WEF: Global Cooperation Resilient Despite Geopolitical Headwinds, Falls Short on Key Goals

• A new WEF study reveals global cooperation remains resilient despite strong geopolitical headwinds, though it's below levels needed for critical economic, security, and environmental challenges.
• The Global Cooperation Barometer 2026, using 41 metrics across five pillars, found overall cooperation largely unchanged but evolving, with smaller, regional arrangements emerging.
• Cooperation increased significantly in climate/nature and innovation/technology, aligning with national interests, while health/wellness and trade/capital remained flat.
• Peace and security cooperation saw the largest drop, with conflicts escalating, military spending rising, and forcibly displaced people reaching a record 123 million globally.
• Despite setbacks, growing pressures are fostering new cooperation, including in critical technologies like AI (India, Gulf, Japan, Europe) and low-carbon goods (India, Brazil).

Why It Matters: Global cooperation shows resilience but must adapt and intensify to tackle pressing global challenges effectively.