In a world that often feels divided, there's heartening news from Geneva. Nations across the globe are proving that cooperation isn't just surviving, it's evolving and thriving in remarkable new ways.

The World Economic Forum's newly released Global Cooperation Barometer 2026, developed alongside McKinsey & Company, reveals an inspiring truth. While traditional forms of international collaboration may be shifting, humanity's ability to work together on critical challenges remains strong and resilient. The comprehensive study, which tracks 41 metrics across five key areas including trade, innovation, climate, health, and security, shows that countries are simply getting more creative about how they partner.

Perhaps most encouraging is the remarkable progress in climate action and technology collaboration. Clean energy deployment hit record levels in mid-2025, with solar, wind, and electric vehicle adoption accelerating worldwide. While China led with two-thirds of new renewable installations, developing economies across the globe stepped up their game, showing that the green transition is becoming truly global. Regional partnerships, particularly within the European Union and ASEAN nations, are successfully combining decarbonization goals with energy security, proving that cooperation can serve multiple national interests simultaneously.

The innovation and technology sector tells an equally uplifting story. International bandwidth has quadrupled since before the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting people and ideas like never before. IT services and talent are flowing across borders more freely, and countries are finding new ways to collaborate on cutting-edge technologies including artificial intelligence and 5G infrastructure. These partnerships show that even in areas where some restrictions exist, nations are actively seeking aligned partners to unlock new capabilities together.

"Amid one of the most volatile and uncertain periods in decades, cooperation has shown resilience," said Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum. His optimism is well-founded. While cooperation may look different than it once did, with smaller, more flexible partnerships replacing some traditional multilateral approaches, the essential spirit of collaboration remains strong.

Bob Sternfels, Global Managing Partner at McKinsey & Company, highlighted the adaptive nature of modern cooperation. Leaders worldwide are reimagining how to work across borders, creating nimble, purpose-driven arrangements that can deliver results even amid global divisions. These flexible formats are proving particularly effective when they align with national interests, showing that cooperation and sovereignty can indeed go hand in hand.

The Bright Side

What makes these findings so hopeful is the recognition that cooperation isn't a one-size-fits-all endeavor. The report shows that when multilateral avenues face challenges, humans find other ways forward. Smaller coalitions, regional partnerships, and innovative collaborative formats are emerging organically. The Future of Investment and Trade Partnership, for instance, demonstrates how groups of countries can work together effectively even when broader global mechanisms face obstacles.

Health outcomes continue improving globally following the pandemic, showing the lasting benefits of the unprecedented cooperation that occurred during that crisis. Trade in services remains robust, with countries finding mutually beneficial arrangements that strengthen domestic capabilities while maintaining international connections.

The message is clear and inspiring. In an era of uncertainty, human ingenuity and the fundamental desire to solve shared problems together are proving stronger than the forces that might pull us apart. Nations are demonstrating that with creativity, flexibility, and focus on shared interests, cooperation can not only survive but adapt and flourish in new forms.