schwab in 1971, it was renamed as WEF in 1987. Since then, WEF has evolved in several phases. From the early years of a European business focus to the next phase of bringing political leadership to dialogue with CEOs. Later WEF created civil society communities that included young leaders, innovators and social entrepreneurs.

Then WEF added insights capabilities and publishes several reports on subjects like innovation, risk and gender that trigger global debates. The phrase “fourth in

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