1,000 global leaders and experts just met to discuss how to tackle the biggest issues facing the world.
Fifty sessions from the World Economic Forum Special Meeting 2024 on inclusive growth, global collaboration and energy for development are available to watch.
The Special Meeting 2024 on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development, took place in Riyadh, to tackle shared global challenges by bringing together public and private sector leaders.
Over the course of the two days, five common threads emerged across the sessions. Leaders talked about: 1. the importance of prioritizing people; 2. finding ‘bridge solutions’ to manage transformation; 3. cautious optimism around some bright spots; 4. balancing policy around trade in goods, services, ideas, technology, and talent; and 5. divergence between regions, countries, North and South.
Here are the key takeways.
1. Prioritizing people
Leaders were united in the belief that human capital is central to the energy transition, digital transformation and driving growth.
2. Bridge solutions
Global collaboration and working to build bridges and partnerships with others was a key theme of the meeting.
3. Bright spots
There was a cautious note of optimism sounded across the meeting, with the IMF’s Georgieva telling the Opening Plenary that there are signs of hope for the global economy.
4. Balancing policy
Progress and growth are not possible without policy, and careful regulation.
5. Divergence
The growing divide between the global North and South, ‘geopolitical recession’ and ‘global fracture’ were all pressing topics throughout the meeting.
Image: World Economic Forum/Deepu Das
