Ahead of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, scheduled to open on 19 January, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard has issued a sharp warning that the “spirit of dialogue” — the official theme of this year’s Forum — has been largely absent from global affairs amid rising unilateralism and abuses of power. She highlighted that powerful states are increasingly sidelining multilateral cooperation, weakening international law and democratic norms, and prioritizing narrow self‑interest over collective solutions.
In her statement, Callamard criticized the United States under President Trump for withdrawing from key multilateral bodies, engaging in coercive behaviour toward other states, and undermining institutions that uphold international justice. She further pointed to actions by Russia and Israel, saying they have made a mockery of conventions like the Geneva and Genocide Conventions without facing meaningful accountability. According to Callamard, such behaviour contributes to the erosion of a rules‑based international order, replacing long‑term strategic partnerships grounded in universal values with unilateral interventions and corporate‑driven agendas.
Callamard urged world leaders, business executives and civil society actors attending Davos to reject silence or appeasement in the face of diplomatic, economic and military bullying. Instead, she called for principled and united action that includes strong legal, economic and diplomatic responses to aggression and systemic threats to cooperative global governance. She emphasized that tackling global challenges — from climate change and digital governance to tax fairness and debt reform — requires inclusive, transparent decision‑making and cooperation among nations.
During the Forum, where leaders convene under the banner of “A Spirit of Dialogue,” Callamard will be available to discuss a range of pressing human rights issues, including conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Venezuela, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar, as well as the need to revitalize multilateralism, reform global tax and debt systems, phase out fossil fuels, scale up climate finance, and address the human rights impacts of artificial intelligence.
Her remarks reflect broader concerns about the current geopolitical climate and the challenges facing multilateral cooperation. At Davos, discussions are expected to address these themes against a backdrop of increasing global fragmentation and debate over the relevance of institutions like the United Nations and the World Economic Forum itself.
