Trade is being reshaped by a more uncertain global economy, as businesses and governments rethink how goods, capital and technology move across borders. From the Middle East to other major trading hubs, maintaining global connectivity increasingly depends on building systems that can absorb disruption without retreating from openness. What will it take to keep trade open, adaptable and resilient as the rules and routes of the global economy continue to shift?

What will it take to keep trade open, adaptable and resilient as the rules and routes of the global economy continue to shift?

This session was developed in collaboration with CNN.

This session was recorded at the Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders in Dubai in October 2026.

Speakers:
Farid Belbouab, Group CEO, Gulftainer; Florence Gaub, Director, Research Division, NATO Defense College; Fahad Al Gergawi, Undersecretary, Ministry of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates; Paula Hancocks; International Correspondent, CNN; Timcho Mucunski; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Republic of North Macedonia; Karen E. Young, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University.

To learn more about the Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders, read here: https://events.weforum.org/en/events/annual-meeting-of-global-future-leaders-2026/home

We keep asking young people what they want. The sharper question is what they already understand that the rest of us have yet to grasp. Drawing on the World Economic Forum's Youth Pulse report, which captures the perspectives of nearly 10,000 young people across regions, this discussion explores the signals emerging from a generation growing up amid rapid change.

What might today's leaders need to unlearn to keep pace with the generation already adapting to what comes next?

Speakers: AbdelQader AlSaqqafCurator, Abu Dhabi Hub Abu Dhabi Hub; Tiffany LeeCurator, Vancouver Hub; Kacha (Shogun) MahadumrongkulCommunity Champion, Mainland Southeast AsiaGlobal Shapers; Khalid Mohammed Al NuaimiDirector of the Federal Youth AuthorityUnited Arab Emirates Government; Sakshi SharmaGlobal Shaper, Jaipur HubCenalph

This session was recorded live at the Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders in Dubai October 2026.

Watch the livestream here: http://events.weforum.org/en/events/annual-meeting-of-global-future-leaders-2026/sessions/reading-the-youth-pulse

As organizations navigate increasing complexity, the call for authentic, purpose-driven leadership has never been stronger.

This session explores how leaders can bridge the gap between values and strategy — fostering trust, engagement, and meaningful impact in their teams and organizations.

The discussion draws on research and lived experiences to examine how authenticity enhances strategic decision-making and organizational performance.

This is the full audio from a live-streamed video session available to watch for World Economic Forum partners and digital members who can watch it here: https://toplink.weforum.org/sessions/a0WTG000001rJWz2AM/authentic-leadership-revisited-what-drives-real-impact

To become a digital member: https://www.weforum.org/join-us/individuals/

Speakers:

Rashimah Binte Rajah, Assistant Professor, University of Twente

Michael Riedl, Chief Executive Officer, Team Internet

Mershad Javan, President of EMEA, GoDigital Media Group

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What lies beyond the rankings?

Grounded in the findings of the 2026 Travel & Tourism Development Index, this webinar unpacks the structural shifts shaping tourism competitiveness across more than 100 economies.

The discussion explores where progress is accelerating, where vulnerabilities persist and what the findings mean for policy, investment and destination strategy.

This is the full audio from a live-streamed video session available to watch for World Economic Forum partners and digital members.

To become a digital member: https://www.weforum.org/join-us/individuals/

Digital members can watch the session here: https://toplink.weforum.org/sessions/a0WTG000001rJX02AM/beyond-the-rankings-travel-tourism-development-index-2026

Speakers:

Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism at Ministry of Tourism of Jamaica

Ramya Krishnaswamy, Head, Center for Urban Transformation; Member of ExCo at World Economic Forum

Kelly Craighead, President at Vertimas Consulting

Cara Morton, CEO Global Businesses and Operations and Member of the Executive Committee at Zurich Insurance Group

Hawazen Nassief, Deputy Minister for International Relations at Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia

Links:

Travel & Tourism Development Index: https://www.weforum.org/publications/travel-tourism-development-index-2026

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The global economy continues to navigate a period of significant disruption, with ongoing conflicts in multiple regions, volatile bond markets and growing debate over the infrastructure, technologies and investments that could shape the future.

How are companies adapting to these shifts and what trends are leading economists watching most closely?

Join us for a discussion with chief economists on the forces shaping the global economy and what they see on the horizon.

Speakers:

Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director, World Economic Forum

Svenja Gudell, Chief Economist, Indeed

Nela Richardson, Chief Economist, ADP

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China is entering a new demographic era, with one of the world's fastest-ageing populations reshaping its economic and social landscape. At the same time, advances in genetics, regenerative medicine and preventive health are deepening the understanding of ageing and healthy living.

As science and policy evolve, what will it take to realize the full potential of longevity?

Speakers:

This is the full audio from a session at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China on 23-25 June, 2026. Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2026/sessions/ageing-as-an-economic-asset/

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Record-breaking heat across Europe is placing growing pressure on critical infrastructure. At the same time, oil prices climbed above $100 per barrel earlier this year as geopolitical tensions once again exposed vulnerabilities in global energy markets.

These are not isolated crises, but different sides of the same coin. And prompts the question, how can we build energy systems that remain reliable in an increasingly volatile world?

A new generation of technologies is beginning to change that equation. This session explores how new technologies like direct lithium extraction and everything-to-grid energy are changing how energy is produced, managed and consumed.

This is the full audio from a studio discussion recorded on 9 July, 2026.

Speakers:

Volker Sick, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan

Anna Tunkel, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Impact LLC

Akshay Joshi, Head of the Centre for Cybersecurity, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

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More than $150 trillion moves across borders each year through the global financial system, the vast majority of it still denominated in dollars. As geopolitical tensions fragment trade relationships and middle powers look to diversify their financial exposure, alternative currencies are gaining quiet traction, such as the recent renewal of a 200-billion-yuan swap line between the Bank of Canada and the People's Bank of China.

How might a growing willingness among these economies to transact in alternative currencies reshape the structure, stability and sovereignty of the international financial system?

Speakers:

This is the full audio from a session at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China on 23-25 June, 2026. Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2026/sessions/renminbi-and-the-world/

Catch up on all the action from World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 at wef.ch/amnc26 and across social media using the hashtag #AMNC26.

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