LONDON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Armed conflict emerges as the primary risk in 2025, as shown by a survey released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday, underlining the escalating global divisions while government and business leaders gear up to attend the annual meeting in Davos next week.
Nearly 25% of over 900 experts surveyed from academia, business, and policymaking sectors identified conflict - encompassing wars and terrorism - as the most critical threat to economic advancement for the forthcoming year. Following closely behind was extreme weather, which was the leading concern in 2024.
"In a world characterized by widening disparities and escalating risks, global leaders are at a crossroads: either they promote cooperation and resilience, or confront mounting instability," stated WEF Managing Director Mirek Dusek in a report statement.
"The stakes have never been higher." The WEF is set to commence on Jan. 20, with Donald Trump, soon to be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, scheduled to virtually address the meeting on Jan. 23. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to participate in the event and deliver a speech on Jan. 21, as per the organizers.
Trump's advisors acknowledge on Wednesday that resolving the conflict in Ukraine could take months or even longer, serving as a stark reality check on his commitment to brokering a peace agreement on his first day in office.
Aside from Trump, other global leaders slated to attend the Davos meeting include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.
The summit's agenda will focus on Syria, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the potential escalation of tensions in the Middle East, WEF President mentioned.
Negotiators were ironing out final details for a potential agreement in Gaza on Wednesday following extensive discussions in Qatar. Misinformation and disinformation emerged as the most severe global risks over the next couple of years based on the survey, maintaining the same ranking as in 2024.
Over a decade horizon, environmental threats dominated expert concerns, with extreme weather being the primary long-term global risk, followed by biodiversity loss, critical changes to the earth's systems, and scarcity of natural resources.
Last year, global temperatures reached 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels for the first time, bringing nations closer to surpassing the commitments made under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
According to the survey, a global risk is defined as a condition that would adversely affect a significant portion of global GDP, population, or natural resources. The survey was conducted in September and October.
The majority of respondents, 64%, anticipate that a multipolar, fragmented global order will persist.