World Economic Forum (WEF) attendees this year include Ding Xuexiang, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Argentina’s Javier Milei. US President-elect Donald Trump will address the event via video link. However, a number of key leaders are sidestepping the forum, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s leader Giorgia Meloni, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The 55th annual WEF gathering in Davos, Switzerland, aims to address pressing global challenges such as economic fragmentation, technological transformation, and climate action. Despite its reputation for bringing together influential leaders, the event has seen a decline in participation from major economies. Only outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will attend in person.
While some argue that WEF’s focus on dialogue and cooperation may be waning, others see it as an opportunity to engage with a broad and representative community of stakeholders. The forum continues to value the presence of key global leaders, recognizing that their absence does not diminish its ongoing engagement with governments and institutions throughout the year.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/20/the-list-of-world-leaders-who-are-not-attending-wef-2025-in-davos.html