World Economic Forum report calls for strengthening global cooperation

The escalation of geopolitical conflicts and regional instability have brought the level of global cooperation to a low point, according to a report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

The Global Cooperation Barometer 2025 report called on the international community to actively explore cooperation paths and strengthen cooperation to meet common challenges.

It uses statistical data from 2012 to 2023 to evaluate global cooperation trends in five areas, including trade and capital, innovation and technology, climate and natural capital, health and wellness, peace and security.

The report expressed belief that after a decade of positive momentum, international cooperation around various areas has stalled.

Affected by the intensification of geopolitical competition and conflict, the level of global cooperation in peace and security has dropped sharply in the past few years, the report said. In 2023, affected by crises in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan, geopolitical conflicts and the resulting humanitarian crises have reached unprecedented severity, it added.

Political and geopolitical turbulence has the potential to degrade global cooperative efforts, the report said. But in areas such as trade, innovation and climate, global cooperation is still in a positive trend.

Thanks to the digitalization of the global economy, global technology and innovation cooperation continued to advance in 2023, but emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are reshaping the global landscape, increasing the possibility of new frontiers of geostrategic competition, the report said.

The report stated that global cooperation to achieve climate goals has been strengthened in 2023, capital flows and trade in low-carbon technologies such as solar energy, wind energy and electric vehicles have increased. As global carbon emissions continue to increase, strengthening global cooperation is necessary to achieve climate goals by 2030.

This is the second time the WEF has released the Global Cooperation Barometer since 2024. Borge Brende, president of the World Economic Forum, said that in the face of a challenging global situation, cooperation is the only way to address major economic, environmental and technological challenges.