The Editor's Post: Change doesn't happen at Davos
Years of talks at the World Economic Forum's annual conference still 'haven't moved the needle' – but what happens in communities matter more than vague words in a ski resort. This week's view from the Pioneers Post newsroom.
Conversations about positive impact were few and far between at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting this month. This year’s agenda revealed a focus on defence, geopolitics, and heads of state who were mostly having a dig at each other. But some enlightening and useful sessions did take place this year – it took some digging, so make sure you have a look at our round-up of impact-focused discussions this year to find out more.
Listening to the winners of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship awards, dutifully pitching their amazing work in under three minutes each, was one of the highlights – you can learn more about them in our recent story.
But a question remains. “Why aren’t we moving the needle?” asked a frustrated André Hoffman, the co-chair of WEF, a billionaire, environmentalist and ‘business for good’ advocate, at a panel on planetary boundaries. In the face of environmental and social crises, the discussions, the scientific evidence and the innovative solutions didn’t change behaviours, he deplored.
He looked at the audience. “Look at us, about 20 people, when the [room] was completely full not long ago.”
He meant minutes before, when a different session was taking place. But it also wasn’t long ago that discussions about stakeholder capitalism, how to tackle climate change and social innovation were both plentiful and well-attended during WEF’s annual meetings. Look at conference programmes from the early 2020s – ‘net zero’ and ‘business can save the world’ were everywhere, even despite the pandemic.
Hoffman’s verdict was one we all know too well: change was not happening “because the status quo at the moment is incredibly profitable for many people”, he said. It’s depressing. But I came across an excellent piece by Hendry Mance in the Financial Times – a hilarious phrasebook of the Davosian language which I encourage you to read (my favourite phrases include “Humanity has entered a new era of possibilities” meaning “It is January”, and the theme of this year’s meeting, “A spirit of dialogue” translating into “the idiots are in charge, so we have to speak to them”.) It shows how meaningless what is said in Davos can be.
In contrast, yesterday I attended a webinar looking at how innovative finance models, specifically social impact bonds (SIBs), could be used by Ukrainian municipalities to support the country’s reconstruction. The webinar was organised by The Possible, an alliance of organisations supporting impact entrepreneurship and social finance in Ukraine. It was a presentation of a ‘feasibility report’ on SIBs in Ukraine – looking at how it could work in practice, how that might help channel European reconstruction funds to local authorities, and actually change the lives of real people on the ground.
The conversation might seem a bit geeky to some (if you want to know more about SIBs, check out our great explainer here) but it was seriously looking at concrete solutions – not vague words in a ski resort. “Change doesn’t happen in Davos,” said Ukrainian social entrepreneur Alina Tokmylenko at the webinar. It happens where people actually live their lives.
This week's top stories
Davos 2026: Beyond Greenland, tariffs and Trump – the impact-focused discussions
The Impact World this Week: 29 January 2026
Top image: André Hoffman speaks at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026. Copyright: World Economic Forum/Harold Cunningham.
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