CII at Davos 2026: Shaping Collaborative Dialogue for a Connected Future

Each year, the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos brings together leaders from across business, government, civil society, academia, and the media to reflect on the global challenges shaping the future. In 2026, the meeting takes place against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty and growing pressure on economic and social systems worldwide.

CII will continue its long-standing engagement at Davos 2026 with a focused agenda aligned to the meeting’s theme, A Spirit of Dialogue. The theme reflects the growing need for open exchange, trust-building and collaboration at a time when global consensus is becoming harder to achieve.

Dialogue in a Time of Transition

The Annual Meeting highlights a world marked by accelerating innovation alongside rising fragmentation. Advances in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, next-generation biotechnology, and energy systems are reshaping economies and labour markets, while also creating new growth opportunities.

At the same time, global systems are under strain from geopolitical tensions, supply chain reconfiguration, climate-related risks, and workforce disruption. In this context, Davos 2026 is positioned as a neutral platform for dialogue, enabling leaders from different sectors and regions to share perspectives and explore practical responses to shared challenges.

India’s Engagement Through CII

CII’s involvement at Davos mirrors the growing attention to India’s perspectives in global economic and policy dialogue and is anchored in its theme, “Partner with India: Subscribe to the Future.” As one of the world’s fastest-growing large economies, India’s experiences and priorities around growth, technology adoption, sustainability and emerging markets are increasingly central to international conversations.

Through curated sessions, bilateral engagements and platforms such as the India Pavilion, CII ensures a strong and credible Indian industry voice in global deliberations, inviting global stakeholders to engage with India as a long-term partner. The engagement spans issues such as India’s integration into global value chains, its approach to innovation and digital transformation, and the evolving role of industry in supporting inclusive growth.

The WE-LEAD Women Leadership Lounge returns to Davos for its third edition, convening global leaders for conversations that influence leadership, capital and collective progress. Presented by the Alliance for Global Good – Gender Equity & Equality and anchored by the CII Centre for Women Leadership, the Lounge has evolved into a trusted global platform, engaging over 5,000 international delegates, facilitating 12 policy papers through collaborative dialogue, and connecting with 12,000 industry partners across sectors and regions. The 2026 programme will focus on leadership, economic security, health systems, climate action, artificial intelligence and catalytic capital, with sessions designed to be both strategic in intent and grounded in real-world outcomes.

The emphasis across CII’s engagements remains on meaningful dialogue rather than promotion, with the objective of contributing constructively to global conversations while drawing insights that can inform industry and policy thinking back home, true to the spirit of partnering for the future.

Key Themes at Davos 2026

In line with the meeting’s agenda, discussions during Davos 2026 are expected to centre around four broad areas:

Technology and Growth
Examining how frontier technologies, including AI, digital systems, biotechnology and clean energy, can drive economic growth while being still accessible to emerging markets
Skills and Workforce Transition
Addressing the scale of re-skilling and up-skilling needed as industries evolve and new forms of work appear.
Sustainability and Resilience Exploring pathways for climate transition, resource efficiency, and supply chain resilience without undermining economic progress
Global Cooperation and Trust
Reinforcing dialogue to bridge geopolitical and societal divides and to enable collective responses to global challenges.

Why Davos Matters for Industry

The values of Davos lie in convening decision-makers across sectors and geographies in an environment that encourages candid discussion and long-term thinking. For industry, this offers early exposure to emerging policy directions, technology trends and global risks that may shape markets in the years ahead.

CII’s participation helps ensure that the Indian industry is connected to these conversations, contributes constructively to them and gains insights that support strategic decision-making and international engagement.

Looking Ahead

With the global economy in transition, spaces that encourage discussion and exchange are playing a more important role. Davos 2026, under the theme A Spirit of Dialogue, underscores the role of engagement and cooperation in shaping a more stable and forward-looking global order.

Through its presence at Davos, CII continues to engage with global stakeholders, bringing Indian industry perspectives into discussions that influence the future of growth, innovation, and collaboration.