A youth delegation from the Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation, known as Misk, is participating in the 2025 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, presenting new youth perspectives on artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and leadership to a global audience of policymakers, executives, and innovators. The delegation’s presence at the high-profile gathering reflects Saudi Arabia’s expanding role in shaping international conversations about the future of technology and the next generation of economic opportunity. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the foundation is using the platform to offer youth dialogue sessions that showcase the delegation’s innovative ideas and perspectives on entrepreneurial innovation, leadership, and youth trends.
The participation is anchored in the launch of the 2025 Global Youth Index Report during the World Economic Forum, a document that Misk says distills data-driven insights into how young people worldwide view opportunity, technology, and leadership. By bringing Saudi youth voices into one of the world’s most influential forums, the foundation is signaling that the Kingdom’s young population is not merely a beneficiary of global trends but an active contributor to them. How often does a national youth foundation get to shape the agenda at Davos? For Saudi Arabia, the answer is increasingly often, and the 2025 delegation is the latest example of that trajectory.
Context and Background
The Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation (Misk) was established to empower young Saudis and equip them with the skills, networks, and platforms needed to lead in a rapidly changing world. Its presence at Davos is part of a broader strategy to ensure that Saudi youth perspectives are at the forefront of global discussions and transformational initiatives. The foundation’s mission centers on empowering young leaders and shaping a better future, with a particular emphasis on amplifying youth voices in the creation of smart solutions.
Why does a youth delegation from Riyadh matter on a snowy mountain in Switzerland? Because the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting convenes heads of state, central bankers, technology founders, and civil society leaders whose decisions ripple across economies. When Misk brings young Saudis into that environment, it inserts a demographic that represents the majority of the Kingdom’s population into conversations that are often dominated by older decision-makers. The delegation’s agenda—AI, entrepreneurship, and leadership—maps directly onto the forces reshaping global labor markets and investment flows.
The 2025 Global Youth Index Report adds a research backbone to the delegation’s participation. By launching the report during the forum, Misk is positioning Saudi Arabia as a source of primary data and analysis on youth sentiment, rather than a passive consumer of Western-generated research. That distinction matters for how international audiences understand the Kingdom’s social and economic transformation.
Key Details of the Davos Participation
The delegation is hosting youth dialogue sessions designed to present innovative ideas and perspectives on entrepreneurial innovation, leadership, and youth trends. These sessions are not ceremonial appearances; they are structured conversations in which young Saudi participants engage with global counterparts on the practical questions of building businesses, adopting AI responsibly, and leading institutions through change. The 2025 Global Youth Index Report serves as the evidentiary foundation for many of these discussions, giving the delegation concrete data points to reference.
What does it take to be taken seriously in a room full of global chief executives? Credible data and a clear point of view. Misk appears to be bringing both. The report’s launch during the forum gives the delegation a news hook and a substantive contribution, while the dialogue sessions provide a format for two-way exchange rather than one-way promotion. The foundation has emphasized that the initiative is part of its commitment to empowering youth and supporting their role in leading global discussions and transformational initiatives.
The choice of topics—AI, entrepreneurship, and leadership—is deliberate. Artificial intelligence is reshaping productivity and job structures across every sector, and Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in AI research, data infrastructure, and talent development as part of its national strategy. Entrepreneurship is the engine of job creation for young populations, and leadership is the connective tissue that turns individual talent into institutional progress. By addressing all three, the delegation presents a coherent narrative about how Saudi youth are preparing for the economy of the future.
International and Regional Impact
Saudi Arabia’s participation in Davos 2025 comes at a moment when the Kingdom is deepening its engagement with multilateral institutions, foreign investors, and technology partners. The Misk delegation’s presence reinforces the message that Saudi Arabia is open to global collaboration and eager to contribute ideas, not just capital. For international audiences unfamiliar with the pace of change inside the Kingdom, the youth delegation offers a human face to a transformation that is often described in macroeconomic terms.
