DAVOS: As the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting returns to the snowy peaks of Davos in Switzerland, attention is turning to what Arab delegations will bring to the discussions amid widening divisions between global powers.
In an interview with Arab News ahead of the forum, WEF Managing Director Maroun Kairouz said he hopes Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries will use their influence to “create momentum for dialogue and for breakthroughs.
“We have very strong participation from the (MENA) region this year, specifically on the aspect of diplomacy,” Kairouz said.
“(Saudi Arabia and GCC nations) are playing a distinct role because these countries have not taken sides … which puts you in a situation where you can mediate and facilitate dialogue. And that’s part of what we are hoping to do in Davos.”
This year’s forum, which opened on Monday, is set to feature one of the largest regional representations in years, including Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb, alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al-Busaidi and UAE Cabinet Affairs Minister Mohammad Abdullah Al-Gergawi are also expected to attend, along with representatives from the Levant, including Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
Kairouz said Arab diplomacy could be pivotal to “consolidate the peace” and advance progress across regional fault lines, including Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and Iran. He added that this year’s theme, “Spirit of Dialogue,” reflects the need for spaces where leaders can exchange views, better understand shared challenges and work toward solutions.
Around 65 heads of state, more than 400 government leaders and nearly 900 business leaders are expected at this year’s Forum.
US President Donald Trump, whose relationship with Davos has been bittersweet since his first term, is set to deliver a keynote speech on Wednesday. It follows his capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and renewed threats to acquire Greenland “one way or the other.”
Gaza’s Phase Two plan and Iran’s ongoing protests are also expected to dominate the agenda, highlighting the growing complexity of the geopolitical landscape — which many analysts say signals the end of the post-Cold War rules-based order “as we knew it,” a model long supported by the WEF.
“Even if you are competing or you disagree with someone, the only way to find common interest is dialogue,” Kairouz said, adding that the scale of participation at this year’s Forum underlines the value leaders place on trying to find common ground on the most pressing issues.
A former chief international economist at the Banque du Liban and former head of the Middle East and North Africa for the WEF, Kairouz assumed the role of managing director following the controversial exit of founder Klaus Schwab amid allegations of financial impropriety and a toxic workplace culture.
At the WEF, he leads the Centre for Regions, Trade and Geopolitics, overseeing public sector engagement and shaping agendas on trade, investment and geopolitical affairs to drive collaboration among governments and international organizations.
Since his last Arab News interview in 2023, he said the region — with Saudi Arabia in the lead — has evolved from treating Davos as “their time to shine” to making concrete contributions across a broad spectrum of global issues, well beyond diplomacy alone.
“The Middle East is not just any more adapting to this global context that I described, it is actively shaping good now. And that applies across sectors and across geographic areas, especially when it concerns the Gulf region.”
As part of diversification efforts, Gulf states have invested heavily in key sectors including technology (artificial intelligence and data centers), mining and tourism.
Saudi Arabia — marking the 10th anniversary of Vision 2030 this year — has seen remarkable growth, with its non-oil sector now accounting for 56 percent of its $1.3 trillion economy.
Standard Chartered Global Research forecasts gross domestic product expansion of 4.5 percent in 2026, outpacing the global average of 3.4 percent.
Kairouz noted that Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Doha and, increasingly, Muscat have gained prominence on the geopolitical stage partly due to their economic transformation, which is now bearing fruit.
“When we talk about GCC diplomacy, you cannot set the economy aside, because their strength when they engage in this mediation is that they can very much join up the geopolitical and the economic to create momentum for dialogue and for breakthroughs,” he said, citing Saudi Arabia’s role in Ukraine-Russia talks and Iran, as well as Qatar’s efforts in Gaza.
He added that current global trends “play to the region’s strengths,” with economies and governments becoming more intertwined and economic leverage increasingly used for geopolitical objectives — an arena the Gulf “understands and can navigate very well.”
Discussing Saudi Arabia’s decision to fully open its stock market to foreign investors from Feb. 1, Kairouz described the move as a “logical step” in the Kingdom’s broader push to open up its economy.
“When you now have more than 50 percent of the Saudi economy coming from non-oil sources or based on non-oil output, it shows that Vision 2030 is delivering concrete results,” he said.
Kairouz added that Davos will host “a private conversation” bringing together Saudi ministers and representatives of the global business community to discuss reforms “like that one” aimed at boosting investment and strengthening corporate confidence.
He added that in the tech sector in particular, Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf states are well placed to “put up serious competition for the third spot” behind the US and China, citing a combination of advantages including energy and land, and what he described as “agile and fast-moving” policymaking.
“Our research has shown that fragmentation in AI systems can slow innovation. And so I feel everyone has an interest to collaborate. And the region has huge strengths in this matter,” he said, arguing that Gulf countries can leverage ties with both the US and Chinese ecosystems.
“And very importantly, they have young populations that are optimistic. And it’s one of the few regions in the world where you still see that optimism.”
Kairouz, who helped organize the WEF Special Meeting in Riyadh in 2024, said the Kingdom has remained a “bridge-builder” at a time of growing fragmentation. He described that gathering as “one of the most successful meetings we ever had outside of Davos.”
“The most crucial milestone we are looking forward to is our meeting on global collaboration and growth in Jeddah in April. That is the forum’s only meeting outside of Davos which is focused … explicitly on collaboration.”
He said the WEF is “very proud” to convene the second edition in the Kingdom and has agreed with the Saudi government to host it on a biennial basis.
But before delegations head to the Red Sea’s glittering shores, Kairouz expressed hope that this year’s WEF will serve as an “open platform” where “diverse and divergent opinions, viewpoints, positions can be expressed.
“What we hope to achieve is that Davos can be one important milestone that can be leveraged to make progress on peace, stability, but also on reigniting growth, because growth is key to stability,” he said.
“It’s only when economies grow that more jobs can be created. And it’s well established that well functioning economies that bring prosperity to their peoples are much more stable,” he said.
“Not to forget, too, the climate issue that we still need to address in a way that maintains access to energy sources and affordability of energy sources.”