UAE Soft Power Shapes Economic Resilience At Davos 2026 Global Forum

The United Arab Emirates took part in a high-level dialogue at the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, where global leaders examined how soft power can support economic resilience and rebuild trust amid rising volatility, with discussions linking national reputation, credible policy, and future skills to long-term stability in international markets.

The dialogue formed part of the Global Soft Power Summit, convened in Davos for the first time, and gathered senior policymakers, business leaders, and experts to assess how countries respond to geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, and shifting public perceptions through national strategies that combine credibility, consistency, and long-range planning.

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The session was framed around the theme of soft power as a strategic asset in an era of conflict, competition, and economic fragmentation, and speakers discussed how reputation, governance quality, innovation capacity, and social progress now complement traditional hard power in shaping a country’s resilience, access to investment, and influence in multilateral forums.

Central to the conversation was the Global Soft Power Index 2026, which measured perceptions of 193 countries using insights from more than 150,000 respondents worldwide, and the findings showed how trust levels, reputational trends, and national credibility are changing as many states confront political polarisation, slower growth, and heightened scrutiny from citizens and investors.

The panel brought together The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Former Prime Minister of Canada, Sarah Al Amiri, UAE Minister of Education, and David Haigh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Brand Finance, who each examined how soft power connects with education systems, investment strategies, diplomatic engagement, and societal resilience.

Justin Trudeau addressed the shifting international landscape, where economic and geopolitical pressures are redefining relationships between states, and Trudeau underlined the value of leadership grounded in principles, reliability, and clarity of purpose for maintaining trust, influence, and constructive cooperation during periods of uncertainty and strategic rivalry.

Soft power, economic resilience and education strategies

Sarah Al Amiri focused on the role of education, science, and future skills as core elements of national soft power, explaining that investment in human capital, research, and innovation ecosystems helps shape global perceptions, supports economic resilience, and improves societies’ capacity to adapt to technological change and new labour market demands.

Amiri noted that countries prioritising education quality and readiness for future industries are better placed to gain trust, retain and attract specialised talent, and maintain sustainable growth in an increasingly complex environment, where skills, knowledge networks, and research output affect both competitiveness and the credibility of long-term development strategies.

David Haigh outlined results from the Global Soft Power Index 2026 and highlighted that many countries face falling trust levels and reputational headwinds, while also stressing that well-managed soft power has become a crucial tool for economic resilience, supporting investor confidence, trade relationships, and continued relevance in an evolving global economic system.

Haigh observed that states investing systematically in reputation, transparent governance, education, sustainability, and innovation are generally better able to absorb external shocks and traverse disruption, and participants linked these findings to practical policies that tie national branding to measurable outcomes in exports, tourism, capital flows, and talent mobility.

The discussion assessed how soft power influences concrete economic results by shaping investment decisions, trade partnerships, global confidence, and the ability to attract skilled individuals, and speakers noted a growing overlap between soft power and economic strategy, arguing that national image management now sits at the centre of development and competitiveness planning.

Participants also examined education, research, innovation, and responsible governance as drivers of future-oriented national narratives, agreeing that countries aligning economic ambitions with social progress, sustainability, and human development are more likely to preserve influence and competitiveness, while soft power acts as a multiplier rather than a replacement for sound economic fundamentals and structural reforms.

The dialogue underscored that effective soft power can reinforce resilience, trust, and long-term value creation when integrated into credible national strategies rooted in education, innovation, and international cooperation, and it reflected the UAE’s broader engagement at the World Economic Forum 2026, where the country contributed to debates on economic resilience, governance, education, and sustainable development.

With inputs from WAM