Could a group of young delegates change how the world sees a nation? Soft power works precisely that way—through people, stories, and sustained presence. The delegation’s dialogue sessions place Saudi youth alongside peers from other countries, creating relationships that can outlast any single forum. In a region where youth unemployment remains a pressing challenge, Saudi Arabia’s emphasis on equipping its young population with AI and entrepreneurial skills offers a constructive model that neighbors and partners may study.
Regionally, the participation aligns with the Kingdom’s broader diplomatic and economic outreach. Saudi Arabia has hosted major international events, attracted global corporate headquarters, and expanded its tourism and entertainment sectors. Each of these efforts depends on the credibility of Saudi talent. When Misk delegates speak credibly about AI and entrepreneurship in Davos, they strengthen the case for the Kingdom as a destination for partnership and investment.
Economic and Strategic Significance
The economic logic behind Misk’s Davos agenda is straightforward: young people are the Kingdom’s most valuable long-term asset. Saudi Arabia has one of the youngest populations among the G20 economies, and converting that demographic dividend into productivity requires education, mentorship, and access to global markets. Entrepreneurship programs create new companies; AI skills raise the productivity of existing ones; leadership development ensures that institutions can scale. Together, these pillars support the diversification of the economy away from hydrocarbon dependence.
What makes a youth index relevant to investors and policymakers? It provides a forward-looking view of the labor force, consumer preferences, and social priorities that will shape markets over the next decade. The 2025 Global Youth Index Report, launched at Davos, gives Misk a seat at the table where such data is debated and used. For Saudi Arabia, that means its youth priorities are visible to the companies and funds that will finance the next wave of innovation.
The strategic significance extends to talent circulation. By sending delegations abroad and hosting international sessions, Misk builds networks that can later translate into joint ventures, academic exchanges, and cross-border startups. These networks are not incidental to economic strategy; they are a form of infrastructure for a knowledge economy. The foundation’s work complements national programs aimed at boosting small and medium enterprises, digital skills, and private-sector employment.
Vision 2030 Alignment
The delegation’s participation aligns directly with Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s national roadmap for economic diversification, social development, and global engagement. Vision 2030 places young people at the center of its ambitions, from education reform to the creation of new sectors such as tourism, entertainment, and technology. Misk’s mandate—empowering youth and supporting their role in leading global discussions—mirrors the Vision’s emphasis on human capability as the foundation of national progress.
By bringing Saudi youth perspectives to Davos, the foundation also advances the Vision’s goal of a more internationally connected Kingdom. The report launch and dialogue sessions demonstrate that Saudi Arabia is contributing research and ideas to global debates, not only receiving them. That two-way exchange is essential to the Kingdom’s aspiration to be a hub for innovation and a bridge between regions and generations.
As the 2025 Annual Meeting continues, the Misk delegation’s contributions will be measured not only in sessions delivered but in relationships built and insights shared. The foundation’s commitment to amplifying youth voices in creating smart solutions reflects a longer-term bet: that today’s young Saudis will be the architects of the Kingdom’s next chapter, and that their ideas deserve a hearing on the world’s largest stages. For a nation investing in its people, Davos is not a destination but a milestone on the road to 2030 and beyond.
20 Questions
Q1. What is the Misk Foundation doing at Davos 2025?
A1. The Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation, known as Misk, is participating in the 2025 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting with a youth delegation that presents perspectives on artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and leadership through dialogue sessions and the launch of the 2025 Global Youth Index Report.
Q2. What is the 2025 Global Youth Index Report?
A2. It is a report launched by Misk during the World Economic Forum that presents data and insights on global youth trends, including views on opportunity, technology, and leadership. It provides an evidence base for the delegation’s discussions with international participants.
Q3. Why is Saudi Arabia’s participation in Davos significant?
A3. It demonstrates the Kingdom’s active role in global economic and technological conversations and reinforces its commitment to international collaboration. It also gives Saudi youth a platform to contribute ideas to discussions that shape policy and investment worldwide.
