World Economic Forum (WEF) President Borge Brende stressed the need for international collaboration to tackle global challenges, warning that decoupling carries high economic costs.
Speaking in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) ahead of the WEF's 2026 annual meeting, Brende highlighted the imperative for nations to work together on shared interests, particularly in addressing transnational problems.
"So we still need to be able to collaborate on the areas where we have common interests. So if a challenge is global, you cannot solve it only locally. Look at, for example, if we are faced as we are with cybercrime, 3, 4, 5 trillion U.S. dollars every year are stolen, I think we all can agree that this is not a good thing. So nations have to collaborate on this. That's something else, and for example, collaboration on rules and regulations in areas that are legitimate. We are saying that it is more difficult to agree on traffic rules for artificial intelligence, but that I can understand," he said.
Reflecting on the WEF's role, Brende described the organization as a facilitator rather than a direct problem-solver.
"I still think there are areas where we could collaborate better, but in the World Economic Forum we are more a platform and an enabler. We are like not an organization that fixes things. We can bring the horses to the well, but we cannot force the horses to drink the water," he added.
Brende advocated for globalization in an integrated global economy, rather than decoupling.
"I think also countries are finding out that they have more in common than they maybe thought. It is in an integrated global economy, not so easy to decouple. And if you want to decouple, it will come also with a high economic price. And we are also, in addition, of course, seeing that nations are preparing for a different world, you are then inclined to nations that you think are your friends, and you also diversify your trade," he said.
The 2026 annual meeting of the WEF was held in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos from Jan 19 to 23, under the theme "A Spirit of Dialogue."
WEF president advocates for int'l collaboration to tackle global challenges
