Here is everything you need to know this month!
Community Updates
1. Global Shapers Annual Summit 2026
Save the date! The Global Shapers Annual Summit will take place from 30 June - 2 July 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Summit brings together newly elected Curators for a 3-day programme aimed at equipping them with leadership skills. In addition to our in-person event, we'll be hosting a virtual event on LinkedIn, open to young people everywhere, no matter where you are in the world. Stay tuned for news about inspiring sessions, master classes, and a chance to be featured on a global broadcast!
2. Monthly Show: Clean Air
The April episode of the Global Shapers Show, on 30 April at 15:00 CET, will dive into the topic of clean air. Host Murchana Roychoudhury, Communications and Insights Specialist at the Global Shapers Community, will sit down with Martina Szabo (Head of Knowledge Communities) and Roddy Weller (Manager, Clean Air) from the World Economic Forum to explore how platforms like the Global Future Council on Clean Air and the Equal Air Collaborative are driving action on clean air. We will also be joined by Enkhuun Byambadorj (Global Shaper, Ulaanbaatar Hub; Co-Founder Breathe Mongolia) virtually. Watch the March episode on women and leadership with Sunita Dangol, Acting Mayor of Kathmandu.
3. Curatorship Transition
Congratulations to those who joined the March sessions on successful Curatorship transitions. For those who couldn’t attend, our hosts, Lara, Valentina, and Vishnu, have prepared a leadership transitions toolkit and more, which you can find in the 'Curatorship Transition' section under Curator responsibilities.
4. Global Shapers Alumni Celebration Day
Join us for a special virtual gathering as we honor and welcome those who transitioned into the Global Shapers Alumni Community in 2026. It’s a moment to reconnect, reflect, and reimagine your journey within our global network. Discover what it means to be part of the Alumni Community, explore new ways to stay engaged, and be inspired by powerful testimonials from outstanding alumni around the world. Whether you are newly transitioned or have been part of the journey for years, this session is open to all Shapers.
5. Intergenerational Foresight Handbook
The Intergenerational Foresight handbook, capturing the insights that emerged from the Future50 programme is now published! Congratulations to everyone involved.
This collaboration between the Global Foresight Network and the Global Shapers Community was created to bring generations together to tackle governance challenges through long-term decision-making. Following the success of Future50, we will now be launching Future26, the next cohort, which will focus on industry-level application.
World Economic Forum Events
6. Annual Meeting of the New Champions
The Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions will explore how innovation and emerging technologies can unlock new growth models and drive positive economic momentum. The 2026 meeting will take place from 23 - 25 June in Dalian, People’s Republic of China. Congratulations to the Global Shapers selected to represent youth perspectives at the meeting!
If you are in Dalian, China between 18-21 June, you are welcome to register for the Pre-AMNC 26 gathering, organised by the Dalian Hub.
7. Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting
In light of the current regional developments, and in close consultation with the Ministry of Economy and Planning of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the World Economic Forum will be rescheduling the Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting, which had been planned for April 2026 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Impact Opportunities
8. Davos Compact on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
The Centre for Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum invites organizations to support and sign the Davos Compact on AMR, a global call to action to strengthen the response to antimicrobial resistance ahead of the UN High-Level Meeting in 2029. Supported by the Unified Coalition for the AMR Response, the Compact brings together governments, international organizations, the private sector, and civil society to mobilize resources, accelerate innovation, and improve access to antimicrobials, vaccines, and diagnostics. We encourage Global Shaper Hubs and their relevant networks to join the movement and sign the Compact here (no individual signatures). For any queries, please email Judith.Moore@weforum.org.
9. Longevity Economy Playbook
As life expectancy increases globally, a critical question emerges: how do we ensure that longer lives are also more secure, inclusive, and resilient? The Global Shapers Community is developing a Longevity Economy Playbook, to support Hubs in designing and delivering locally relevant interventions on financial resilience, wellbeing, and long-term planning. We are inviting Shapers from across regions to contribute insights that inform i) how longevity challenges and opportunities are understood globally; ii) the design of hub-led interventions; iii) and the development of tools to measure impact and drive change.
Community Spotlight
10. Ahmedabad Leadership Collective
From 10-12 April, the Ahmedabad Hub convened Global Shapers, alumni and local stakeholders for a three-day immersive experience marking the launch of the Ahmedabad Leadership Collective, an initiative rooted in 14 years of sustained community engagement. Building on the impact of flagship projects like Science Period, this milestone event provided an opportunity to Hub members, alumni and local partners to renew their commitment to nurturing the next generation of leaders in Ahmedabad and scaling collective impact.
11. Shred the Debt Nationwide Kickoff
From 27-29 March, the World Economic Forum office in San Francisco hosted Global Shapers from across the United States for the Shred the Debt Nationwide Kickoff, a three-day gathering centered on addressing the impact of medical debt through collective action. Bringing together 54 Shapers from 23 cities, the event the foundation for a coordinated effort to abolish medical debt in the United States. We invite you to join the campaign.
12. Forum Stories
- How peer-led reskilling is helping bridge the skills gap in East Africa, Bruno Komurubuga & Mary Clains Tino
- What AI in education needs next: Lessons from youth leaders across five countries, He Qiqing
- 3 ways Africa can maximize the value of its critical minerals and finance its future, Ifeanyi Chukwudi
- What Afghanistan can teach us about building human-centric strategic foresight, Zainab Azizi
- How rethinking purpose in later life can drive healthy longevity, Clementina Colombo & Rafaela Valencia-Dongo Q.
- How to think about ‘safe’ withdrawal rates in a changing global economy, Pranidhi Sawhney & Arpaan G Begdai
- Why climate action matters for healthy longevity, Daniel Mahadzir
- Gulf nation ports deliver water, energy and food. What happens when they close? Rumaitha Al Busaidi & Sarah Mostafa-Kamel
- Is this how young Europeans can reinvent democracy and security in a turbulent era? Markus Kirchschlager & Benedikt Gieger
- Digital innovation and governance aren't mutually exclusive – they are inextricable, Wanjuhi Njoroge
- How climate storytelling can move from fear to agency, and why it matters for policy, Anurit Kanti
- How AI could help fight financial crime by reinventing integrity, Jovan Jovanovic
- Why humanity must learn to trust differently in the GenAI era, Ricky Franklin
- What war in the Middle East means for AI, according to an entrepreneur, Tony Pan
Shapers, please connect with your Community Manager before submitting a pitch.
We believe in a world where young people are central to solution-building, policy-making and lasting change.
- Access all Global Shapers resources, guides and tools at wef.ch/gsc-guides
- Read our newsletter in your preferred language using a translation extension
- Pitch your ideas for Forum Stories (English)