GENEVA (AN) — The World Economic Forum warns that nations are "grappling with heightened competition and conflict" as a new year begins, but urges leaders to cooperate on science, technology and innovation.
WEF's "Global Cooperation Barometer," released on Tuesday ahead of its annual summit this month in the Swiss resort town of Davos, emphasizes the need for nations to tackle challenges together.
Developed with McKinsey & Company, WEF's index uses 41 metrics to measure trade and capital flows, innovation and technology, climate and natural capital, health and wellness, and peace and security.
The post-Cold War international order is "giving way to a more fragmented landscape" that demands cooperation, WEF says.
Børge Brende, WEF's president and CEO, says we live in "a moment of great global instability" as wars rage in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan.
But the index shows, he says, that cooperation is "not only essential to address crucial economic, environmental and technological challenges, it is possible within today’s more turbulent context.”
