World Economic Forum (WEF) logo is displayed during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, on January 20, 2026
| Photo Credit: Reuters

India is set for a power-packed representation at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in this Alpine resort town that will see the global elite discuss “a spirit of dialogue” in a fragmented world for five days beginning on Monday (January 19, 2026).

U.S. President Donald Trump will be the biggest star among over 3,000 global leaders from government, business, academia, multi-lateral bodies, civil society, and labour unions.

President Trump will bring along the largest-ever U.S. delegation to Davos, including at least five secretaries. Those expected include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and also US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

The meeting will also be attended by more than 30 Foreign Ministers, over 60 Finance Ministers and central bank governors and more than 30 Trade Ministers.

Top political leaders taking part include Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, and Swiss President Guy Parmelin.

Close to 200 leaders from civil society and the social sector, including labour unions, non-governmental and faith-based organisations, as well as experts and heads of the world’s leading universities, research institutions and think tanks, will also participate in the meeting.

From India, at least four Union Ministers— Ashwini Vaishnaw, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Pralhad Joshi, and K Rammohan Naidu — as well as six Chief Ministers are expected to be there, along with over 100 top CEOs from the country.

The Chief Ministers are Devendra Fadnavis of Maharashtra, N Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh, Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma, Madhya Pradesh’s Mohan Yadav, Telangana’s A Revanth Reddy, and Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren.

While Mr. Reddy is from Congress, Mr. Soren from Congress ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Mr. Naidu from Telugu Desam Party (an ally of the BJP), the other three CMs are from the BJP.

Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar (from Congress) was also expected to be there, but has dropped out due to his engagements back home.

Among Union Ministers, Mr. Naidu is from TDP, while the other four are from BJP.

Besides, Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Rameshbhai Sanghavi (from BJP) and high-level delegations from Uttar Pradesh and Kerala will also visit Davos.

Indian leaders are expected to participate in several panel discussions, including one on ‘Can India become the third largest economy in the world’ during the summit.

Business leaders from India expected include Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani, Tata group’s N Chandrasekaran, Bajaj Group’s Sanjiv Bajaj, Jubilant Bhartia Group’s Hari S Bhartia, TVS Motor’s Sudarshan Venu and Mahindra Group’s Anish Shah.

Other Indian corporate leaders expected to be there are Axis Bank’s Amitabh Chaudhry, Godrej Industries Group’s Nadir Godrej, JSW Group’s Sajjan Jindal, Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath, Bharti group’s Sunil Bharti Mittal, Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, Infosys CEO Salik S Parekh, Wipro’s Rishad Premji, Essar CEO Prashant Ruia, Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma and ReNew CEO Sumant Sinha.

Former Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani will also be there as founder and chairperson of Alliance for Global Good: Gender Equity and Equality, which was founded a few years ago in Davos itself.

Global leaders attending the summit include United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, World Bank President Ajay S Banga, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UNESCO Director General Khaled el-Enany, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Published – January 18, 2026 11:38 am IST

More than 5,000 armed forces personnel, snipers at vantage points, AI-powered drones and special tools to counter spywares and espionage — security is like never before in this small Swiss town this week.

As the global elites start descending on the snow-clad skiing resort town for the five-day extravaganza of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, which begins on Monday (January 19, 2026), it is teeming with not just black business suits but also blue, black, and yellow hues — the colours of the jackets worn by the army, police, and other security personnel.

Also Read I Cybersecurity, income inequality & insufficient public services the top risks in India in 2026: World Economic Forum

Checks are common at all entry points, as well as at random places, given the high-profile nature of the attendees, who include more than 400 political leaders from across the world, comprising at least 64 heads of state or government.

Then there are over a thousand CEOs, members of civil society, labour representatives, faith-based organisations, cultural luminaries and social entrepreneurs, as well as academics, experts and think tanks.

Top leaders include U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, Swiss President Guy Parmelin, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Palestinian National Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Heads of international organisations taking part include the chiefs of the United Nations, WTO, World Bank, IMF, NATO, WHO, UNDP, OECD, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The attendees include approximately 200 to 300 internationally protected persons, such as heads of state and government, ministers, and high-level representatives of international organisations.

More than 500 journalists are also here to cover the event.

Adding to the concerns of the security agencies, some protests are already planned, including by anti-capitalist and environmental activists.

According to the Swiss government, authorities are willing to authorise demonstrations, but it is essential that requirements to protect people, infrastructure and property are respected.

In order to hold a demonstration, detailed arrangements need to be made between the organisers and authorities.

If a demonstration is held without authorisation, the authorities will take necessary measures to ensure the security and freedom of movement of residents and guests, while adhering to the principle of proportionality.

Those who commit criminal offences will be prosecuted, the government said.

Also Read I Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu leaving for Davos on January 18 to participate in WEF

According to the Swiss government, the additional costs for security at the WEF Annual Meeting 2026 are estimated at around CHF 9 million overall.

The Swiss federal government, together with the WEF Foundation and its other partners (Canton of Graubunden, commune of Davos), will contribute to the costs of WEF Annual Meeting security measures for the period 2025-2027 as part of a three-tier finance model.

WEF bears 50 per cent of the cost, the federal government 25 per cent, the Canton of Graubunden 21.67 per cent and Davos 3.33 per cent, while Klosters will contribute CHF 1,00,000 towards Davos’s share of the costs.

Deployments of armed forces for the meeting have an annual budget of CHF 32 million. Deployment costs in recent years have been under budget (CHF 26.84 million in 2024 and CHF 24.64 million in 2025).

A number of agencies from the federal government, the canton and the commune of Davos work together with the WEF for security.

The Graubunden cantonal police and its partners ensure the security of visitors to the WEF Annual Meeting, the local population and guests.

The government has already imposed security restrictions on the airspace over Davos to safeguard air sovereignty.

If the need arises, aerial policing measures can be ordered and executed in accordance with international rules and procedures.

In addition, helicopter traffic to Davos has to be controlled during the WEF Annual Meeting. The restrictions also apply to paragliders, drones, model aircraft, etc.

Published – January 18, 2026 11:00 am IST