Q4. What topics are the Misk delegation focusing on?
A4. The delegation is focusing on artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and leadership. These areas reflect the skills and sectors that are central to Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation and to the future of work globally.
Q5. How does Misk empower Saudi youth?
A5. Misk empowers young Saudis through programs, mentorship, networks, and international platforms that build skills and confidence. Its mission is to prepare young leaders to shape a better future and to ensure their voices are heard in global discussions.
Q6. What are youth dialogue sessions at Davos?
A6. They are structured conversations hosted by the Misk delegation where young Saudi participants exchange ideas with global counterparts on entrepreneurial innovation, leadership, and youth trends, using the Global Youth Index Report as a reference point.
Q7. How does this participation support Vision 2030?
A7. Vision 2030 places young people at the center of national development. By showcasing Saudi youth on a global stage and advancing AI and entrepreneurship skills, Misk directly supports the Vision’s goals of economic diversification and human capability development.
Q8. What is the role of artificial intelligence in the delegation’s agenda?
A8. AI is a core theme because it is reshaping economies and labor markets. The delegation discusses how young people can adopt AI responsibly and use it to create solutions, reflecting Saudi Arabia’s investment in digital transformation.
Q9. Why is entrepreneurship important for Saudi youth?
A9. Entrepreneurship creates jobs and diversifies the economy, which is essential for a young and growing population. Misk promotes entrepreneurial thinking as a path for young Saudis to build companies and contribute to national prosperity.
Q10. How does the Global Youth Index Report help global audiences?
A10. The report provides data on youth sentiment and trends that can inform policymakers, investors, and educators. By launching it at Davos, Misk makes Saudi-generated research available to an international audience.
Q11. What does Misk hope to achieve at Davos 2025?
A11. Misk aims to present new youth perspectives, build international networks, and ensure Saudi youth views are part of global discussions. The foundation also seeks to highlight the potential of young Saudis as contributors to innovation and leadership.
Q12. How does this participation reflect Saudi Arabia’s global engagement?
A12. It shows the Kingdom engaging with multilateral institutions and global leaders on forward-looking issues. Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a partner in shaping technology, entrepreneurship, and youth development agendas.
Q13. What is the significance of launching a report at Davos?
A13. Launching a report at Davos gives it immediate visibility among decision-makers and media. It signals that the research is timely and relevant to the global agenda, and it positions Misk as a credible source of youth-related data.
Q14. How are young Saudi delegates selected for such events?
A14. Misk identifies and supports young Saudis through its programs and networks, selecting participants who can represent the Kingdom’s talent and contribute meaningfully to international discussions. The delegation reflects the diversity of Saudi youth.
Q15. What impact can youth participation have on Saudi Arabia’s image?
A15. It presents a human and forward-looking image of the Kingdom, showing that Saudi youth are educated, engaged, and capable of contributing to global conversations. This supports soft power and attracts partnership interest.
Q16. How does Misk’s work complement other Saudi initiatives?
A16. Misk’s focus on youth empowerment complements national programs in education, digital skills, and small business development. Together, these efforts build the human capital needed for economic diversification.
Q17. What role does leadership development play in the delegation’s message?
A17. Leadership development is presented as essential for turning individual talent into institutional progress. The delegation discusses how young leaders can drive change in business, government, and civil society.
Q18. How does the delegation engage with international peers?
A18. Through dialogue sessions, panel discussions, and informal networking, the delegation exchanges views with young leaders and executives from other countries, creating relationships that can lead to future collaboration.
Q19. What makes the 2025 Davos meeting relevant to youth globally?
A19. The meeting addresses major economic and technological shifts that will define the future for young people. By including youth perspectives, the forum can develop more inclusive and forward-looking solutions.
Q20. What comes next for Misk after Davos 2025?
A20. Misk will continue its programs to empower young Saudis, using insights from Davos and the Global Youth Index Report to inform future initiatives. The foundation remains committed to amplifying youth voices in creating smart solutions.
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