DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) 鈥 Business and political elites descended on the Swiss Alpine snows of Davos to suss out 鈥渞ebuilding trust鈥 in a splintering world. If there鈥檚 any takeaway from the World Economic Forum's annual meeting 鈥 boldly touting that theme 鈥 it鈥檚 that we still have a long way to go.
From full-blown wars in Ukraine and to suspicions that corporate chiefs and tech whizzes are out to make a buck off of displacing workers with , trust is clearly in short supply.
The Davos gathering wrapped up Friday after a yearly . The idea is getting people together, and big announcements are often just a byproduct 鈥 not the aim. That's if they come at all.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unrealistic to think that Davos 鈥 or any meeting, anywhere in the world 鈥 in one meeting can rebuild trust when it鈥檚 fragmented on so many dimensions," said Rich Lesser, chairman of Boston Consulting Group.
But thousands of conversations between the social, private and public sectors help create "a starting point for rebuilding trust,鈥 he said.
A big artistic wall headlined 鈥淩ebuilding Trust鈥 that greeted bigwigs from Bill Gates to the Iranian foreign minister was full of phrases like 鈥淕rowth and Jobs,鈥 鈥淐limate Nature Energy鈥 and 鈥淐ooperation and Security鈥 鈥 buzzwords that, to some, smack of empty talk.
Critics say the annual meeting, which started more than half a century ago, are a preserve of and politicians who want to stay in power. The event is hard-wired to foster can-do optimism, but geopolitical gloom weighs heavy.
鈥淲hat is striking, if not shocking, for me at Davos is this weird commitment on the part of the participants to adopt an optimistic mindset,鈥 said Agn猫s Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International.鈥ㄢ淏ut optimism for the purpose of maintaining the status quo and keeping my privilege. That鈥檚 not optimism.鈥
鈥淭hat鈥檚 craziness, frankly, and it鈥檚 battering our poor world,鈥 she added.
The general conclusion, attendees said, was that the global economic picture is a bit brighter than might have been thought 鈥 in the richest markets 鈥 but it鈥檚 still anybody鈥檚 guess where intractable wars and looming elections in places like the U.S., India, the European Union and South Africa will redirect the world.
Here are some takeaways from Davos and the work that still lies ahead:
UKRAINE NEEDS MORE MONEY
Long before Russia's war, Ukraine staked out prime real estate on the Davos Promenade main drag to promote its development and efforts to turn westward. Over the last two years, authorities in Kyiv have used the event to call for more support for their fight.
In 2022, months after Russia's invasion, that was an easier ask. This year, Ukraine war fatigue in Europe and the U.S. have set in.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy headlined Tuesday's action, from Western allies as billions in from the United States and European Union remain locked up by homegrown political squabbles.
鈥淧lease, strengthen our economy, and we will strengthen your security,鈥 Zelenskyy urged.
Britain, for its part, played up its recent to Kyiv and urged allies to follow suit.
AI: THE FUTURE AND THE RISK
Concerns about the economy that dominated last year have given way to hope 鈥 at least from business execs 鈥 that and cut down on rote tasks.
But naysayers fear explosive growth of the technology is going too fast for regulators, threatens to push people out of their jobs and than is already found on social media.
Some say , not allow technology to make crucial decisions on its own.
鈥淣o matter how much AI can do, humans are still the deciding factor. So we have to focus on the training of human resources, especially the highly skilled workers,鈥 Pham Minh Chinh, Vietnam's prime minister, said on a Davos panel.
THE CLIMATE OF FEAR ...
The plight of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and fears about Israel鈥檚 long-term security were on people's lips, as was what 鈥 an accusation that Israeli leaders, whose people were massacred in the Holocaust, vociferously deny.
Renewed talk of the creation of a Palestinian state 鈥 an idea again this week 鈥 animated discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and others, as did hopes for a normalization of Israel鈥檚 ties with the Arab world, especially Saudi Arabia. Both seem unlikely in the near future.
Fears raged about how many more Palestinians will die or be injured, whether Israeli hostages will survive captivity and whether the conflict will spill over to even more of the Middle East.
Iran and its proxies, for instance, have stepped up , and it's triggered , the U.S. and Britain.
... AND FEAR ABOUT THE CLIMATE
An unusually rainy Thursday 鈥 snow is far more often the norm in Davos this time of year 鈥 sent tongues wagging about another possible, if temporary, sign of climate change that and political leaders want to address.
The gabfest at the Swiss ski resort, just a month after the , wasn't likely to push forward the effort to battle global warming. But corporate leaders shared ideas about how they're trying to help.
The U.N. chief, citing the and fears that it could be hotter still in coming years, said countries are not doing enough.
鈥淚n the face of the serious 鈥 even existential threats 鈥 posed by and the runaway development of artificial intelligence without guardrails, we seem powerless to act together,鈥 Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in Davos. "As climate breakdown begins, countries remain hellbent on raising emissions.鈥
But 鈥渢he phaseout of fossil fuels is essential and inevitable" he added. 鈥淣o amount of spin or scare tactics will change that.鈥
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AP journalists Masha Macpherson and David Keyton in Davos and Courtney Bonnell and Kelvin Chan in London contributed.
