World Economic Forum Report Shows Global Cooperation Shifting, Not Declining

Overall levels of international cooperation have remained steady in recent years, with smaller and more targeted partnerships increasingly taking shape, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The third edition of the Global Cooperation Barometer was released Thursday ahead of the WEF’s annual meeting in Davos, scheduled for January 19 to 23. The report tracks global cooperation across five areas: trade and capital, innovation and technology, climate and natural resources, health and wellness, and peace and security. It uses 41 metrics developed in collaboration with McKinsey & Company.

Ariel Kastner, head of the WEF’s geopolitical agenda and communications, told Arab News that the report highlights how cooperation is adapting to new global realities. “While multilateralism is under real strain, cooperation is not ending; it is adapting,” he said.

The pace of cooperation varies by sector. Peace and security recorded the sharpest decline, with conflicts, rising military spending, and struggling multilateral mechanisms contributing to weaker collaboration. Trade and capital, along with health and wellness, largely held steady. Trade volumes for goods continue to grow above pre-pandemic levels, though at a slower pace than overall economic growth. Health outcomes have remained stable since the pandemic, but declining development assistance is creating challenges for lower- and middle-income countries.

By contrast, climate and nature, along with innovation and technology, showed the strongest growth. Increased financial flows and expanded global supply chains supported record deployment of clean technologies, although progress remains short of global targets. Despite tighter restrictions in some regions, cross-border data flows, IT services, and digital connectivity continued to expand, reflecting resilience in technology cooperation.

The report notes that collaboration in critical technologies is increasingly taking place through smaller, aligned groupings rather than broad multilateral frameworks. Kastner highlighted that this trend reflects a move toward pragmatic partnerships that balance national interests with shared priorities. He cited the Gulf region as an example, where partnerships and investments with Asia, Europe, and Africa in energy, technology, and infrastructure illustrate how focused collaboration can yield results despite global challenges.

Smaller, trade-dependent economies are also playing a growing role in sustaining global cooperation. Initiatives such as the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership, launched in September 2025 by the UAE, New Zealand, Singapore, and Switzerland, demonstrate the influence of these economies in shaping global engagement.

Kastner emphasized that dialogue will be crucial for maintaining cooperation in an uncertain era. “The building block of cooperation today is communication — parties can only identify areas of common ground by speaking with one another,” he said.

The WEF report suggests that while global cooperation faces significant pressures, particularly in security and peace, innovative regional and sector-specific partnerships are helping to sustain collaboration and drive progress in technology, climate, and trade.